There’s a lot of debate as to whether blackjack is a game of luck or strategy. On one hand, you can’t control the hands you receive, but on the other, you can control how you play them. The argument on either side is valid because a good run of blackjack consists of both luck and strategy.
Unless you’re playing blackjack without knowing the rules it couldn’t be considered a game of pure luck. Slots are games of luck, and to put them both in the same category wouldn’t be accurate. In blackjack, you make decisions. You choose to Hit, Stand, Double, Split, or Surrender, and your choice impacts your success. Playing our Single Deck Blackjack optimally can bring the blackjack house edge down to 0.037%.
That being said, blackjack isn’t 100% skill either. If we think of a skill vs. luck spectrum, with slots being on the end of luck, and let’s say poker on the end of skill, blackjack would be somewhere in the middle. It’s not as complex as poker but you’re more limited on the choices you make and therefore more affected by variance.
Know When to Double
Let’s take Doubling as an example. Playing blackjack optimally involves knowing which hands to double for the greatest return – according to the math. Statistically speaking, a double-worthy hand should come around once every 10 hands. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to double more often than the average, and if you’re unlucky, you’ll get to double less often than the average. The same goes for how often you land blackjack and get paid 3-2.
Play Blackjack Now
The bottom line is, there are professional blackjack players out there, so there’s enough skill in the game to attract pros. They don’t deny the luck involved; instead, they create big enough bankrolls to withstand losing streaks when the cards just aren’t falling in their favor. In the words of Kenny Rogers, you got to know when to fold them.