Most blackjack players do not always think logically. They are prone to misconceptions which do not make sense and often they go in for rank superstitions.
A beginning player runs the danger of acquiring some of these fallacies and absurdities the first time he plays. It would be wise to learn what they are before playing the game.
The most widely held superstition in blackjack is the belief that there are hot and cold tables - this is so widely accepted that most pit bosses, dealers, and players are absolutely convinced that a table where players are winning is hot and a table where players are losing is cold.
Usually players will raise their bets as a table gets hot; they may split 10s or double on bad hands in an effort to cash in on the hot table.
When a player wins, he believes the superstition; when he loses, he considers himself a victim of phenomenal bad luck.
It is reasonable to say a dealer or a table has been running hot or cold in describing how the play has been going, but an intelligent player knows that a table which has been losing has an equally good chance to start winning - or vice-versa.
Long winning streaks and long losing streaks are a matter of percentage - a cold mathematical fact which a player who wishes to win consistently must always keep this in mind.
The table hopper believes in a fallacy similar to the 'hot and cold' tables. The illogical conclusion in this case comes from his experience in losing after sitting at one table for any length of time. And so he will move on from table to table after every few hands. This, of course, can in no way change the iron law of percentages.
On the other hand, a major miscalculation in blackjack concerns the taking of insurance. Many players will take insurance when they have hands as good as 20 or blackjack.
This is the very time when the player should mot make an insurance bet because, he has reduced the dealer's chance of hitting a blackjack.
The logical way to decide whether or not to insure is to case the deck. Another way is to look at as many cards as possible. One out of every three cards showing should be a 10. If less than one out of three exposed cards are 10s, then take insurance.
Another superstition subscribed to by blackjack players involves the third baseman. The third baseman is the last person to be hit. When he has a 12 or above hand and the dealer has a six or less showing, superstitious players believe the third baseman has helped a dealer hit a good hand if the third baseman hits.