It’s often said that you can learn a lot about yourself by the way you approach your casino gaming. Some people are more daring than others and revel in white-knuckle action. For others, it’s the blissful tranquillity and solitude of a calm session at the slots that does the business.
Interestingly, along with learning a good few things about yourself, certain casino games can also teach us some important life lessons. One example of which being blackjack – a popular casino classic that’s accessible for newcomers, yet always favours those with a little experience.
Blackjack is one of the oldest and most enjoyable of all casino table games. Whether playing online or in a real-life casino, there’s something uniquely thrilling about the entire outcome being determined by the turn of a single card. Playing for fun is all well and good, but blackjack is most enjoyable when there’s at least a little something on the line.
All of which brings us nicely to the first of our life lessons you can learn from blackjack:
1. No Risk = No Reward
Play a few rounds of blackjack online using ‘play money’ and chances are you’ll have a good time. Not only this, but you’ll also have the opportunity to see how things work and get to know the game, before taking things any further. Nevertheless, step things up to real money and you’ll soon understand just how exciting blackjack can really be.
In this instance, the life lesson is a relatively simple one – without risk, there can be no reward. It’s not to say that you have to take unnecessary or excessive risks, but there has to be at least something on the line to receive or achieve anything of value. It’s entirely up to you to determine your own risk appetite, after which you can carefully manage the risks you take when chasing those enticing rewards.
2. Lucky Streaks Never Last
Another important life lesson that can be learn from blackjack is the way in which lucky streaks never last. In the case of blackjack, this all boils down to the fact that sooner or later, the house always wins. There’s a relatively minor house edge in play at all times, meaning that the longer you play, the more likely you are to come out with a loss.
As for the real-life equivalent, it’s simply a case of accepting that you cannot rely on luck alone to take care of you long-term. Lucky streaks are great whenever they manifest, but never last particularly long. Falling into a false sense of security and expecting any given lucky streak to continue indefinitely is to invite rather unfortunate consequences.
3. Gut Instincts Are Usually Correct
There are so many times in life when your gut tells you all you need to know. Even with all the strategic thinking and logic in the world, you get that feeling deep down that something is going to happen, one way or the other. It could be a positive or negative outcome, but your gut sends a strong message to your brain. In the case of blackjack, your gut instinct can typically be relied on to tell you when to hit, when to stick and when to walk away from the table.
While there will always be exceptions to the rule, gut instincts are usually surprisingly accurate. The reason being that particularly in stressful and high-pressure situations, even the best of us have a tendency to over think things. Or perhaps, allow our emotions to get in the way of rational thought and logic. When this happens, you can usually rely on your gut to tell you what you should be doing and shouldn’t be doing accordingly.
4. Accepting Failures is the Key to Success
If you get into a game of blackjack 100% convinced you are going to walk away wealthy, you’re in for a rough ride. In fact, if you approach the game of blackjack under the assumption you’ll turn even the smallest profit, you’re opening the door to disaster. The reason being that to expect success is to fall to pieces at the very first sign of failure. If negative outcomes have a detrimental effect on your ability to make rational and logical decisions, you’ll find yourself on a slippery slope to heavy losses.
Back with the everyday equivalent, knowing how to accept failures and deal with disappointment represents one of the most important contributors to success. You cannot realistically expect to get through life without the occasional setback. The better-equipped you are to deal with disappointment, the more likely you are to succeed long-term.
5. Hard Work and Homework Pay Off
Anyone can sit down at the blackjack table, throw a few cards around and have a great time. In fact, it’s perfectly possible for a first-timer to make things up as they go along and walk away with a win. Sooner or later however, those with no real idea what it is they are doing make the kinds of mistakes that can have quite dramatic consequences. By contrast, blackjack players who invest heavily in research and practice know exactly how to avoid such scenarios.
Generally speaking, the more heavily you invest yourself in any given pursuit, the more likely you are to make a success of it. Making things up as you go along is an option, but it’s never the preferred or recommended option.
6. Money Isn’t Everything
Last but not least, blackjack is a game that brings together strategy and luck in perfect harmony. It can be a fantastic social experience, a great way of killing time solo or even the perfect escape when dealing with an extended commute to work (mobile gaming). Entertaining in the extreme, blackjack never has been and never will be about making money. The sooner this is acknowledged and understood, the more enjoyment you stand to get out of every game.
A very simple comparable life lesson therefore – there’s more to life than money alone. It’s always fun to walk away with a win, but even if you end up out of pocket, at least you had a good time in the process!