Basic Strategy When Can’t Double Down with Aces
Written March 8, 2008 by Jack Jones
There are some casinos out there who do not allow doubling down on soft hands. Your basic strategy cards probably don’t factor this in, so we wanted to make sure to clear a few things up in order to make sure that you are still getting the most out of your play. Some specific questions we received are for for playing an A, 7 against a 6 or an A, 6 against a 4 in these circumstances. Also, if your casino does not offer surrender on blackjack, but does offer insurance then we will offer some tips on this sitatuion as well. We are assuming a multiple deck game where you can only double down on 9,10, 11. The good news is that even with these odds hurting your house edge, you still are playing with less than a 2% house advantage.Now, for the specific hands above, on an Ace/7 against a six, ou would stand, and for an ace/6 (soft 17) against a four, you would always hit.
Here in the States, where you can typically double on any two cards on multiple decks, you would double down on both of the hands mentioned above. Regarding insurance I recommend that you never take it, and here’s why. Most players tend to take insurance when holding face cards. But a moment’s calm reflection, if you please–who’s holding at least two of the cards the dealer needs to make blackjack? THE PLAYER! Far too many players automatically take insurance if they have a blackjack, or perhaps two face cards. In reality, though I still don’t recommend it, it would make more sense to make an nsurance bet if your hand contained no 10-valued card, because that 0-valued card you don’t hold could possibly be the dealer’s hole card. s a matter of fact, insuring a hand composed of two face cards on a ingle deck game can be one of the worst bets in the casino, giving the casino a 14.3% edge.