Poker Skills you can use for Blackjack

Poker and Blackjack can seem like worlds apart. One relies heavily on psychology and intuition while the other is more a case of cold, hard logic. Then there’s the small matter of poker being a game played against other people while blackjack is just you against the dealer. But there are a number of crossovers between the two games. This means that the skills that a poker player picks up over time can be a great help in their quest to become an accomplished blackjack player as well. I’m by no means an expert in Blackjack but I’ve seen other poker players use their skills at Blackjack tables. That’s why in this post I’m going to share some skills you can transfer to Blackjack.

Intuition & Observation

As we’ve just mentioned, poker is a game of psychology and. But you can also pick up a great deal of information from a combination of intuition and observation. We’ve all heard stories of, or experienced first-hand, tells that have given away particular players’ hand. In blackjack, you may just be playing against the dealer, but they’re human too. You can pick up on minuscule signals from them too as you play. This is even the case when you’re playing Blackjack online with the introduction of live casino games. Because you’re playing in real-time against an actual dealer you can also closely watch their reactions and become accustomed to their style of play. Try it and you may be surprised by just how much you can deduce, especially against the rookie dealers.

Odds Calculations

As any experienced poker player will know, a great deal of their time is spent rapidly calculating odds and probabilities and then measuring the size of their bets, according to the estimated card values around them. The fact that they’re working with incomplete information may make this a little more challenging but it’s possible, all the same.

The simpler set-up of blackjack means that the math involved is a little simpler and exactly the same principles apply. By seeing which cards have been dealt, you’ll have a good idea about which ones remain in the pack and can start estimating the probabilities of being closer to the magical total of 21 than the dealer. If you spend some time researching odds, you can quickly grasp the correct move in common Blackjack scenarios.

Concentration Levels

Poker marathons can be long and arduous experiences, as anyone who has spent hours around a table can testify. But this is like any kind of training. The longer that one spends doing something, the easier it becomes. So the time spent playing Texas Hold’em or any other poker variant, and enlivening things with the odd hero call , will prepare you for an extended stint playing blackjack too. It might not be quite as mentally draining as poker, but you’ll still need to keep your focus if you want on top of the game.

Patience

Patience is a critical skill that serves poker players well when they transition to playing blackjack. In poker, the ability to wait for premium starting hands and resist the temptation of playing marginal hands is vital. The same patience translates directly to blackjack, where players must resist the urge to constantly hit or double down, and instead carefully evaluate each decision based on the cards shown.

Blackjack, like poker, involves periods of volatility where the player’s bankroll may fluctuate wildly. Experienced poker players understand the importance of weathering these swings, staying disciplined, and trusting in their overall strategy. This patient, long-term mentality is just as applicable at the blackjack table as it is at the poker felt. By drawing on their poker-honed patience, players can make sound, well-reasoned choices in blackjack and ultimately give themselves the best chance of building their bankroll over time.

So there you have them. Four ways that poker can sharpen up your blackjack too. As to what skills you can take from blackjack to poker, well, that’s another story altogether.