Blackjack Reviews

When you first walk up to a Blackjack table, you need to find out and understand the table’s rules and decide whether you want to play at that particular table. Luckily, Blackjack tables and their rules can be understood by simply taking a closer look at tables alone. Yes, rules for any table will be printed on the table’s surface, allowing you to understand what kind of Blackjack rules are being played at the table.

The first thing you will surely notice is the payout ratio. You can see larger text stating the table’s payout ratio — usually says “Blackjack Pays x to y” — and check immediately if it is profitable enough. 3 to 2 payout for Blackjack is acceptable, but some single-deck tables have 6 to 5 payout ratio so make sure you check before playing.

Next, you can see the dealer’s rules. If you see “dealers must draw to 16 and stand on all 17’s”, then you are playing at a table that doesn’t allow dealers to hit even on soft 17. The house advantage on this kind of Blackjack table is fairly low and your chances of winning are higher. The same rule can also be stated using “S17” as a code.

There are occasions when you would want to double your bets in Blackjack. The move of doubling your bet and getting one additional card to construct a solidly strong hand is called ‘Double Down’. You can tell the dealer that you are doubling down by placing another bet, similar to the initial bet in value, next to the original bet inside the betting box. The dealer will then give you another card; when doubling down, the amount of cards you can add to your hand is limited to one.

When used properly, doubling down your bet can prove to be very profitable indeed. A good starting point is to double down whenever you starting hand’s total is either 10 or 11 and the dealer’s up card is showing anything less than 10. You can hope for 10s or Aces to improve your hand and make it totaling at 20 or 21, which are quite strong when the dealer’s up card is a 9 or less.

Some players will also double down when their starting hand’s total is 9, as long as the dealer’s up card is between 2 and 6. Some casinos allow you to double down after splitting, which makes it even more profitable. Use it wisely to earn big payouts.