Is Blackjack a Game of Skill or Luck?

The topic of luck versus skill has been a heated debate amongst players of a variety of gambling activities. Daily fantasy sports, poker, and various other casino games, including blackjack, have compelling arguments on either side.

The debates have primarily sparked as a result of legislation which attempts to classify what exactly constitutes gambling. From a player’s perspective, it comes down to strategy. If a game is purely luck-based, do strategy and betting systems really have any effect?

A game like poker can be argued as a game of skill as it requires the ability to know the cards, read your opponents, and make decisions based on their betting actions. However, with a game of roulette, it is just you against the wheel. Blackjack can be argued as sitting somewhere in between. While you are essentially at the mercy of the card draw, there are still actions you can take to shift the balance more in your favour. 

Luck and Randomness in Casino Games

When playing at an online casino, there are two major forms of randomness to consider. The outcome of any game round is determined by whether you are playing virtual blackjack or a live dealer table. All virtual casino games use a random number generator (RNG) that dictates the outcome of a round.

This is a complex algorithm that is constantly creating combinations of numbers that correspond to every possible outcome that is achievable within the game. For virtual blackjack tables, the number combinations will be related to the cards in the deck, and a new number will be generated for every card that is drawn. This ensures that each card draw is completely independent of the previous draw and thus recreates the nature of randomness found when pulling out actual cards from a real deck. 

When seated at an actual table at a land-based casino or online live casino blackjack, the shuffling and changing of decks ensures the same level of randomness created by an RNG. Multiple decks are also used to further add to the randomness, as well as to try and prevent card counting. If you are only relying on card draws to win the day, then you can only rely on the fickle nature of luck to get you through. However, with blackjack, there are several ways to apply skill and strategy to sway lady luck to be more favourable in your gameplay.

How Does Skill Affect Blackjack?

As with all gambling-related activities, there is no guarantee of winning. All the planning and strategizing in the world can be brought down by a succession of unlucky card draws. That isn’t to say that going in with a plan is a futile endeavour. In fact, it is highly recommended that you always go into any betting session with a strategy. Those with a plan tend to fare much better than those without. It is, however, important to consider that no strategy or betting system is perfect, and you will need to factor in losses for any casino game.

Effective Bankroll Management

Applying effective bankroll management is an essential skill in any casino game. If you have a budget of €100, for example, it wouldn’t serve you well to put down €10 for each hand. Your funds will dry up quickly, and the session will be over before you know it. It is, therefore, important to make bets proportional to your budget for that session. It is generally recommended that your bet amount should be around 1% to 3% of your budget for that session. This will allow you to play for longer, giving you more opportunity and potential to walk away with a net gain.

Another important thing to consider is knowing when to walk away. Make sure you have a winning goal in mind before taking a seat. Equally important is knowing when to cut your losses. When things start to turn sour, it is better to walk away from the table to cool down. An enemy of effective bankroll management is letting your emotions take over your betting, as it tends to make players deviate from any strategy and logic when playing the game.

Knowing Your Hand

There is more to blackjack than knowing the values of each card. Simply put, veteran blackjack players know when to Hit, when to Stand and when to Split. You can apply more than gut instinct to determine what decision to make. In a standard game of blackjack, it is a common piece of advice to always stand on a 17 or more. Splitting on a pair of 8s is also common practice, while knowing when to Hit can be determined by both your and the dealer’s cards. If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, for example, you may need to be a little bolder in your betting to come out ahead. Knowing what decision is the most optimal in any given situation is an important step to make if you want to take your gameplay to the next level.

Counting Cards

If you want to take things even further with your blackjack gameplay, then card counting is a well-known and infamous strategy used by players. While it is not illegal, it is highly frowned upon at land-based casinos and can result in you being banned from the establishment. This isn’t so much a problem at online casinos though, as there is no way of knowing if a player is counting cards. You can even use a notepad to keep notes of the count when playing online, which would never be accepted at a land-based operation. While you may think you need an advanced maths degree to even think about card counting, the essence of it is actually very simple. You start the count from zero and use the following rules after every card draw:

• Cards 2 to 6 means +1 to the count
• Cards 7 to 9 do not affect the count
• Cards 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace mean -1 to the count

Using this formula will give you a simplified read on whether the table is hot or cold. The higher your count is, the hotter the table is, as there will be more 10s and face cards left to draw, while the opposite will apply to a count in the negative.

Balancing Luck And Skill

It is good to take on a holistic approach when taking a seat at the blackjack tables. Consider the elements of both luck and skill. Have a strategy, apply effective bankroll management, consider all cards on the table, and know when to walk away. Just keep in mind that luck will always be an element in any card game. The cards drawn and the betting decisions you make will have distinct odds associated with them. You are more likely to bust when hitting on an 18 than a 12, for example. You, therefore, have a far greater degree of influence when applying skills and knowledge to the game than other casino games such as roulette and slots.

Conclusion

Ultimately, blackjack is a game of luck, as you will never know what card is going to be drawn next. A standard game of blackjack has a house edge of around 2%, giving the dealer an advantage over the player.

Most forms of blackjack do not allow the dealer any form of decision-making. Any outcome of 16 or less requires the dealer to Hit, while a 17 or above requires them to stand. The player has more agency in this regard, and knowing how to use this agency can go a long way toward improving your gameplay experience.

Applying all of the tricks of the trade will generally give you an edge over those who are essentially betting blind. As with all forms of gambling success is never guaranteed, the important thing is that you have fun and play within your means.