Doubling Down on 11 - Blackjack Doubling Elevens

When to Double Down on Eleven

During your stay at a blackjack table, either on the Internet or in a casino, you will most likely, at some point be dealt two cards that equal eleven. This could be a combination of a five and a six, a three and an eight, a four and a seven, a nine and a two or in some casinos that allow you to double down on a blackjack, an ace and a ten valued card could be considered an eleven. On an eleven, you have the option of hitting, doubling down or staying.

A lot of blackjack players have a lot of thoughts about what to do with an eleven, or at least specific elevens. Blackjack players like to make their decisions of how to play a hand totaling eleven on luck, gut instinct, math, card counting or even ask the dealer what the dealer would do. I say, it is always best to play consistently, playing your eleven the same way every time prevents a lot of long, quiet drives home being mad at yourself for not following your usual plan of action. The best way to play consistent is to play based on basic strategy. Basic strategy is an easy to learn and easy to remember way to play, there is a lot of common sense in basic strategy, after all it is based on odds and statistics and odds and statistics usually make a lot of sense and seem to be pretty logical. Basic strategy can be found on a credit card sized pocket chart that can be purchased in a lot of casino gift shops and even on the Internet.

It is also good to keep in mind, when you buy a basic strategy card, make sure it is designed for the table you are going to play. For example, the basic strategy card that I follow is for a table that the dealer stays on all seventeens, as opposed to hitting on soft seventeen. If the casino you plan to play at hits the dealer's soft seventeen, then instead of taking my advice on what to do with your eleven, you should shop around for a basic strategy card that is created for the conditions under which you will be playing.

The basic strategy card that I am looking at, says that when you are dealt an eleven and the dealer is showing an up card of a two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or ten valued card, you should double down. Doubling down means you place a second bet out there, equal to up to the amount of your original wager, but not more than your original bet, but can be less than your original wager and you will receive only one additional card, good card or bad, it's the only one you are getting. Hopefully the card you receive is a ten valued card, giving you twenty one, which is the second best hand to have, second to only a blackjack or a natural twenty one, if the dealer does have a blackjack, you will lose only your original bet, so don't fear doubling down against the dealer's up card of a ten valued card, because even if the the dealer has a blackjack, you are only going to lose the original bet, not the double down. Other than the dealer having a blackjack, you are most likely going to be winning on your twenty one, maybe a push if the dealer draws to twenty one his or herself. The basic strategy card also advises that if you are dealt an eleven against the dealer's ace as an up card, you should not double down and simply hit. This would be one time where I would find myself going against the advice of basic strategy. I would double down on an eleven against the dealer's ace, only because to me, an ace is a lot like a ten valued card for the dealer to show as an up card, because if we are going to assume that the dealer always has a ten valued card under their up card, that would mean if the dealer is showing an ace and has a ten under it, that the dealer would have a blackjack or a natural twenty one, which would mean if you did double down on your eleven, you would not lose your second bet, only the original bet is lost when the dealer has a blackjack. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, it is equally as likely for the dealer to have a nine under his or her ace than it is a six or a seven.

I will not, nor will basic strategy promise you to win on every eleven you double down on, and not even promise to work out on large wagered hands, the only thing it suggests is that it is hopefully going to work out more times than not.