What Are the Odds of Losing 10 Straight Blackjack Hands?
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Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games out there. Blackjack is a relatively simple game that does not take a lot of time for players to pick up. Unfortunately, just because it’s easy doesn’t mean you’ll win every hand.
Here, we will break down the odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands. We will also look at ways you can try to avoid doing so, and the math behind it all.
There are lots of variations of blackjack out there, which can really change the odds of this equation. Multiple blackjack games can be found at any online casino. You can also find blackjack games at live dealer tables. With lots of online blackjack sites out there, it is an easy game for a lot of players to get into.
How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack is a simple game that pits you against the dealer. You start with two face-up cards. The dealer, meanwhile, is dealt two cards, one face up and one face down. The object of the game is to get the values of your cards to add up to 21 without going over that number.
Face cards count as 10s, aces as 1s or 11s, and number cards count as their given value. After you are dealt your two cards, you can choose to stay or hit based on the cards in front of you and the dealer based on blackjack strategies.
There are a couple of ways to lose when playing blackjack. One way to lose a blackjack hand is to simply have less value in your cards than the dealer as long as the dealer does not bust. Another way to lose the hand is that you go over 21 while trying to get a higher value. The final way you can lose a hand in blackjack is if the dealer gets a blackjack off the deal.
Odds of Losing 10 Straight Blackjack Hands
The odds around blackjack can change slightly but the basic odds are as follows. The odds of you winning a hand of blackjack is 42.4%. The odds of a tie happening is 8.5%. This leaves the odds of losing a hand of blackjack at 49.1%.
When you are going through a losing streak, even a push can be a relief. When looking at the odds of consecutive losses, we need to multiply those odds by themselves. So to break down the odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands, we must multiply 0.491 with itself 10 times.
The simple calculation of this requires a calculator where you can input 0.491^10=0.000814. This means the odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands when counting ties is 0.0814%.
If you are ignoring all ties, the odds of losing a resolved hand is roughly 53.6%. Following the same math as before, the odds of losing 10 straight resolved blackjack hands are 0.00196. This means there is a 0.196% chance of losing 10 straight resolved hands.
What This Math Means
While the percentage of these odds is great, it is better to put it in terms that everyone understands. The fractional odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands not ignoring ties is roughly 1227:1. This can be translated to 1 in every 1,227 chances. So, your odds of losing 10 consecutive hands of blackjack are almost non-existent.
If you are not counting pushes, then the fractional odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands becomes 509:1. This means that once every 509 chances, you could lose 10 blackjack hands before winning your next hand.
At an online casino, we will say that the average person will play somewhere between 50-70 hands of blackjack per hour. Most players will play for an hour or two, meaning they will get dealt around 120 blackjack hands per online casino visit.
While losing 10 straight blackjack hands is not impossible, players who play often enough could see this happen. Players who play long enough though will see similar winning streaks. The key is not to chase these losses and put yourself in a deeper hole.
What to Do During a Losing Streak
The most important tip to watch out for while you are on a blackjack losing streak is to avoid chasing those losses. If you are chasing losses and the losing streak continues, you can find yourself losing more money than you can afford.
Make sure that you keep an eye on your bankroll when you are on a losing streak. You do not want to go past an amount of money you are comfortable losing. An advantage to playing at an online casino is that it is easy to step away and take a break. If you find yourself getting frustrated and wanting to chase these losses, take a break or step away for the night.
How to Avoid Losing Streaks
Losing streaks can happen, but blackjack is a relatively friendly game for return-to-player percentages. In 3:2 blackjack the house edge is around 0.5 percent. This is a much friendlier house edge for the players in comparison to some other games.
One way you can avoid some losing streaks is to avoid side bets in blackjack. While some of these side bets offer big payouts if they hit, most of them increase the house edge greatly. These side bets can go a long time between hitting, which can make losing streaks even more frustrating if you are losing on side bets as well.
Another important way to avoid losing streaks is to understand blackjack strategies. If you go into a game of blackjack not understanding the best way to play the game, you increase the odds of hitting a losing streak. If you have a better idea of how to play though, you will have a greater shot at having a winning night.
Final Verdict
The odds of losing 10 straight blackjack hands are not great, but if enough blackjack is played could happen. The important things to understand are not to chase these losses, to understand strategies in playing blackjack and to watch your bankroll.
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