When Do You Double Down in Blackjack?

One of the options players have in blackjack is to double down. This is a great move in the game of you understand how to do it. You'll be able to capitalize on the huge probability that your blackjack dealer will bust or the fact that you have a good chance of making a hand that totals closer to 21.

A simple illustration of doubling down in blackjack would be the following. You check your initial total and the dealer's up card and find that you are at an advantageous situation. You then double down and the dealer hands you one last card and you double your bet and finally stand on whatever total you get with the final card.

The idea behind the double down is the fact that there are more ten valued cards in a deck or shoe. So, for example, if you have an initial total from nine to 11 then you might have a good chance of making at least a total of 19 or at the most 21. Another factor to consider before you double down is the blackjack dealer's displayed card.

So the steps in deciding whether to double down or not are first, see if your initial total can warrant a double down. Second, check the blackjack dealer's up card to find out if things are favorable if you make this move.

Double down with hard hands: After checking the conditions above and you have a hard 11 you should always double down except only if your dealer has an Ace shown on the table. If you have a hard ten then the rule is that you should always double down except if your dealer displays either an Ace or a ten on the table. You are to double down on a total of hard nine except if you see your dealer's card to be from three to six.

Double down with soft hands: If your initial hand totals to a soft 17 or a soft 18 you should double down only if your dealer has three through six or a face card. You should take this option if you have a soft 16 or soft 15 and your dealer displays a card from four to six or a face card. If you have a soft 14 or soft 13 you should take this option if your dealer displays either a five or six or any face card.

Doubling down is a great move when conditions are right in blackjack. You get twice as much as your initial bet with this move. However, you should really know when you should double down or not.