In an earlier we went over some basic strategy
for Blackjack. Now we’re gonna go into how and when to double down. We have three players
here, each with $200. And we got one player here with an 11, one with a soft 17, and one
with a pair of fives. Versus a dealer’s four showing. And so how the player will double
down, he’ll just put up to his original bet right next to the hand. One card gets dealt.
He only gets one. And the idea here, is that with the 11 he’s expecting a 21 out of his
hand. So he’s trying to bet for power versus a card that’s considered weak for the dealer
anyway. So even if he doesn’t make his card, right now his odds are still looking good.
So in the cases here, we’re gonna do that with all three of these guys. Here he’s got
a soft 18. And then with the pair of fives. A lot of times new players will want to split
a pair of fives. You never want to split those, because it’s better to just play it as a regular
10. With this hand here, he’s got an 18. Dealer has 14. He busts with 24. And instead of getting
paid once, you get paid twice. So now everybody gets $400, and everybody’s happy. Any time
you have a chance to get more money on the tables when the dealer is weak with a low
card or you’re really strong with 10 or an 11, you’re always gonna want to double down.
And that’s what’s gonna give you your edge at the tables.