Both blackjack and poker can be accurately described as skill-based casino games and while there are many online casino blackjack players that enjoy a game of poker and vice versa out there, there are important distinctions to be made between the two and it is often vital that a player perfects their blackjack game before transitioning to poker.

Blackjack is one of the oldest games on the planet, with it universally accepted amongst experts that the game originated in French casinos in the early 1700s. In comparison, poker and especially the Texas Hold’em variant is still arguably in its infancy, with tournaments in this style only coming into prominence since around 1970.

There are many differences between the two games, the main one being that blackjack requires the player to play against the dealer and the house whereas poker players generally compete against each other. Still, while the strategies involved in the two games couldn’t be more philosophically diverse, there are several aspects of blackjack that translate very well to most variants of poker. In that way, it’s no wonder that a good blackjack player will approach poker with useful skills even if they are new to the game, and vice versa.

Confidence

Confidence is all important in any skill-based card game. Players need to have faith in their own ability to make the right decisions under pressure and equally important is the need to know when things aren’t going in their favor in order to stop and regroup. Playing blackjack, regardless of the variant you go for also helps you understand that losses are unavoidable, owing to the fact that the probable outcomes are more out of your hands in comparison to a game such as Texas Hold’em.

With regards to proof that the confidence and aptitude required for blackjack are transferable to poker, you need to look no further than Doyle Brunson or Russ Hamilton, with the latter displaying a proficiency in both of the card games. Hamilton won the 1994 WSOP, defeating Hugh Vincent and taking home $1m for his troubles as well as winning his own body weight in silver, as it was the 25th anniversary of the tournament. Hamilton is the mastermind behind the concept of Elimination Blackjack, which revolutionized the game and made it more accessible and exciting as a television spectacle. On top of this, the American founded The Ultimate Blackjack Tour in 2005, which was televised after American network CBS bought the rights to the show and became the network’s highest rated show at the time in its particular slot.

Knowledge, Tactics and Math

It follows that players need a good understanding of the rules of both blackjack and poker before taking the plunge but simply being aware of the basics isn’t enough for those wanting to excel in both arenas. However, the skills involved in both poker and blackjack are often more interchangeable than players think, with both games requiring players to mathematically work out the odds of beating the deck.

In blackjack, getting your cards to add up to 21 is obviously the primary objective but players must know what the chances of getting to this number or at least as close as possible and when to use one of many tactics available such as splitting, surrendering or even doubling down. Although there are many variants of blackjack games, the differences between them are usually subtle. Andy Bloch is another player who has made the successful transition from blackjack to poker and has been featured in the 2005 blackjack documentary The Hot Shoe, as well as starring in his own instructional blackjack DVD, Beating Blackjack. As an article by The Telegraph documents, Bloch’s rise throughout the casino world was meteoric and garnered so much worldwide attention that he was immortalized in the Sony Pictures film 21, which went straight to the top of the box office upon its release in 2008, grossing an impressive $157m worldwide.

 

 

Psychology

Despite the skill factor involved in both blackjack and poker, you could make the case that psychology has just as big a part to play in determining whether players will be successful or not. Playing any game of skill in the wrong frame of mind can have disastrous effects and every decision is best calculated with both a calm and clear mind. This is especially important as otherwise you experiencing tilt, which can’t only happen in poker but in blackjack and beyond, if you think about it. This emotional state of frustration involves a player playing poorly due to emotional distress, usually caused by a bad run of cards. By widening one’s range of games and experiencing different setups, poker players can shield themselves against tilt. As in blackjack you play against the dealer, your opponent will not try to rile you up or bluff, but the experience itself is valuable in learning to focus on the game and not let emotions get the better of you.

Research carried by Dutch psychologists out into the most common mistakes blackjack players make has concluded that 44% errors relate to not taking an extra card when they should, indicating that players gamble conservatively in an attempt to stay in the game. With a more positive psychological outlook and a winning mentality, these mistakes can be eliminated by getting yourself in the right frame of mind before you sit down at the table or log onto your mobile device. Blackjack is a game which requires a full amount of focus and the psychological foundations built by playing it are sure to be stretched even further in a game of poker. Playing against other players as opposed to the dealer means that not only do you have to master and control your own facial expressions and body language, you also need to train yourself to detect changes in your opponent’s demeanor.

Patience Is Key – It Takes Time!

As is the case with any sport, activity or hobby, getting good requires massive amounts of practice and let’s face it, a certain amount of luck. Thankfully, with the advancement of technology and rising popularity of the online casino industry, there are plenty of games available where players can hone their skills at the casino without a need to bet real money, and this is probably the best way for newcomers to blackjack or even poker to gain the experienced required to sit at the top tables with the pros.

In addition to this, there are various tutorials, in particular on the popular streaming and video website YouTube, where players can learn the basics of the game and then progress through increasing levels of difficulty in order to start thinking about barging open their local casino doors, ordering a Martini (or something equally as fancy) and taking a seat at a table to ready to take on the rest of the casino.

Blackjack has its roots dating back to the 1600s. Not only has the game been around for a long time, but, like many other games with proud histories, people have also had a long, long time to figure out the most successful blackjack strategies for a successful gaming session. Modern versions of blackjack differ somewhat from the original version that used that Spanish baraja deck, but the core simple ideas that made it so popular then have persisted to the present day.

To that effect, blackjack may be simple, but as with other card games like rummy and solitaire, the strategies for winning aren’t always quite so simple. This is because rather than relying on cards that give you blackjack, players need to learn a strategy that will help to turn the odds in your favour. After all, the odds on you getting blackjack when using one deck of cards are about 1 in 20.7 (thanks to some fairly complicated mathematics for helping us work that out!).

Developing a clear strategy and knowing your own playing style will increase your chances of winning, and will also show the dealer that they are up against someone who means business, whether in reality you are a high roller, just a casual player, or somewhere in between. We’ve outlined a few tips below to help you develop this strategy and, over time, hopefully that convincing winning persona as well.

Knowing When to Surrender

Fighting a losing battle or chasing a hand that just isn’t working for you might sound like it has an element of excitement to it, but this approach can turn out to be time-consuming and downright pointless. If you end up in a position where you have been dealt your first two cards and the dealer isn’t sitting on blackjack, you can offer to surrender. This does mean that you will be walking away from this hand with your tail between your legs, but what you get back in exchange for accepting defeat is only forfeiting half of your bet.

Knowing when to surrender is all about working out your chance of winning. The chances of you beating the dealer on any given hand (before the cards are dealt) is about 42%. If you end up with a starting hand of 16, arguably the worst in blackjack, this knowledge gives you an escape route before you end up committing to a game. This means that you can save your cash for far more winnable hands.

Of course, should you end up being dealt two 8s when playing blackjack, you might want to consider splitting, but in other scenarios, showing that you are aware the odds have suddenly become very much stacked against you proves you are a player who knows what they’re doing.

Avoiding the Banana Skin by Knowing When to Split

One of the reasons why almost every casino offers the chance to play blackjack and also why it has such a mystique in the media is because of the fact that, despite the simple premise of this popular game, the range of variations and the chance to alter the game to increase the chances of winning make it hard to resist. In some casinos, these chances come in the form of insurance, where you can make a side bet in case the dealer happens to have blackjack, but more commonly it comes in the form of knowing when to split your cards when you’re dealt a potential banana. Knowing when to take insurance is one of the topics tackled in blackjack pro Edward O Thorp’s books, including Beat the Dealer.

In our previous example, we looked at the fact that players don’t want to be stuck when it comes to being dealt a hand with a value of 16. However, if you are dealt this, then you can at least take the option of splitting your cards, handing yourself a greater chance of success if you don’t want to surrender. Splitting is an option frequently – but not always – offered by casinos, in which you turn your hand into two separate hands to play against the dealer with. Each of these hands is played independently of each other. As we understand more about blackjack, some variants of the game allow for splitting equal hands more than once. The key is to be aware that splitting is certainly one way to play if you are keen to try out a few different strategies as the split hands are played independently of each other.

Practice Makes Perfect

Perhaps the most important tip to bear in mind when it comes to enjoying a game of blackjack is simply play, play, and play again. Take time to work out how best to use different strategies, balancing your desire to take on the dealer with the competing consideration of making sure you don’t double down on hands that will see you end up being beaten by the dealer. Practice really does make perfect, and it certainly helps that you’re bound to have a lot of fun along the way whilst you sharpen your strategic thinking