Posts Tagged ‘Double Down’
Friday, July 30th, 2010
When new players think of blackjack, they think the objective of the game is to get their hand total up to 21. To play to 21 in other words. However this is a bit of a misconception. Sure, 21 is the magic number in blackjack but it is not the objective.
The true objective of blackjack—any blackjack game, be it blackjack online or black in a brick and mortar casino—is to beat the dealer without getting a hand total that goes over 21.
The difference between playing to 21 and beating the dealer is a little bit different. If you were playing to 21 there would be no need for a dealer’s hand. There would then be no dealer up cards, and blackjack would not be the dealer versus player game that we know it to be. If playing to 21 were the sole objective and we did not have a dealer we would be playing against other players, and then we would descend into poker. And if I wanted to play poker I would go play poker and not blackjack.
But this is blackjack and we have a dealer and we play to beat that dealer.
This means that your blackjack strategy is based on getting the best odds. The best odds in the long run mean that you will win more from the house. That means paying attention to the game and making the play that brings you the best blackjack odds. Sometimes that means doubling down or splitting pairs, or maybe not splitting pairs, or maybe standing here and there.
The whole point of a blackjack strategy is to know how to make the best play and take the most advantage of the current hand in your attempt to beat the dealer.
The best tool for this blackjack strategy is a basic strategy chart. This is why new blackjack players are first pointed in the direction of basic strategy once they learn the basic playing rules of the game.
Paying attention to your blackjack strategy and why you make a certain play using basic strategy helps to teach new players the whys of the game, and why blackjack’s objective is not playing to 21.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack Myth, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack online, Blackjack player, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, play Blackjack
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Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
This morning I talked about a pair that, according to good blackjack strategy is never ever split: a pair of 5s. But there is one more pair that is never eve split either: a pair of 10s.
A pair of 10s could be literally two 10 cards. Or it could be two face cards, not necessarily the same two face cards, meaning a pair could be a Queen and a Jack. Or a pair of 10s could be a 10 card and a face card. The whole point to the pair is that the two cards have the same value.
There are two mistakes that happen when a blackjack player uses some misguided blackjack strategy and splits a pair of 10s. Either he is ill-informed or he is just all caught up in being dealt a pair and cannot resist splitting it.
Mistake number one is that the split is made with the idea that the player can then double down on each of those 10s. First off, not all blackjack games allow for doubling after splitting. This rule is typically found at blackjack tables in casinos and not found at all in online blackjack.
The problem with this strategy, aside from the instances in which doubling after splitting is not allowed, is that the player is giving up a strong hand for something weaker. True, starting a hand with 10 is not too bad of a building block. But it is weaker when compared to an unsplit pair of 10s.
The other mistake that the player forgets about doubling after splitting, and is intent on trying to build two strong hands. But, again, the player is giving up strong blackjack ground for weaker ground.
The reason why you do not split a pair of 10s is right in front of the player’s face: 10 plus 10 equals 20. And in blackjack the only hands that the dealer could beat you with is if he winds up with a natural blackjack or hits to 21.
A hard 20 is one of the strongest hands in blackjack. It is good blackjack strategy to hang on to that hard 20 and stand. It is simply wasteful to throw away that strength just for the sake of splitting a pair.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, Pair Splitting Strategy
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Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
Like any game of skill, blackjack requires strategy. Any good game of skill worth the trip to an online gambling site requires good strategy. The most commonly used strategy tool in both online blackjack and blackjack played in a brick and mortar casino is basic strategy.
Basic strategy comes in the form of a chart with player hands running down the left hand side and all of the dealer up cards running across the top. When using basic strategy you find your hand and run it across the line until it intersects with the line of the card the dealer is showing. The play at the intersection is the best statistical play for you to make.
But if you look at a basic strategy chart you notice that it is somewhat divided into three sections based on the player’s hand. These sections would be the hard hands, the soft hands and the pairs. This is because each of these types of hands are played differently. Soft hands are played differently because of the Aces in them, and pairs are, well, pairs.
We are going to look specifically at one pair today: the pair of 5s.
One of the most common pair playing mistakes made is splitting a pair simply because it is a pair. It is the thing to do with a pair, right?
Not exactly. In some cases splitting is the right thing to do. But not always. In the case of a pair of 5s in a game of blackjack you do not split them. With all but two dealer up cards you double down. The only time you do not double down is when you are facing a dealer’s 10 or Ace.
So why the double down? Adding 5 and 5 together gives you 10. And if you compare the hard 10 line of a basic strategy chart to the pair of 5s line you will see that they are identical.
Do you know what happens when you double down? You are taking 1.6% off of the dealer’s edge. Simply because you have the upper hand and stand to make quite a tidy sum off of him if you win with a double down. And starting with a 10, be it a hard 10 or a pair of 5s, is a good place to start when doubling down in blackjack. Ten is halfway to 21.
It is important to not only follow your strategy when playing blackjack, it is important to understand why you are making the plays you are making. Such is the case with the strategy behind not splitting a pair of 5s.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, Game of Skill, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, Pair Splitting Strategy
Posted in Blackjack, Blackjack strategy, Online Blackjack | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 26th, 2010
The whole point of having a strategy for online blackjack is to win more. And winning more means more money. There is one play in online blackjack that can increase your profit faster. It should also be a big part of your online blackjack strategy as well.
Doubling down is one of the basic plays in blackjack. It is when you double the amount of your original wager and only receive one more card. If you win the round you win double the amount you would have normally won because you doubled your original wager.
It has the same potential of winning a round as two rounds of blackjack. In effect, if you double down at the right moments (read: play according to basic strategy) you can earn twice as much money as you normally would. That is what makes doubling down such a strong play in online blackjack.
If you can double down when it is most advantageous (again, read: play according to basic strategy) you can reduce the houses edge by 1.6%. This is all because you are winning twice as much money in one hand as you normally would.
Let’s take a look at the math. You are playing online blackjack and are wagering $10 per round (flat betting, another good online blackjack strategy). At the beginning of a new round you are dealt a hard 10 against a dealer’s 7.
According to basic strategy, you should double down here. And you do. You increase your wager from $10 up to $20. In this case we will say that you are dealt a 10, giving you a hard 20. The dealer only makes it to a hard 18. You win. But because you wagered $20 you receive a payout of $40.
If you had not doubled down and still won, you would have only won $20. Instead you made $40, which is a nice increase to your bankroll.
But you can see how doubling down helps you to increase you profit from online blackjack as long as it is used correctly in your blackjack strategy
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack betting strategy, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, How to Bet in Blackjack, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack
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Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Soft hands tend to throw some blackjack players off. Most tend to play them as if they were hard hands. Sometimes this works and other times players are not playing their blackjack hands to the greatest advantage.
And you should want the greatest advantage.
Even if a player is playing according to basic strategy the casino will still have the advantage. It does not matter if you are playing blackjack online or in a brick and mortar casino, the house will still have around a 0.5% advantage over you.
And because they will always have the advantage over the player (other than skilled card counting players) you should always want to play your hand to the greatest advantage in blackjack.
Stiff hands and soft hands are the hardest hands to play. There is nothing you can really do about stiff hands other than play them according to basic strategy. But soft hands do not have to be played like a hard hand—they have flexibility that other hands in blackjack do not.
Doubling down is one of the strongest plays a player can make in blackjack. It takes the most off the house’s edge out of all the plays and blackjack rules: 0.6% is knocked off.
But many players do not know when the best times to double down with a soft hand—they are on the tricky side after all. There is actually an easy rule to go by to know when to double down:
Add up your non-Ace card and the dealer’s up card. If the total is 9 or higher then go ahead and double down. But if the total of your non-Ace card and the dealer’s up card is less than 9 do not double down. Easy right?
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, How to Bet in Blackjack, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Soft Hand Strategy, Soft Hands
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Friday, July 2nd, 2010
Part of the fun of getting new blackjack tables in Pennsylvania is waiting to see what the house is going to set their rules at: are they going to screw me or are they going to be decent and give me a fair shot at winning?
Thankfully the Pennsylvania blackjack tables have been set with some pretty decent house rules. How good? The Pennsylvania blackjack tables will have more player-friendly house rules than two thirds of the tables in Vegas.
So what is in store for players at these blackjack tables?
For starters I am pleased to say that they will be paying 3-2 for natural blackjack. There will be none of that 6-5 stuff in Pennsylvania!
Another good rule: dealers will have to stand on soft 17s. So that is 0.22% that the house will not have.
Double downs will not be limited to only hard 10s or hard 11s. Any two cards can be doubled down on.
Also having to do with double downs, players will be allowed to double down after splitting a pair.
And to top off all of those player friendly house rules blackjack players will be allowed to make late surrenders. So make sure you have a basic strategy chart that tells you when to surrender. This way you will only lose half of your wager rather than all of it.
In total these house rules will result in a house edge of less than 0.4% for those who use basic strategy—and who stick to basic strategy.
It seems that Pennsylvania might evolve into a new blackjack destination with rules like these. Who knows, we just might have the new in place to play blackjack at.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Variations, Casino Games, Casinos, Double Down, Late Surrender, Pair Splitting
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Did you know that the edge in an average game of blackjack starts out at around 7.8%? This applies to blackjack in a brick and mortar casino and to online blackjack. Does not matter where you find your blackjack, it all starts out at 7.8%
So if blackjack starts out at 7.8% why do most places tell you it really starts at around 5%?
That one is simple to answer really and it is the most direct to take away the dealer’s edge. All you need to do is play in a blackjack game in which you receive a 3-2 payout for a natural blackjack. That is it. It is that easy. A 3-2 payout for a natural blackjack takes 2.35% off of the dealer’s edge, dropping it down to 5.45%.
The reason a 3-2 payout cuts into the dealer’s edge so much is because, while you are getting paid for nothing more than being lucky enough to be dealt 21 in two cards, the dealer receives nothing if he is dealt a natural blackjack.
Want to know another couple of easy ways that a blackjack player can hit the dealer’s edge?
There are two common place player plays that knock some off of the dealer’s edge: double down and splitting pairs. Having the ability to double down knocks a healthy 1.6% off of the dealer’s edge, while splitting pairs takes 0.4% off.
Now while the rules help, you need to actually double down and split pairs. Think of the increased opportunities to make a profit.
The reason that a 3-2 payout, doubling down and splitting pairs hits the house edge in blackjack is because these are opportunities for profit that the house does not have. Think about it. The dealer does not receive a special payout for a natural blackjack. And he cannot double down or split pairs either. When it comes to casino games, blackjack offers rules and plays that take away from the dealer’s edge without too much effort on the player’s part.
So if you really want to be that smart blackjack player take advantage of the rules and payouts that are available to you.
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack player, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Casino Games, Dealer's Edge, Double Down, House Edge, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, play Blackjack
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Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I have never met a blackjack player who would not like to know when the dealer will bust. It would make the blackjack so much easier to play in terms of a player’s betting strategy.
Unfortunately it is impossible to know exactly when the blackjack dealer is going to bust. The best we can do is know when the blackjack dealer has a better shot at busting his hand. And it is impossible to know exactly when he will bust, it is possible to know when his chances are higher.
This is kind of like knowing that you have a better shot at winning when the deck is running with high cards.
Anyway we already knew that about our chances of winning. What we want to know is when the dealer is more likely to bust. Below you will find a little list of all the dealer up cards along with the dealer’s chances of busting with those up cards:
2—35%
3—37%
4—40%
5—42%
6—42%
7—26%
8—24%
9—23%
10—23%
Ace—17%
So that being said, we know that the dealer has the biggest chance of busting when he is showing a 5 or 6. What can you do with such knowledge?
You work it into your blackjack strategy—that is what you do!
This does not replace card counting but it can help you somewhat in terms of your playing strategy and betting strategy. If you know the dealer is at his highest chances of busting it can help you to take advantage of the round.
Let’s say you have a hard 10 and the dealer is showing a 5. You know he is at his highest chances of busting, and you know that according to basic strategy you should be doubling down. By knowing that he is at his highest chances of busting it allows you to know that your double down has a better shot of being profitable. And that means that you should be more confident in doubling down.
Tags: Basic Strategy, Blackjack, Blackjack basic strategy, Blackjack betting strategy, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, How to Bet in Blackjack, How to play Blackjack, Online Blackjack
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Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Are you a blackjack player near coastal Louisiana or coastal Mississippi? If so you might just find your blackjack games at brick and mortar casinos beginning to show the effects of the two month old BP oil spill.
I am in no way saying that blackjack or gambling is more important than the animals or ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico that are being affected by the continuous flow of oil. Those animals and those ecosystems are way more important.
But as the summer tourism season gets underway coastal areas who rely on tourism will find that they are feeling the pinch of the oil spill in another way. It is likely that tourists will be choosing other destinations for their summer plans, which will hit areas hard. This will be an especially hard hit to areas that are still recovering from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
So what does this mean to blackjack fans in coastal Louisiana and costal Mississippi?
As tourism in those states and in those areas begins to show the affects of the BP oil spill in the form of a reduced number of tourists, one of two things could happen in casinos in regards to their blackjack tables.
One thing that could possibly happen is that casinos implement more 6-5 payouts at blackjack tables to help boost their profits. Or they could start using rules that increase the house’s edge, such as allowing the dealer to hit on a soft 17. Such steps to try to wring as much money out of blackjack players could increase their profits somewhat, but in the end, I think, it will drive blackjack players away.
On the other hand, casinos in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi could put forth blackjack games with player favorable blackjack rules, such as Charlies and doubling on any two cards. Blackjack players would flock to take advantage of such rules, and the casinos can bring in a profit from their accommodations and the breaks they take playing slot machines.
As the summer rolls in we will all see how tourism is affected by the oil spill, and blackjack players will see if they should in fact plan a trip to those coastal area casinos or to casinos in other areas. But if you do visit coastal Louisiana or Mississippi do not visit the beaches—I have heard it smells like burnt melted crayons.
Tags: 6-5 payout, Blackjack, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack player, Blackjack Tips., BP, BP Oil Spill, Casino, Charlie, Double Down, Louisiana, Mississippi, play Blackjack, Soft 17
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Monday, June 21st, 2010
While we all enjoy our blackjack games, be it blackjack in a brick and mortar casino or blackjack online, we all will imagine from time to time what would be our perfect blackjack game. Granted, we do not expect to ever actually find our perfect game of blackjack, but every now and then we will all sigh and let our minds wander to this perfect game and imagine the fun and the winnings.
So what would my perfect game of blackjack be? Well, naturally it has all kinds of player favorable rules.
For starters I would have natural blackjacks paying 2-1 instead of 3-2. While a 3-2 payout is awesome, a 2-1 payout will not only pay more but it will also increase a player’s blackjack odds by 2.27%.
What else?
I would have double downs on any first two cards, not just 10s and 11s. That right there would increase a player’s blackjack odds by 0.23%. And while we are on the subject of double downs, I would also allow for double downs after splitting a pair. That little move adds a nice 0.15% to the blackjack odds of a player.
Moving on to the subject of pair splitting, my perfect game of blackjack would allow resplitting on any pairs, which adds 0.03% to their player odds. Not a lot but any rule that gives a blackjack player more options is a good thing—except side bets, there would be no side bets in this perfect game of blackjack.
And I would allow for early surrender on any first two cards. That gives a nice 0.62% boost to your blackjack odds.
As for rules that apply to the dealer, he would have to stand on soft 17. I would not have any off that hitting a soft 17 nonsense. Taking away the dealer’s ability to hit a soft 17 takes away the negative 0.2% to your player odds.
Finally to top of this perfect game, the number of decks these rules would be played out on: a single deck. Just like in the good old days of blackjack before casinos started getting greedy and wanting to make the game harder.
Adding all the player favorable advantages here together gives the player 0.835% odds. Just those rules alone but the game’s odds in your favor. You would not even need card counting at this point. While I would not win every single hand in this game, I would certainly be pulling in more in winnings than I would in a typical blackjack game. And this is all before using basic strategy too.
Unfortunately, the chances of me finding such a game of blackjack, be it an online blackjack game or blackjack in a brick and mortar casino, are not all that great. But I can dream, right?
Tags: Blackjack, Blackjack Odds, Blackjack Payout, Blackjack Rules, Blackjack strategy, Blackjack Tips., Double Down, Early Surrender, House Rules, Online Blackjack, Pair Splitting, play Blackjack, Resplits, Soft 17
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