When to double down in blackjack

When you play online Blackjack from the comfort of your home, you will be offered to double down at times.

Sounds fancy, but why and when should you double down in blackjack?

Doubling down means that after you have got your two cards, you can decide to double your bet at mid-hand. Sounds great, does it not? The drawback is that you will have to take only one more card. So when should you double down, if at all?

Doubling down is a way to eliminate the house edge and mastering it will add to your bankroll. Obviously as you can only get one more card, you will win less often than if not doubling down. But this disadvantage is more than compensated by the benefit of picking the hands to double down.

When to double down in blackjack

Double down rules from basic strategy are pretty simple:

Double down with hard nine, ten and eleven (remember not to split a pair of fives, but to double down). Also double down with soft 18 through 13. Never double down on a 12 as you can bust with one card, including split your pair of aces.

The logic is quite obvious as eleven is the best hand to have when you will get additional cards. You have no risk to hit with an 11, unlike 12. And ten & nine are the next best hands.

Blackjack players do not always realize that doubling down with soft teens is also a great idea, due to the flexibility of the ace.

Beyond splitting and doubling down, the two other rules to master basic strategy are getting insurance and surrendering.

Good luck at the Blackjack tables.

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