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Just Double Down
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Wondering how you can win when the odds are at their worst? Get to know the Doubling Down technique. Doubling down, is a technique used for most parts at the last hand in case a player is lagging after the leader and he is desperate to win more money. Practicing Double Down alternative demands, on the part of the player, getting to know all the instances in which this move will bring the utmost profit to him. So what are you waiting for? Check it out and see for yourself!
The facts are speaking for themselves - for every 100 hands you play, you’ll lose an average of 53, and win only 47!
So, how is it possible, facing these odds, to win a blackjack game?
One of the blackjack techniques of attacking the casino's edge is learning when to double down. This technique is an alternative for players in order to reduce the edge the casino would have without it, but the player has to know when to practice this doubling alternative and when not to.
"Doubling down" technique allows the blackjack player either to become an overall winner or to decrease losses. Blackjack players must be aware to these important points, in order to understand when it's recommended to double down or when to split a pair.
What determines whether or not you should double down is not the frequency of winning a hand, but the monetary gain per hand. That’s due to the fact that in some cases you can actually minimize your own chances to win. Look at the following example:
Player Hand 6, 3 Dealer upcard 5
Let's analyze this hand, by using a blackjack simulation software:
| Playing tactic: | %Hands won | %Hands lost |
| Hitting | 59 | 41 |
| Doubling | 57 | 43 |
As appeared in the results, sometimes you win fewer hands when doubling down, compared to hitting. The reason for it is that when doubling down - you get only one draw card. For instance, if it was a deuce - you are stuck with an 11 and your only possibility to win is if the dealer breaks. But, if you hit and drew a 2, you could draw again to enhance the total. By getting on one draw card when doubling down, you give up the advantage of drawing again when you are dealt a bad card.
In general - doubling down will never increase the chances of winning a hand.
So - when is it advisable to double down after all? Let's focus on the amount of money you would expect to gain per hand by doubling versus another playing tactic.
Follow the previous example of being dealt 9 against a dealer 5 upcard. Betting 1$ per hand after 100 hands - if you hit you would win 59$ and lose 41$ for a net expected profit of 18$, but if you double down - you would win 2$ 57 times (114$) and lose 2$ 43 times (86$), for a net expected profit of 28$.
Comparing these results you can see that by doubling down you can gain 10$ more in profit over 100 hands. It's always better to bet 2$ with a 57% chance of winning than 1$ with a 59% chance of winning.
Accordingly, what determines whether to double down is the average profit per hand and not the frequency of wins.
By learning all possible hard hands against all possible dealer upcards, you get to the following doubling down playing tactic.
When to double down:
Multiple deck games: Double hard 11 when the dealer's upcard is 2 to 10. Double hard 10 (exclude five, five) when the dealer's upcard is 2 to 9. Double hard 9 when the dealer's upcard is 3 to 6. |
Single deck games: Always double on hard 11. Double hard 10 when the dealer's upcard is 2 to 10. Double hard 9 when the dealer's upcard is 2 to 6. Double hard 8 when the combination is 5, 3 against a dealer's upcard of 5 or 6. |
It's expectable to be dealt a hard 9, 10 or 11 about 8 times out of every 100 hands. By following this doubling down tactic it's possible to reduce the casino's edge by about 1.3%.
There are casinos that allow players to double down on soft hands (hands that include an ace counted as 11). By doubling soft hands it's possible to reduce the casino's edge by another 0.13%.
The cause of the monetary gain when doubling on soft hands is different from that when doubling on hard totals. In the hard hands instance - the gain arises because of the fact that when the dealer breaks you win double your bet or, apparently, you will outdraw the dealer and win the hand. With soft hands outdrawing the dealer is less significant then getting more money on the table (by doubling) when the dealer is most exposed to busting and this is the main reason that makes doubling on soft hands profitable.
Basically it's preferable to double down on soft hands when the dealer shows a weak upcard (like 5 or 6).
The ultimate basic tactic for soft doubling is the following:
Double down on soft 13 and 14 when the dealer's upcard is 5 or 6.
Double down on soft 15 and 16 when the dealer's upcard is 4, 5 or 6.
Double down on soft 16 and 17 when the dealer's upcard is 3, 4, 5 or 6.
Most casinos will let a player to double down for less than the initial wager. A lot of beginners will double down when they are not sure of their chance to win or just when they don't have the bankroll and that is a huge mistake. You should always take full advantage of doubling by doubling the initial wager.
Doubling also takes place in blackjack tournaments, especially on the last hand. If the player is behind the leader and needs to win more money in order to overtake them, then doubling down is effective and an intelligent play.
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