Learn the Proper Doubling Down Moves in Blackjack

When you can double down on any two cards in an online casino, you have a tremendous option at your disposal. The question is, when are the right times to do it?

When you are presented with an opportunity to double your money in a game, you had better make sure that you are doing it with a mathematically sound premise. The process goes like this: you are dealt two cards and see the house's up card (we say the house because in the online game, the dealer is invisible). Then you have to come to a decision. When you double, you are receiving only one card. There will be an icon that appears on the screen that will be among the other choices (Hit, Stand, etc.).

When you double down you are placing a bet that is equal to the original wager. So in other words, you are "doubling" your bet. For you to do that with any degree of success, you have to know the Basic Strategy rules that would govern it for a player.

If you are fortunate, or if you have shopped around correctly for a game, you are able to double down on any two cards, and that includes those occasions when you have a soft hand (i.e., a hand that contains an Ace). That having been said, these are the guidelines that you should be following:

• When you have eleven (11), double against any upcard from two (2) through ten, including all face cards.

• When you have ten (10), double against any upcard from two (2) through nine (9).

• When you have nine (9), double against any upcard from three (3) through six (6).

• When you have A2 or A3 (otherwise known as soft 13 and soft 14), double against an upcard of five (5) or six (6).

• When you have A4 or A5 (otherwise known as soft 15 and soft 16), double against an upcard of four (4), five (5) or six (6).

• When you have A6 or A7 (otherwise known as soft 17 and soft 18), double against any upcard from three (3) through six (6).

In all of these cases, if the situation doesn't call for a double, just hit the hand and proceed from there.

If you can learn to follow these Basic Strategy rules perfectly (and it does take some memorization), you are going to be better off in the long run, because you are going to get closer and closer to that point where you can play a break-even game with the house in online blackjack.