The 5 stages to becoming a skilled blackjack player
Hopefully, you’ve spent some time reading through our other blackjack articles. If you have, then you’ll have found that there are plenty of interesting stories and facts, but there’s much more to them than this. Many of the articles that we feature are there to help you. We want to do all that we can so that you can become the best blackjack player, and get the most out of the game. In this article we go through the 5 stages of becoming skilled at blackjack.
Having known many blackjack players, they all seem to follow a similar path. They tend to progress through 5 distinct stages and, by the last of these, they’re playing at their best. Now, not all players reach stage 5. The reality is that some sit at the other stages along the way. Often this is out of choice, others it is about ability.
We’re going to take a look at these 5 stages now. Which one do you identify as, and what are the steps that you need to take to reach the next?
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Becoming skilled at Blackjack – First stage
There is more than one type of player that fall into this stage. Many of these are novices. They are new to blackjack, but they’re keen to learn and progress their game. The second type of player here is those who seem to have gotten stuck. They know how to play blackjack but they rely completely on luck.
This second type of player has no knowledge of basic strategy and plays according to hunches. They also ignore the rules of the game which make it less favourable.
Generally, players who are at stage one, face a house edge of around 1.5% to 2%. Now, assuming that they’re playing $10 games and playing 100 hands an hour, they lose between $15 and $2o for every hour that they play.
Becoming skilled at Blackjack – Second stage
The good news is that almost all of the players in stage one are able to move to this next stage if they choose to. Players here now know a little about basic strategy. They’re far from mastering it, but they know that it exists and they try to let it guide their game. They’re still not 100% there though and will still trust hunches above what strategy tells them.
By the time players are in this stage, they know that they don’t want to play games of blackjack that come with a 6:5 payout. Instead, they take active steps to seek out 3:2. They still get a little confused though and hold misguided beliefs such as progressive betting systems can boost your chances of winning. The way in which these players approach blackjack is still far from perfect and they now stand to lose around $10 for each playing hour.
Becoming skilled at Blackjack – Third stage
If you get stuck in stage 2 for too long, something happens: you get sick of losing money. When this happens, players are more likely to put in the effort and commitment required to fully master basic blackjack strategy. By this point, these players are only playing the blackjack games with favourable blackjack rules. When you consider this alongside their newfound mastery of basic strategy, something impressive happens to the house edge: it falls all the way down to 0.3% to 0.5%.
Now, at this stage players may feel a little content. They believe that they’ve cracked this whole blackjack thing and that this is as far as they can go. The problem, however, is that in stage 3, players are still losing more than they win.
Players again turn to progressive betting systems thinking that they will help. The truth is, these do nothing when it comes to the house edge. The good news is that, with the house edge that much lower, the losses also fall. They now sit at around $3 to $5 an hour
Becoming skilled at Blackjack – Fourth stage
By stage 4, players have long since gotten to grips with all things that basic strategy has to offer. Now, however, they start to add new elements to their game. This sees them, finally, abandon progressive betting systems and, instead, learn a basic card counting technique. When a basic technique is used, the house no longer has the edge. It goes with players way by as much as 0.1% to 0.5%. This means that rather than losing money, players are now winning around $1 to $5 per playing hour.
When players realize that card counting isn’t as hard as they first thought many look to move to stage 5. Here, more techniques are mastered and the edge moves even further. That being said, with card counting there will still be losing streaks. Some players feel overwhelmed by this and, rather than progressing, they find themselves moving back to stage 3.
Fifth stage
Players in stage 5 have cracked it. They now used card counting methods such as Hi-Lo. They understand that bets should only be increased when they have the edge and they know that basic strategy should be followed exactly unless the count tells them otherwise.
These players also see blackjack for what it is: it’s a game that’s about the long run. The fact that it’s based on math and probability means that sometimes things will happen, and other times they won’t. However, over the long term, certain outcomes are guaranteed. That’s why stage 5 players don’t get hung up on losing. They simply accept what it is and live to play another day.
Final thoughts
No matter how you approach your game of blackjack, the reality is that hanging around in stage one isn’t much fun. This is where you lose too much and it doesn’t take long for your bankroll to be obliterated. This will either see players walk away from the game or, even worse, try their luck and chase their losses.
As you start to move up the stages, things become much easier and winning ways don’t evade you. These stages require work to progress, but none of it is hugely complicated. It just takes the commitment from you.
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