Blackjack Double Down Rules

The basic strategy for doubling down is as follows: With a total of 11, the player should always double down. With a total of 10, he should double down unless the dealer shows a ten-card or an ace. With a total of 9, the player should double down only if the dealer's card is fair or poor (2 through 6).

  1. The house rules and edge The version of blackjack being played If you are playing a game with eight decks and you can double on any total, the house edge is 0.55%. If you can double after splitting, this reduces the house edge by 0.13%, but if you can double only on totals of 10 and 11, this increases the house edge by 0.21%.
  2. It is extremely important, however that you make sure that the Basic Strategy rules comply with the house rules of the casino where you play. House rules: 4-8 decks; Dealer stands on soft 17; Double on any two initial cards; May Double after split; Late Surrender; Split/Double bets are not lost on dealer’s Blackjack.

The majority of us know how to play blackjack. It’s a very popular game; perhaps the most common in terms of casino table games, which many of us become associated with long before adulthood. I’ve been playing with family around the kitchen table since I was old enough to recognize and add numbers – just for fun, of course. But during a recent discussion at the local casino, I was surprised to learn of a common misconception surrounding the rules of blackjack.

We all know what it means to ‘Hit’, taking an extra card and hoping not to exceed a total of 21. Everyone understands the purpose of electing to ‘Stand’ on the current total. But just how much do you really know about the option to ‘Double Down’?

Like many of you, I was originally taught that to Double Down meant to double the size of your current wager, take one more card and immediately stand on its total – unless it’s a bust, of course (but my family followed the ‘Double on 9, 10 or 11 only’ blackjack rules, so busting was never an option). It made perfect sense. The name clearly implies a doubling of the wager, after all. Then again, most of my relatives weren’t regulars at the casino.

The real double down rule of blackjack states that a “player is allowed to increase the initial bet by up to 100%”. The key phrase here is “up to”. Thus a blackjack player is not truly required to double their initial bet size. They may add an additional amount to the wager of any size, so long as it does not exceed 100% of the original bet. For example, if I bet $50 on a hand of blackjack, I could double down with $10, $20, or as high as $50.

You won’t find this rule applied at any of today’s internet casinos, either. Clicking the Double option at an online blackjack table will always result in an automatic 100% augmentation of the original bet. At a live casino blackjack table, though, unless the house rules specifically state otherwise – in writing, no less – you are not required to add a full 100% wager when doubling down.

For the majority of you who probably weren’t aware of this blackjack rule, don’t get too excited about the new possibilities. Chances are you’ve heard enough times throughout your life that ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’. That popular phrase most definitely applies here.

According to any decent blackjack strategy, the whole purpose of doubling down is to increase your profit potential. It is only recommended to double down when you have a higher chance of winning, such as a 5+6 versus the dealer’s face-up 5. By that standard, there is no reason a blackjack player with enough chips in front of them should double down for any less than the 100% maximum. The only time it would be acceptable to double down for less is when your chip count is too low to match the original wager.

Rules

By Ion Saliu, Founder of Blackjack Mathematics

You look at your first two cards. If the cards do not sum up to a count of 9, 10, 11, or do not show soft hands of Ace + 3 to Ace + 7, then you disregard this chart. Move on to the hit-stand situations, which are more frequent than the double downs. The color of action is red — it makes it very intuitive to learn the rules of casino blackjack. If the color of the cell is red, you double up your initial bet. For example, your first two cards total 11. The blackjack dealer's up card (face card) is 8. Signal double down immediately to the dealer by building a pile of chips equal to your initial bet. If dealer's face card were 11, you do NOT double down. The color of the respective cell is grayed out (signifying no action). The Ace gives the Dealer multiple options, whereas you only get one card after doubling down. A double down hand is the most favorable situation for the blackjack player. The player wins 55% of his or her doubling down hands (bets).

The chart is a graphic (double-down.gif). You can right-click on it and select to print it — always in color!

  • The most important aspect of gambling mathematics, casino gambling especially, is record keeping. The streaks are the most important parameter in gambling. The infamous gambler's fallacy is the only counterpoint employed by casinos: Player will lose forever . . . but not the house! You might want to do the real mathematics of streaks by running my software, Streaks.

• Always stand on 17 or greater.
• Always split A+A and 8+8.
• Never split 10+10 and 5+5 (unless you seeing Ion Saliu playing that way).

Blackjack Rules Double Down And Split

Blackjack Double Down Rules

Blackjack: Software, Content, Resources, Systems, Basic Strategy, Card Counting

See a comprehensive directory of the pages and materials on the subject of blackjack, software, systems, and basic strategy.
    Of major interest: Blackjack, Black Jack: Basic Strategy, Card Counting; Charts, Tables, Probability, Odds, Software.
  • Blackjack Split Pairs Basic Strategy Table.
    Color-coded chart to learn the best Split Pairs strategy. When you get your first two cards, look at this table first. The pairs occur the least in a blackjack game. If your hand is not a pair, move to the next chart: Double Down.
  • Blackjack Hit or Stand Basic Strategy Card.
    Color-coded chart to learn the best Hit or Stand strategy. After consulting the Double Down table, finally look at this table. The Hit or Stand decisions are by far the most frequent and important situations in blackjack.
  • The Best Blackjack Basic Strategy: Free Cards, Charts.
    All three color-coded charts in one file, in the best decision-making sequence: Split Pairs, to Double Down, to Hit or Stand.
  • Blackjack Basic Strategy: Free Card, Table, Chart, Spreadsheet: Split Pairs; Double Down; Hit Stand.
    The traditional method of learning the Basic Strategy: all decisions in a table. The dealer up card is listed across (horizontally), while the player's first two cards are listed vertically in the leftmost column. For example, dealer's up card is 5. Player's first two cards: A+4; the right move: D (Double Down). It makes it somehow more difficult to learn the best decisions.
  • Download Casino Gambling Software: Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat.
Blackjack double down rules printable

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Blackjack Double Down Rules 2017

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