Blackjack Doubling Down Outpaces the Insurance Bet
Dear
Mark: Why is doubling down in blackjack so advantageous
for the player? Also, why shouldn't I always take
insurance? The worst that could happen is losing half
my bet. Hector F.
The
three main reasons why doubling down is so advantageous
to you, the player, is because 1) you know the dealer's
up-card, 2) the casino is allowing you to bet more
money with that information, and 3) your chances of
winning the hand, when you should to be doubling,
are better than the dealer's.
You always want to bet more when the casino is at
a distinct disadvantage so as to increase your potential
return. Your edge comes from the new bet's paying
even money on hands that you are favored to win.
Let
me give you an example of where doubling down
will give you a substantial edge over the casino.
Take doubling down on an 11 against a dealer six.
The odds with this hand are that you'll win 63.3,
lose 30 and tie 6.7 percent of the time. Play
this hand for $5 a thousand times and you can
expect to win $3,165 and lose $1,500 for a net
profit of $1,665 on doubling this one wager alone.
Far too many players don't double, fearing that
losing the extra bets might wreak havoc on their
bankrolls. Hey, Hector; if you find you're getting
cold feet betting one of the best wagers the casino
has to offer, you shouldn't be on that denomination
game.
Back when I dealt blackjack, I was always amazed
at how many players would take insurance on every
hand (even dog ones like a 16) when I was showing
an Ace. They, as your question states, believed
that the worst that could happen was losing half
their wager.
God forbid (actually the casino forbade) me telling
players that 10-point cards (10, J, Q, K) make
up 31% of the deck, so there was a 69% chance
that I didn't have a blackjack. With that 69%
chance that the dealer doesn't possess a snapper,
and there's you insuring your weak hand, you could
easily lose both the insurance and your original
bet.
So NO on insurance, Hector, even if you have a
Blackjack. With a 3 to 2 payoff, you'll make more
money in the long run by never taking it.
No
Hole Blackjack
Any blackjack game in which the dealer does not
take a second card until after all player hands
are finished is Easy
Card Counting System For Blackjack
Card counting, is not restricted to any one method.
The central idea is simply that a deck rich in
high cards favors the player and a deck rich in
low cards favors the dealer. Should
You Really Split Your 8s In Blackjack
If the dealer in a strong position the good common
sense your momma raised you with tells you that
splitting this hand just creates two losers. The
Differences in blackjack that can cost you What to look for in a casino while playing
BlackJack the subtle or not to subtle differences.
Blackjack
Terms / Abreviations What are those funny little blackjack abbreviations
like H17, RSA and DOA mean. Blackjack
Hitting on 17 A 17 in blackjack is a damned hand, a dud
over the long haul. The alternative strategy of
hitting a hard 17 would only multiply your losses.
Good
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