Due to the fact that the house only holds a 0.5% advantage over players in blackjack, many people automatically assume that they’re nearly even with the casino. But here’s the thing: the house wins 44% of all blackjack hands.
This being the case, you have to make up the ground through online blackjacks (3-2 payouts) and double downs. Blackjacks are all luck so there’s no strategy involved here, but the double down is all up to you. And if you’re not doubling down with certain hands, then you are missing out on opportunities to make more money. Here is a list of some common hands where people miss out on double down opportunities:
- 11 vs. 10 – 54% win percentage
- 10 vs. 9 – 54% win percentage
- 10 vs. 8 – 57% win percentage
The main reason why people don’t double down
Well, on hands such as these is because they’re so close to the dealer’s upcard. Many players have the belief that such close hands shouldn’t be doubled down because there is a higher potential for the dealer to win.
However, anytime you have an advantage and stand a solid chance of winning with one more card, you need to be doubling down. This is especially true with 11 vs. anything because there are four different ways in which you can be dealt an 11 (9-2, 8-3, 7-4, 6-5). So you really need to be doubling down with an 11 since it’s dealt quite a bit.
Anytime you miss a chance to double down, you give the house more of an edge. So you really need to take a look at every hand that you should double down with against certain dealer upcards. And even when hands appear close in value, you still need to be doubling down when the situations favor you.
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The simplest blackjack card counting system that’s commonly promoted is called Wizard Ace/Five after its creator the Wizard of Odds. As its name implies, this system advises players to only count spent Aces and fives and to adjust their bet accordingly when the deck‘s value is in their favor. In most cases, the end result is that this system is so limited it’s virtually worthless, especially as larger shoes become more common.
The expanded but still easy version of the Ace/Five system is the High/Low blackjack card counting system. While it may be more challenging to keep an accurate running tally while using the High/Low strategy, you’ll get a more accurate read on your remaining deck.
With the High/Low online blackjack system, the value of your deck begins at 0. You’ll adjust that value with every card that’s dealt. Cards of 6 or smaller will add +1 to your total. The 7, 8, or 9 cards are worth 0. The 10, face cards, and Ace are worth -1. You can use the value of the deck to help you to decide whether to hit or stand in tricky situations (like with a hard 16).