After you receive your first two cards, you have the option to “double down”. “Double down” means you can double your original bet. Many casinos allow you to double down only when the value of the first 2 cards is 9, 10 or 11. If you double down, the dealer will give you only one more card and then draw the cards needed to complete his own hand.
Doubling Up
For those of you that enjoy betting larger amounts at the online blackjack table I have a proposition for you. If you are a blackjack player who tends to take more risks in order to gain more reward it is my belief that playing two spots on the blackjack table is one of the best strategies when attempting to maximize winnings. First off, playing two spots at the table is a strategy that may be employed in order to hedge the bets of the player. Let me explain. A blackjack player betting on two spots should ONLY be using this strategy to win twice as much when the dealer busts. A player should never use the two-hand strategy in the hope that they will come away with higher hands than the dealer.
In essence, this is just not possible. It is inevitable that the dealer will pull higher hands than the player from time to time and cause the player to lose at least one of their two hands. However, if the player views losing one of their two hands and winning the other as a push or tie then they have placed themselves in the correct mindset. As previously stated, it is the dealer busting that the player is hoping for especially when the player has chosen to split or double down on one particular hand. Playing two hands ensures that the player will be in a better position to come away even if that particular shoe is not going as well as anticipated. This strategy is not failsafe and does not come without risks. In the case of a shoe where the dealer is constantly pulling good cards and winning hands, a player may be prone to losing both hands. This is when the player must make a judgment call and pull one of their bets back bringing their risk down to one spot.
This may be done until such time that the shoe has turned around and that player feels more comfortable playing two spots again. It should be noted that a player should NEVER play three spots or any odd numbered denomination for that matter. Playing three spots at an
online casino places a player in a position to have to win two of their three spots in order to come away from each hand in a positive position. This is not a good strategy and blackjack players would be wise to shy away from playing three spots even in times where they are winning multiple hands in a row.