There are a lot of different moves to keep track of in blackjack. Because of this, it's common for novices to make mistakes that can hurt them in terms of strategy. However, some of these gaffes are easier to avoid than others, and here's a look at easily-fixed problems.

1. Taking Insurance

Here's the simplest mistake to avoid in blackjack: don't take insurance. Many beginners fall victim to taking insurance when the dealer has an ace upcard. But the thing is that dealers will only have a 10-value card around 31% of the time. And this leads to blackjack insurance carrying a 7.8% house edge, which is pretty awful.

2. Not splitting 8's

Many people don't like splitting 8's because they would rather just lose one hand instead of two. However, long-term strategy dictates that starting off two hands with an 8 is better than keeping one 16-value hand together. Long story short, always spit a pair of 8's and make the best of a bad situation.

3. Splitting 10's

Another splitting problem that some players have involves breaking up 10's. The thought here is that breaking up a pair of 10's starts you off with two good hands, instead of one. But herein lines the problem: you're taking apart a score of 20, which wins almost every time. So rather than risking your 20, keep this hand together and just try to win a single hand.

4. Never Doubling Down

Knowing the right times to double down takes some definite knowledge of blackjack strategy. So we're not saying that every double-down situation is easy to remember. However, some novices don't know much about doubling down, so they fail to ever do it. But the truth is that you're missing out on some very favorable opportunities when you don't double down. So it's a wise idea to refer to a blackjack strategy chart during your early playing days.

5. Playing at Tables with 6:5 Blackjack Payouts

One more simple mistake to avoid involves playing at blackjack tables with 6:5 payouts. By playing at tables with 6:5 payouts for a natural blackjack, you increase the house edge by around 1.3%. So you want to only sit down at tables where you're paid 3:2 on your original wager for natural blackjacks.

You may not achieve perfect strategy just by eliminating the previously discussed blackjack gaffes. However, you will greatly improve your chances of winning by doing so.