Blackjack Tips
A news story published recently revealed that blackjack online is a major draw, at least in the state of Florida but likely throughout the country, for those addicted to playing cards. Believe it or not, it has pulled even with poker. From January 2008 to January 2009, 34 percent more card players calling for help said their game of addiction was blackjack.
Those statistics, pulled from the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, certainly open your eyes. And in my opinion, blackjack can absolutely seem easier to “keep coming back to” than poker or any other golden casino games.
That doesn’t mean, however, you should fear you’re going to become part of that group. The vast majority of casino-goers are there to have a good time, maybe even try their hand at jumping up to a serious level of blackjack and casino gaming. It doesn’t mean you’re going to become addicted. And don’t worry if the thoughts of hitting the ATM start rumbling around your head the first couple times you lose that initial $50 or $100 you came to play with. It doesn’t mean you’re addicted, it doesn’t mean you have a problem. For lack of a better analogy, it might just mean you’re still hungry. Someone who gets up for seconds and thirds at those big salad bar restaurants shouldn’t be viewed as having an over-eating disorder. So don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong by pulling out more money to play with.
That is, of course, unless you’re overextending yourself. A good rule of thumb for any gambler is not to “live” outside of your means. However, to be fair to blackjack, the same can be said for not only any casino game, but any facet of life. You don’t keep buying clothes if you’ve maxed out your credit cards. You don’t keep playing basketball if you have nothing left in your legs and are sucking in 20 breaths of air a second. And you don’t throw money away on gambling that you don’t have. Plain and simple.
But don’t let stories like this scare you away. Enjoy online blackjack. Keep studying those odds charts. Keep waiting for the big double down. If you think you have a problem, be mature about it, and be smart enough to call for help. But if you’re like most of us, relax, make appropriate financial decisions on how you gamble, and just have fun.