The Use of Doubling Down

In playing the game of blackjack, one of the best things that could happen is when you as a player get the chance to make a double down. In a double down, the player is allowed to have the bets he placed double right after he or she receives the two initial cards, then the player will receive only a single card for his or her hand. Almost all of the casinos allows the players to make a double down on any kind of cards just as long as its two.

The house will however limit the doubling to the hands with a total of either eleven or ten. It is also known as DOA. DOA is a rule which greatly favors the player. The DAS which stands for double after the splitting is also a rule that favors players. Below are details how these rules can have an effect on the edge of the casino.

When a player plays the game of the shoe which is composed of decks with a total of eight the player may double on any of the cards and the casino's edge will become 0.55%. There are rules in relation to making a double down which can increase or decrease the edge of the house.

The DAS which means to double after the splitting will decrease the edge of the house by up to 13 % . When you double on the eleven or ten there will be a - .21 increase on the casino's edge.

If a player makes use of the basic strategy, he or she would be able to determine the right time to make the double down. The logic behind doubling down greatly favors the player because he or she may double the bets he placed when he or she gets the chance to beat the table's dealer.

This is the chance when dealers get a weak point. Sometimes the dealer will show the player the up card, which may lead him to make a bust.

Many computer simulations have been run to determine the frequency that a dealer will bust based on their up card. Take a look at the table at the bottom of this page.

The cards which do not favor the dealer are cards from number two up to six. Usually the dealers may bust often when the cards from two up to six are shown. The double down is best used on those cards. There are instances where the player may double down using the ten versus the nine of the dealer or the eleven versus the ten by the dealer.

Players usually hesitate to make this move but still this is the right move to make even if the card which is smaller belongs to the dealer because in the end the player has more odds of winning through doubling in these instances.