Blackjack When To Split And Double Down
Many players in today’s casinos jump at the chance to double down when their first two cards equal 9 and the dealer is showing anything except a 10. According to odds experts all over the world.
Blackjack When To Split And Double Down
INSURANCE
If the dealer's upcard is an ACE, he has a 4/13 (31%) chance of getting a Blackjack. You might be allowed to place an extra insurance bet. This is half your stake, and if the dealer does get Blackjack, it pays 2:1 which will effectively return your whole stake on the hand. However, as the dealer's chance of Blackjack is slightly less than 1/3, over time the casino makes a profit of about 2.5% on insurance bets. Therefore insurance is not generally recommended.
WHAT IS CARD COUNTING?
If you're playing with a single deck and you see the dealer's upcard is an ace, you know your own chance of receiving an ace is reduced. That's simple!However, you will usually be playing a game where up to 8 decks are mixed together. A blank plastic card is inserted near the bottom of the deck. The shuffled cards are then stacked in a 'shoe' from which they are drawn one at a time as required and then discarded. When the blank appears, all the the cards are brought back together, shuffled and then dealing starts from the top again.
Keeping track of what has been played from multiple decks requires a great deal more skill, but it can be worth it. If a lot of low cards have come out (A-9) this means that a higher than usual proportion of 10-value cards are left. This offers a slight advantage to the player, so it's time to raise your bets. By contrast, if a lot of 10 cards have come out, it's better to keep bets low or even stop playing.
Doubling and further splitting of post-split hands may be restricted, and an ace and ten value card after a split are counted as a non-blackjack 21. Hitting split aces is usually not allowed. Some casinos only allow splitting of ten-value cards if they’re the same rank. Splitting a 10-10 hand is fine, but not a jack-queen hand, for example. After the first split, doubling down.
Experts have developed several methods of card counting to help you beat the dealer - but be discrete. The dealers don't like it!
If you would like to boost your card counting performance you can always find an abundance of resources online that will increase your odds of success.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose.