Double Down

T

tedloc

Well-Known Member
A casino in San Deigo has a double deck game. DAS, Surrender, Hit S17 and also allows you to split Aces, 4 times.
Dealer has a 6 showing and I get a pair of Aces. After I split, dealer gives me a 10 on the first one. Should I double down? What does BS say to do? What about if the count is positive?
 
tedloc said:
A casino in San Deigo has a double deck game. DAS, Surrender, Hit S17 and also allows you to split Aces, 4 times.
Dealer has a 6 showing and I get a pair of Aces. After I split, dealer gives me a 10 on the first one. Should I double down? What does BS say to do? What about if the count is positive?
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Most casinos don't allow hitting/doubling split aces. Given the event that it is allowed, BS says to stand. As for doubling when the count is high, im not sure of the count, but it would have to be EXTREMELY high for the count to dictate a double. A 21 is a winning hand and there is very little reason to risk it.
 
I think you'd have to have seen a ten in the hole AND have a positive count to cause you to double.
 
moo321 said:
I think you'd have to have seen a ten in the hole AND have a positive count to cause you to double.
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right on the first part, the second part is irrelevant.

if you see that the dealer has a HARD 16 you double almost everything under the sun. the count, even in a DD game is far less powerful than hole card information.
 
Mimosine said:
if you see that the dealer has a HARD 16 you double almost everything under the sun. the count, even in a DD game is far less powerful than hole card information.
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With perfect hole card info double vs dealer hard 14,15,16 with a A,X. Do not double BJ's that pay 3:2.
 
Martin Gayle said:
With perfect hole card info double vs dealer hard 14,15,16 with a A,X. Do not double BJ's that pay 3:2.
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Really. Was not aware... probably because I don't play games that allow you to draw to split aces.

Now that I think about it, none of the strategies I've seen had a listing for soft 21.
 
Doubled a 21 against a dealer six last night at the Palace Station, pulled an eight, dealer broke, paid me well... I don't recommend it though, you're really gonna draw some heat like that if you do...
 
I saw a cowboy in laughlin doubling down on every BJ, even against a dealer 10. He insisted that you always double on eleven, and you always split 8s.
When he'd win his DD BJs, he's toss the dealer a tip.
 
"Camouflage" is an antonym of "Heat"

That is not 'heat' that you will draw - just derisive looks as staff decide whether you are intoxicated, mentally retarded, or self-destructive.

Plays that cannot possibly be justified have been known to be good "camouflage" when restricted to very small bets.

Recently I watched a woman (a relative 'whale' betting 'black' in a casino where green play can trigger a "checks play" shout-out)
as she took a fellow moron's (sarcastic) advice to Double her $500 bet on a Soft Twenty v. against a dealer Seven !

The shift manager was camped out at the table. He immediately raised the table limit from $1,000 to $10,000
and offered her the "best suite in the house" while actually saying "Any action that you want I will fade."

He (literally) had trouble stifling his joy. I kid you not !
 
johndoe said:
Because it's an extremely unusual (nearly unheard of) move that is guaranteed to draw attention to your play.
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Exactly as Flash said. It is not a play a counter would make. The heat you get is positive and if you are playing $$$$ you are going to get fluffed by the pit, hosts etc.

If WWCD is an AP doing something that would call for splitting X's or A's then doubling a 21 he/she has made a terrible error in judgement and many will be vulturing in on the Palace Station to find this advantage.
 
6:5 premium

It is obvious that it is not completely implausible to DOUBLE on a Soft 21 when getting only a 20% BJ premium -- as opposed to a standard 50% BJ premium. The difference is massive.

To overcome the guaranteed/U] 50% profit on the hand by doubling cannot be considered.

However, reducing the premium reduces the (guaranteed) profit and that should make it possible that, at a very high count when facing a dealer's stiff up-card, doublimng would be "expectation-maximizing".

The index for this play would still need to be very high if your tactics include "Risk Averse Indices" or any variance-reducing strategies.
 
FLASH1296 said:
FOOTNOTE:

In New Jersey the Casino Control Commission does not permit doubling on a BJ
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there are a few casinos in CA that have this rule posted in small print on the table. "Double on any two cards except soft 21" I think is the language.
 
tedloc said:
http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack/sandiego.html

Dealer has a 6 showing and I get a pair of Aces. After I split, dealer gives me a 10 on the first one. Should I double down?
Click to expand...

tedloc:

you have no business gambling money on BJ if you don't understand a fundamental rule about the game itself.

From your own link and I quote "Resplit Aces: Y if player may split aces more than once, N if split aces get one card each."

it is an either or statement. You may split aces and get one card; if that card is an ace you may re-split if the house allows it, if it is not an ace - that is your final hand.

EDIT: CBJN as of March 2009 shows ONE casino in the entire US that allows HSA.
 
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