Wobble's Wobbly and Wacky Blackjack Wackattack!!

With my yearly poker balance taking a little bit of a tumble last night, I've decided that it's probably best to have a break from the game until the end of the month. (That's the intention anyway, even though it may not be a reality.) However, with a spare £32.07 knocking around in my bank balance, I've decided to put that into Paddy Power Poker. This means I have $52.03 to muck around with. With this money I intend to play a little bit of blackjack. Here it is waiting for me like a demon waiting to pounce and to rob me blind:

I chose the Paddy Power client over the PKR one because the former allows a minimum bet of just 10 cents whereas the minimum bet with the latter is 50 cents. Furthermore, Paddy Power allows you to bet in 1 cent denominations whereas PKR only allow 10 cent denominations. This just means that Paddy Power gives you more blackjack for your money.

With the exception of poker, we all know that any casino game is -ev and blackjack is no exception. I've busted entire $500+ bankrolls in the past playing this bleedin' game! But in saying that I've also turned $50 into $200 as well (by withdrawing in chunks of $50.) If you've never played, you need a blackjack strategy card like this one which basically tells you what action to take based on your hand and the dealer's upcard:

 
If you just have this up next to the blackjack table while you play (or a similar one that you can get from the internet in accordance with the subtle rules each site uses for their blackjack game) then you're on your way. But please note: with or without a guide you're going to lose at blackjack in the long run anyway (unless you know the strategy inside out and are able to get away with counting cards in a live casino). Still, the guide can still tip the edge a little bit your way as long as you apply it religiously and do not deviate from it.

If you bet the same amount each time and never withdraw or bank what you might win then you're eventually just going to lose - it'll take a long time but you WILL lose. What I do is just vary my bets a little bit by placing higher bets after I've lost quite a few hands in a row. It's still lame (I know) but if you can get on a good run and then actually withdraw some winnings, you CAN give yourself a fighting chance and beat the game in the short-term. 

The problem (apart from becoming addicted and suffering from the delusion that you can actually beat the online blackjack game in the long run) is that you will eventually go on a losing run of over ten, twelve or fourteen or so hands which will inevitably wipe out your entire bankroll. In an attempt to counteract this it is important to bank some of the winnings (get the winnings out of the site and into your bank account) so those winnings do not become vulnerable. Once you've got the winnings out you may want to keep a little bit on the site so that you can attempt to rinse and repeat the process again. And that's it; Wobble's Wobbly And Wacky Blackjack Wackattack!

So why am I advocating blackjack and continuing to play it after stating that I've lost $500+ in the past and that it's clearly -ev!? Well, poker is all about patience along with not allowing yourself to get frustrated even when the patience and sound play doesn't get rewarded. Sometimes, a player just needs a release away from all that stress but the gambling itch still lingers and needs to be scratched. Blackjack offers that escape and as long as the money gambled remains sensible and is not seen as a quick-fix way of winning back lost poker money, then it's not a bad stress-busting solution.

I'll let you know how I get on with my $52.03.