Why Double Down is Worth the Risk

On 03.31.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

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.

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The Never Bust Blackjack Strategy

On 03.11.11, In Blackjack Odds, By Vivi

I have previously covered a couple of blackjack strategies that hurt a player’s blackjack odds in the past: Mimic the Dealer and Assuming the Dealer has a 10 Hole Card. This week I am going to add another blackjack strategy that is not worth your time or the hit it gives your odds: Never Bust.

While the Never Bust so-called blackjack strategy is not the worst in terms of hits to your blackjack odds, the house edge it results in is no laughing matter. Players who abide by the Never Bust idea of blackjacks strategy will find themselves up against a house edge of 3.91% instead of the 0.5% that they could have had if they had just played according to basic strategy.

So how exactly does the Never Bust idea work?

The basic point behind it is to not hit anything that is a hard 12 or more no matter what the dealer is holding.

The problem with this blackjack strategy philosophy is that players miss out on a bunch of times when they should be hitting—when, according to basic strategy—the best statistical play to make is to hit. In total there are 27 hard hands that players would stand on that have better odds when hitting. Those would be 27 hands in which a blackjack player is choosing the play that is more harmful to their odds.

I believe this so-called blackjack strategy probably found its way into existence through fear of busting and subsequently losing. I believe the idea behind it is that if a player does not bust, then they cannot lose. But it is still perfectly plausible to lose, and a player who plays with this idea of never busting is actually asking to lose more than if they were to take the risk and hit.

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Back to Basics and Basic Strategy

On 03.03.11, In Blackjack Tips, By Vivi

It has been awhile since I have talked about basics for blackjack. Sometimes you just get all caught up in the finer points of strategy, like the odds on insurance and the odds on standing vs. hitting a soft 17 on the dealer’s part. But often times the basics get forgotten, lost in those other discussions.

So I want to go back to the basics this week.

The point of playing blackjack is that it is the one casino game with the best house edge for players to go up against. I say this not only because it is the one of the lowest house edges on the casino floor or in an online casino prior to applying any strategy—and I am talking about standard blackjack, not variations—but because applying one of the best existing blackjack strategies can lower the house edge to the point that there is no denying that blackjack is the best casino game.

Basic strategy is the blackjack strategy that I mean. It is the simplest strategy to use. Every single player hand is represented along with every dealer up card. Players merely check the point where the player hand and dealer up card intersect; the play found at the intersection is the best statistical play. While that play does not guarantee a win, basic strategy does offer you the best odd for that particular situation.

Playing according to basic strategy can lower the house edge to 0.5% over time. That means sticking to basic strategy and not deviating from it. But considering how easy it makes blackjack to play, there is no reason to deviate.

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Bad Blackjack Strategy: Mimic the Dealer

On 02.24.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Of all of the poor quality and bad blackjacks strategies out there, mimicking the dealer is one of the worst, second only to assuming the dealer’s hole card is a ten.

When a blackjack player mimics the dealer, he is playing exactly how the dealer would play. This means hitting on a hand that the dealer would hit on and standing when the dealer stands. This is limiting to a blackjack player simply because there are hands, specifically hard hands of 12 through 16 against a dealer’s 2 through 6, which the player would find the best opportunity in standing on rather than hitting; but those are hands that the dealer has no choice but to hit.

Another loss to the blackjack player found in mimicking the dealer is found in the lack of doubling down and splitting pairs. Those are two plays that the dealer does not have at their disposal in a game of blackjack. Of the two, not doubling down is the most hurtful. Losing out on doubling down causes the player to lose the 1.6% odds boost that they would have gotten. As for the odds lost from a lack of splitting pairs, that is 0.06% that is not gained.

Now for the astute blackjack player who does want to make the most of hitting, standing, doubling down and pair splitting opportunities, the best strategy option is to use basic strategy. A basic strategy chart will tell players when the best time to double down and split pairs, as well as the best times to hit or stand. Making the most of those opportunities is what brings the house edge down to 0.5%. Mimicking the dealer gives players a house edge of 5.48%.

Between those two I would rather follow basic strategy and knock the house edge down to 0.5% than mimic the dealer in a bad blackjack strategy and suffer with a house edge of 5.48%. Remember, never mimic the dealer.

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Never Assume the Dealer has 10 for a Hole Card

On 01.27.11, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

There are many blackjack strategies in the world that are not suitable for use. This is because they actually hurt a player’s blackjack odds rather than improve them. One such strategy that is in fact not a strategy is to assume that the dealer has a 10 for a hole card.

Really quick, just to review, a 10 is not just the 10 card of a suit, it is also a Jack, Queen or King.

The way this supposed strategy works that the player makes all of his or her plays based on the idea that the dealer’s hole card is a 10. So if the dealer is showing a 6, the player will assume the dealer has a 16.

But this strategy is not practical because there is only approximately a 30% chance of the hole card being worth 10. This is because out of the thirteen cards in a suit, only four are worth 10. The remaining nine cards have other values, which gives them a 70% chance of showing up as the dealer’s hole card.

It is rather silly to base a strategy on poor odds when the purpose of strategy in blackjack is to increase your odds. Playing by assuming the dealer’s hole card is a 10 actually increases the house edge to 10.03%. Now compare that just over 10% house edge to the house edge gained by playing according to basic strategy, which gives players a house edge of 0.5%.

So with the option of using a supposed strategy that makes no logical sense which gives you a house edge of 10.03% or a blackjack strategy that gives you a house edge of 0.5%, which are you going to choose? Exactly, you want to use the blackjack strategy that gives you that 0.5% house edge—basic strategy.

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Splitting Pairs as a Part of Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.17.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Once a novice player becomes comfortable working with hard and soft hands in blackjack, the next part of their blackjack strategy to work on is pair splitting.

Kind of like how soft hands require a little extra thought to play at first, so too do pairs in blackjack. The biggest trap in dealing with a pair is the just knowing that it is a pair, and that you have an extra playing option that is not available with hands that are not pairs.

Because of having this extra playing option to split a pair into two new hands and possibly win twice as much in a single round, players make the mistake of splitting every pair. Unfortunately this is not good blackjack strategy.

Just because it is a power and the player has the power to split it does not mean that every pair should be split.

For example a pair of 5s and a pair of 10s should not be split. The pair of 5s can be played like a hard 10 and be doubled down on. Doubling on a pair of 5s has better odds of winning and making a profit than splitting the 5s does. Likewise, a pair of 10s is stronger as a hard 20 than split. This is because there are only two hands with which the dealer can beat you with: hitting to 21 or having a natural blackjack.

But then there are pairs that should always be split simply because the player has a better chance of building two stronger hands than beating the dealer by standing on the pairs. Those two pairs are a pair of Aces and a pair of 8s. It is more advantageous to split those two pairs.

Basic strategy is a good pair splitting strategy tool. It should be used as the base of your blackjack strategy because it tells players the most advantageous play to make.

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Odds of Winning Insurance Bets and Why Not to Include it in Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.10.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Insurance is the one play in a regular game of online blackjack that needs to be talked about a lot. Many players truly do not understand why insurance is so bad for their blackjack odds and why they should not include it in their blackjack strategy.

In their eyes they are not losing money if the dealer does have a natural blackjack since they are getting the amount of their original wager back. Yes, with insurance you do break even, but the dealer has to have a 10 for a hole card in order for that to happen. And the odds are actually not in the house’s favor to have a 10 hole card.

There are thirteen different types of cards in a deck, with four of each type. Of those thirteen cards only four are worth 10 in blackjack and could create a natural blackjack when the dealer is showing an Ace: 10, Jack, Queen and King. So that is four out of thirteen cards, or a 31% chance of the dealer getting that natural blackjack.

On the other hand the other nine cards would keep the dealer from having a natural, which would cause you to lose your insurance bet, which is a 69% chance of losing the insurance bet.

Just looking at the odds you can see that the odds are in favor of the player losing their insurance bet, which is what casinos and online casinos want since insurance is a money-maker for them.

And speaking of money, let’s turn those odds into money so that you can see what a player stands to lose blackjack odds-wise from insurance.

If you were wagering $10 game of online blackjack, insurance would cost $5. Based on the odds, you stand to win $10 (insurance pays 2-1) four times for a total amount of $40 won. But you would have odds of losing your insurance wager nine times, which totals for a $45 loss.

Even if you won insurance four times and then lost it nine times, you still would not break even—you would still lose money. Which is exactly why insurance should not be a part of any players blackjack strategy. The odds are designed for the player to lose.

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Surrender as a Part of Your Blackjack Strategy

On 09.03.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Eventually novice blackjack players will come upon surrender. This is a play that is not always available in blackjack games, although it is available more often in blackjack games in brick and mortar casinos than it is in online blackjack.

Surrender is a blackjack play that should be a part of your blackjack strategy, ready in the wings should you find yourself in a blackjack game that allows for it. In a basic definition, surrender is when a player gives up half of their wager to give up playing out the round. It is similar to folding in poker, only your entire wager is not lost.

There are two types of surrender in blackjack: late and early.

Late surrender is only possible after the dealer has checked to see if he has a natural blackjack. If he does not, then players can surrender if they would like. But if the dealer does have a natural blackjack surrender then there is no surrender, and chances are you are going to lose the round. When made at advantageous moments, late surrender can hit the house’s edge for 0.08%.

On the other hand there is early surrender. This type of surrender differs from late surrender in that players can choose to surrender before the dealer checks to see if he has a natural blackjack. Even if he is showing an Ace and your hand is one that basic strategy says to surrender, you can still surrender and keep half of your wager. And you have the satisfaction of hitting the house edge for 0.6% as well.

And speaking of basic strategy and knowing when to surrender, those times are as follows:

Hard 15 versus a dealer 10
Hard 16 versus a dealer 9, 10 or Ace

The important thing to understand about surrender and your blackjack strategy is that you should only surrender when it is advantageous to do so. Surrendering just because you do not like the cards you have been dealt is not a reason to do so. Keep it in your blackjack strategy to only surrender when those four hands and dealer up card combinations are on the table.

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The Importance of Doubling Down in Blackjack

On 08.27.10, In Blackjack Strategy, By Vivi

Unfortunately many novice blackjack player—both online blackjack players and blackjack in a brick and mortar casino—tend to stick to basic plays, limiting themselves to hitting or standing. This is like learning to swim and then never leaving the shallow end of the pool.

But there are other blackjack plays out in there and they do offer benefits that basic plays do not. Again, this is like how you can dive for diving sticks in the deep end of the pool when you really cannot in the shallow end.

One of those other blackjack plays is called double down. With this play, a player doubles that amount of his original wager. So if you were playing blackjack online and were wagering $10 on a hand and wanted to double down, your wager would increase to $20.

Once the wager has been doubled the player only receives one more card before having to stand. There is no more hitting after you double down. It is a play to end your turn.

But it is not a bad play. In fact, it is highly advantageous to use when used at the right moments. And such moments are not difficult to know. All a blackjack player needs to do is look on a basic strategy chart to know when the best times to double down are.

What makes doubling down so advantageous is that when you win you receive the same amount that you would receive if you had won two rounds. This is because your payout is based on that $20 and not the $10, even though you only have one hand on the table.

Because you are making more money in the payout than you would normally have made, the house’s edge is hit harder. Doubling down at the right moments will knock 1.6% off of the house edge. That is how important this play is.

Follow a basic strategy chart to know the best times to double down, and enjoy receiving a larger payout and knowing that you have knocked the house’s edge down. So do not be afraid of the deep end of the pool, swim out and start doubling down

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About Online Blackjack Games and Variations

On 08.13.10, In Blackjack Rules, Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Those who play online blackjack are bound to see blackjack variations from time to time. They crop up everywhere, in the majority of online casinos. They are out there—Face Up 21, Super Fun 21, Blackjack Switch and more. The problem is that not all novice online blackjack players truly understand these blackjack variations and the impact their rules have on their blackjack odds.

One of the biggest hits to a player’s blackjack odds comes from the payouts offered by these blackjack variations. Whereas in regular online blackjack games, a natural blackjack receives a 3-2 payout, in the majority of variations the blackjack payout is an even money payout.

And an even money blackjack game will take 2.27% off of a player’s blackjack odds. If you are playing according to basic strategy, the house’s edge will go from 0.5% back up to 2.77%. Playing in a game with an even money payout like that is only handing your edge right back to the house.

Another common rule found in blackjack variations pertains to doubling down. Many variations only allow players to double down on 9s, 10s or 11s. This impacts the player’s blackjack odds in a negative way again, taking 0.18% away from the player’s odds.

Typically doubling down can take 1.6% from the house’s edge. That is a big hit to their edge. And that is why many blackjack variations will only allow doubling down on 9s, 10s and 11s only.

The key thing to understand about blackjack variations is that they were created to take players’ money faster. And while they can be fun to play from time to time, they should only be played for fun in practice modes so as not to risk losing any money; or to play blackjack variations at low stakes. That is how you handle your blackjack strategy in regards to blackjack variations.

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