Doubling Down
Doubling down in blackjack is generally advantageous to the player, but many players don’t understand why. There are in fact three reasons why doubling down is advantageous when the cards make it an appropriate choice.
The first reason has to do with information. Since you already know what the dealer’s up-card is, you have more information than you did at the very beginning of the hand. You can therefore decide whether or not to bet more on the hand based on the dealer’s up-card and on your own cards.
The second reason relates to money. Doubling down gives you the opportunity of investing more money in the hand. When coupled with the increased amount of information you have, this is an opportunity that should be seized whenever basic strategy indicates that doubling down is the right thing to do.
The third reason concerns the odds of you winning. Simply put, if a basic strategy chart tells you to double down then that’s because doing so gives you a better chance of winning than the dealer.
Put all of these reasons together and doubling down allows you to bet more when you know that the casino is at a disadvantage. Online casinos don’t often give you that kind of opportunity, so when they do you need to make the most of it.
Here’s an example of how doubling down can give you a substantial edge over the casino.
Let’s say that you have 11 and the dealer’s up-card is a 6. In this situation your hand will win 63.3% of the time, it will lose 30% of the time and it will tie 6.7% of the time. If you were to play this hand 1,000 times at £5 per hand, you could expect to win £3,165 and lose £1,500, leaving you with a profit of £1,665.
Many players don’t double down because they are scared about the idea of their extra losing bets destroying their bankroll. But if they are scared about betting in one of the few situations where the casino is at a clear disadvantage, they are probably betting beyond their means and should play at a lower staking level so that they can afford to play correctly and confidently. Doubling down is a great bet for the player, so embrace it and make the most of it. Here's a rough guide...
Page Last Updated: 09/07/2008 17:16:26
