If you want to win at blackjack, you need to understand the psychology of the game and its importance. Many players can win at blackjack but lose as they make psychological errors that lead to their downfall. They are easy to avoid with the right attitude so lets look at them. Disciplined Play Will Give BIG Profits but... To win blackjack players use basic strategy and card counting and gain an edge over the casino and emerge with big profits This is true; you can win at blackjack longer term However many players who can win at blackjack think they will do so to quickly and here is the first mistake they make they think because they have an edge to win at blackjack is quick and easy. You need to have bankroll to sustain you over hundreds of hours of losing play. Many players get frustrated and chase loses and then end up being wiped out. If you dont take a longer term view and have adequate bankroll you will lose. Keep in mind the edge is small and it takes a long time to come out in your favor The Fear of Going Bust The fear of going bust (going over 21) is a common error made among blackjack players. Going bust means you are out of the game. Many players find it hard to draw an additional card even though it is the right play to make, the fear of going bust prevents them but its in many instances the WRONG play not to draw. Standing on 16 when you should take a hit stops a player going bust. However, the dealer has to stand on 17 and above, so the advantage the player sees of not going bust is counterbalanced by the fact that the player cannot win unless the dealer goes bust. Losing by busting is psychologically more devastating for many players than losing to the dealer. If you hit and bust, psychologically you are wrong and we all hate to be wrong! If you stand and lose, the dealer was lucky and you have no responsibility and the player feels better Players get obsessed with trying to avoid going bust, that they fail to focus on the probabilities of winning and losing, when neither player nor the dealer goes bust. OK, if you draw another card you could go bust and you may feel stupid, but the odds longer term when doing this are in your favor on a lot of occasions. Go with the logical play, not the easy play, to win at blackjack. Lady Luck Many players increase bet after a loss and reduce it after a win. This is called "the gambler's fallacy," the idea is that if you lose a hand, the odds go up that you will win the next hand, but of course this is simply not true. Other players do the reverse, increasing the bet size after a win and decreasing it after a loss. The odds are the same at the start of each hand and to win at blackjack you need a disciplined logical approach and you must not rely on gut feelings. Why Do Players Act Like this? Well money is on the line and if money is important to you then you act differently, its true in many walks of life when the pressure is on you cant do what you would do without the pressure. A footballer can score a penalty every time in training, but with millions of people watching pressure is on and its a different game. In blackjack its the money that acts as pressure and many players psychology defeats them. They know what they should do logically to win at blackjack, but they cant do it. Generally psychological issues cause the following: 1. Players cannot detach themselves emotionally from the fact that winning blackjack requires long losing periods, they get angry, try to get their losses back quickly and discipline goes out of the window. 2. They fall into the trap that breaking their plan once wont make any difference. Problem is once they have broken their method once, their tempted to do it again! 3. Focusing on the game is an obvious requirement to win at blackjack but many players play with alcohol clouding their judgment or other issues i.e they tired or had a row with the wife Your method +discipline = long term success! Players need mental discipline to focus over the long term, take losses and have the discipline to execute their plan in good periods and bad. Winning at blackjack requires discipline to execute a method and for this you need to have the RIGHT mindset and psychology. If you achieve this, you can win at blackjack longer term. |
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