Doubling Down
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.
