Doubling Down on 10 - Blackjack Doubling Tens

When to Double Down on Your Ten's

While sitting at a blackjack table, either on the Internet or in a casino, chances are pretty good you maybe dealt two cards that total ten. This could be a two and an eight, three and seven, a four and a six or even a pair of fives. A lot of players in blackjack will have a lot of thoughts about how to play a hand that totals ten, some of those blackjack players base their decisions on luck, gut instinct, math, card counting or basic strategy.

I say, the best way to be true to yourself and always do the right thing, is to play consistently, not deviating from your normal plan of action and becoming mad at yourself every time you break one of your rules of play, guess wrong and it costs you dearly. I also feel the best way to play consistent is to play according to the advice of a blackjack basic strategy card. This card can be found and purchased in many casino gift shops, or even on the Internet. It is strongly advised to make sure the basic blackjack strategy card that you buy is designed for the types of tables you plan to play at. For example, the card I use is based on tables that stay on all seventeens, as opposed to the dealer hitting a soft seventeen. If the casino you plan to play in hits a soft seventeen, I would suggest not following the advice I give on when to double down on a ten and to shop around for a basic blackjack strategy card that applies to the table conditions under which you pan to play.

The basic strategy card that I am holding says that when you are dealt two cards that total ten and the dealer is showing an up card of a two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight or even a nine, you should double down on your ten. By doubling down, you will be placing a second, or a propositional bet up to the amount of your original wager, but not more than your original wager and will receive only one additional card, like the card or not, it is the only one you are getting. Hopefully when you double down on your ten, you score an ace, for twenty one, or even a ten valued card for a twenty. Sometimes you will catch an eight or a nine, which still has the potential of beating the dealer, depending on what hand the dealer makes, but even if you catch a junk card, you still can hope to hear the dealer announce, Dealer Breaks! in which case, any hand left on the table will get paid, even that not-so-attractive-twelve. Basic strategy also recommends that if you are dealt two cards totaling ten, and the dealer is showing an up card of a ten valued card or an ace, that you should not double down, you should simply hit.

It's best to keep in mind, that just because the basic strategy dictates that you should double down on your ten, against the dealer showing a two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight or nine as an up card every time, does not mean you will win every time, nor does it imply you will win every time you place a large bet and get dealt a ten against a dealer's up card of less than a ten valued card. However, since basic strategy is based on odds, it does imply that hopefully you will come out ahead, more times than not when you double down on your ten.