Often times in blackjack, players—especially novice players—have a hard time making the move to double down. In blackjack that is one of the best moves a player could make.
Doubling down in blackjack is when the player puts forth more chips in order to double the amount of the original wager. For example, if you were playing blackjack at $10 per hand and wanted to double down, you would have to put out another $10 so that your total wager is $20. Once the doubling of the original wager is complete, the player receives one more card from the dealer at which point the player must stand.
Because you can only receive one more card and because you are doubling your wager, it makes sense not to double down on every turn or even every other turn. There is a certain risky feeling to this play in blackjack, which is why many players tend to ignore the play.
They understand that there are opportune times to double down but because they are only receiving one card, it is somewhat hard to determine when the best times to double down are. The best rule of thumb is when you have a hard 9, 10 or 11. Generally speaking, most casinos will only let you double down on a 10 or 11 anyway. However, if the dealer has a 10 or an 11 when you have a hard 10, or an 11 when you have a hard 11, do not double down.
If you want an even easier way to know when the best times to double down are, use basic strategy. That chart will tell you when the most opportune times are making it easier to take the risk to double down in blackjack.