When to Double Down in Blackjack: Quick tips

When to Double Down in Blackjack: Quick tips  

Are you wanting to know when to double down in blackjack? 

Success in blackjack depends on strategy and knowing not only what to do but also when to do it. It’s true, timing is everything in blackjack and you need to know exactly when to maximize your potential winnings rather than settling for a mediocre return.

Doubling down is one of the primary ways that you can do this and a powerful method that can help players make the most of their given hand. This strategy is also a relatively easy one to understand and some tips around when to double down in blackjack can really help you make the most of this tried and proven strategy.

But what does it mean to double down in blackjack?

In this article, we take a closer look at this strategy and why it works for the pros before trying to understand how we might use and master the art of doubling down!

Why You Need to Learn the Art of Doubling Down in Blackjack

 Before we consider when to double down in blackjack, it’s important to have a good understanding of what it means and how it works. It’s also worth knowing the reasons why doubling down can be so profitable and why learning this skill is worth your time.

The secret to getting good at blackjack is learning from your mistakes and at least making an effort to learn how to improve your skills. Because no matter what way you look at blackjack, there is always risk with gambling but knowing how to make the odds work in your favor is key and improving your skill-set will increase these odds.

Another way to look at making money with blackjack is that you want to win the war and not just all the smaller battles along the way. In other words, you might lose out from time to time but with a proper macro strategy, it’s possible to ensure that you earn a lot more from the big wins than any losses that you incur on the way to those wins. This goes for when you play blackjack online and at a casino in “the real world”.

Now, what does it mean to double down in blackjack?

What Does it Mean to Double Down in Blackjack?

 Doubling down in blackjack is a strategy that you can deploy right after the first two cards have been dealt. This method is when you double your bet for one extra card and it’s widely regarded as a thrill move. While this is also considered a risky move, you can protect your capital by having a good understanding of how it works.

It should also go without saying that using this strategy is incredibly profitable when it comes off as long as you know when to double down in blackjack. That is to say, timing is essential for making this a profitable strategy over long periods and you can’t just rely on luck or assume that using this strategy as often as possible will pay off!

Another way to explain the art of doubling down is that this strategy is a chance to take advantage of times in which you have a clear edge over the dealer. It’s also a vote of confidence in your hand when you make this move and you should know there are very specific situations that you should use it and also time when you should not.

Let’s firstly take a look at when you might use the double down strategy in blackjack and then times when you should focus on protecting your capital.

The THREE Times it Makes Sense to Double Down in Blackjack

There’s three times when you might consider using this strategy and this is essentially three groups of blackjack hands. It’s not possible to go bust in any of these circumstances and you are also more likely to win the hand. That’s not to say your win is guaranteed but rather to explain the benefits of your risk to reward in this scenario.

When the total of your cards equal 11

You will have a great chance to win when the card total is eleven. This is because you cannot break 21 in this instance and only one more card can hit blackjack. With this in mind, you have such a good chance of winning that doubling down makes sense.

When You’ve Been Dealt a Hard 9 or 10

A hard hand is when there is no ace in your hand and this is another time in which you can choose to double down in blackjack. As a rule, if the dealer is showing a lower card in this situation, this is statistically when you have a better chance of beating the dealer.

When you have a Soft 16,17 or 18

A soft hand is when you have been dealt an ace and another card. You should know that having an ace gives you a big chance of beating the dealer because your statistical chances of winning are significantly higher. This is because you have a decent chance of getting close to 21 with your next card and so it makes sense to double down in blackjack when this happens. However, it’s usually only a good idea to double down in this instance when the dealer is showing a lower card than yours.

On the other hand, there is also a time not to double down in blackjack.

When NOT to Double Down in Blackjack

It’s true that doubling down is exciting but it’s not a good idea to take this approach all the time. After all, the more you double down, the more you increase the odds that your strategy will backfire. There are also times when doubling down can end up losing you more money than you win which defeats the purpose of using this strategy in the first place. Let’s take a look at some times not to double down in blackjack:

When The Dealer Has An Ace

The ace is a powerful card to have in any hand of blackjack which means it’s not a good idea to double down when the dealer is showing an ace. The odds are definitely against you in this situation as the dealer has a better chance to get close to either 21 or hitting blackjack itself.

A Hard Hand Higher Than 11

If you have a hard hand above 11, you have a greater chance of going bust and the potential is simply too high to risk doubling down in blackjack. In terms of how to make a decision in this situation, it’s often better to wait and see rather than take such a risk and protect your capital rather than putting it at risk.

About Splitting in Blackjack

Splitting is a basic strategy in blackjack and this is when you have two cards of the same value and this is a situation in which you are not allowed to double down in blackjack. You can split these cards into two separate hands and ask the dealer for two more cards but that’s all really. This essentially means you can potentially double your winnings but it also leaves you open to doubling your losses if it doesn’t work. 

Splitting is another exciting move as the stakes are raised but again, you must know when to use it. The best time to split in blackjack is when you receive a pair of aces as there are more cards above 10 in value left in the pack than any other card. In other words, you statistically have a better chance of hitting 21 at the very least when splitting aces. Playing with two hands is also easier than playing with a hand of 16 which is far less likely to win. This is not the only time when splitting takes place but just be aware that splitting is a time to pay close attention in blackjack and while most/all real-life casinos do not allow you to double down in this situation, some online casinos allow you to double down with splitting so make sure to check out the best online casinos where you can double down at will.

Last Minute Tips for Doubling Down in Blackjack

There’s a thousand things you can know that will help you improve your strategy when it comes to doubling down but it’s not possible to list every option for every scenario. After all, every situation is different and the outcome will inevitably rely on a degree of luck which means no strategy is bulletproof. But we can always pay close attention to probability and what works best for the professionals and so here’s a list of last minute tips that help summarize some points about when to double down in blackjack:

- If you are ready to double down in blackjack at a casino, try to avoid putting any more chips on your initial bet. You simply do this by pushing the initial stack of chips beside your existing wager as adding anything to this stack will often be seen as tampering with your current bet. The rule in this regard is that you must match your initial bet any time you decide to double down in blackjack.

- In terms of statistics, it’s generally a good idea to consider doubling down in blackjack when your cards are showing an 11. This is when you have a better chance to beat the dealer and while never guaranteed, the odds are certainly more in your favor.

- There are many ways to increase your odds with blackjack and make money from your existing strategy. While many players take advantage of every online casino bonus they can find, it’s worth mastering the double down strategy for blackjack in order to make the most of every time the odds are in your favor.

- You are not allowed to double down after taking another card. As you know, this is called hitting and you can only double down after the first two cards are dealt to you.

Final Word on Doubling Down in Blackjack 

Blackjack is a game of skill and luck and paying close attention to the odds, while knowing the importance of timing. But without a clear strategy, you cannot have any confidence that your game plan is likely to work. This is really important because blackjack (and gambling) is all about odds and you have a clear advantage in blackjack at the times in which you know the odds are distinctly in your favor. These are the times when you should consider doubling down in blackjack but as explained above, it’s not a good idea to double down every time or even as much as you can. What’s more, just as there are specific times that you should think about using this strategy, there are situations in which you should not double down and focus on protecting your capital instead. At the end of the day, it’s up to you but while fortune favors the bold, learning and improving your skills will enable you to know when it makes sense to be bold rather than thinking boldness is the key to long term gains!

End.