Blackjack is a game in which players compete against the dealer. The objective is to build a hand of cards that totals closer to 21 than the dealer’s. The game can be played with one or more 52-card decks. Each player is dealt two cards face up, while the dealer receives one card facing down. After all players have acted, if the player’s hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s, they win and are paid their wager amount. If the dealer has a blackjack, the hand is a tie (called a “push” or “standoff”) and all remaining bets are returned to the players.
The dealer’s cards are revealed and the player must decide whether to stay (stop drawing cards), draw (request more cards), or hit (take another card). The dealer must also decide whether to stand or hit, but can only do so if their hand is not busted. The game is often accompanied by a side bet, called insurance, which pays when the dealer’s up card is an ace. Additional side bets, such as betting on a pair of cards matching the dealer’s up card or betting that a player’s card will beat the dealer’s are also sometimes available.
Some casinos change the rules of blackjack to increase their house edge. For example, they may reduce the 3 to 2 payout for blackjacks to 6 to 5, which significantly increases the house edge and makes it nearly impossible for a skilled card counter to beat the game.
Despite these changes, some of the basic strategy principles remain the same. For instance, players should never split or double their bets unless they have a good reason to do so. In addition, they should always remember that they are playing against the dealer, not other players at the table.
Aside from the basic strategy, many important decisions in blackjack are based on intuition. A player’s intuition can be affected by their previous experience in the game, their level of confidence, and other factors. For example, a player’s level of confidence can influence their decision making and even their ability to count cards.
A new study aims to investigate the effects of unjustified confidence on several psychological and behavioral consequences in a natural gambling setting. Participants were asked to complete a series of tasks designed to measure various aspects of their blackjack play, including outcome expectations, anxiety levels, and information search and consideration. Using a manipulation of confidence, the study found that participants with greater unjustified confidence made larger bets (a measure of risk taking) and used fewer hints to improve their blackjack play (a measure of information search and consideration). These results have important implications for educational interventions.