Doubling Down on 8 - Blackjack Doubling Eights

When to Double Down on Eight

When playing Blackjack, either on the Internet or in a casino, at some point, it would not be so uncommon to be dealt a card total of eight. A lot of blackjack players have a lot of different ideas as to how to play an eight. Some players would like to double down on eight, some would only like to hit their eights. As we know, players chose a lot of different ways to decide what to do with their blackjack hands. Some chose luck, gut feelings, card counting or basic strategy. The best way to play consistent, and to avoid guessing, is to play by basic strategy. You can find and purchase a blackjack basic strategy card in a lot of casino gift shops, and even on the Internet.

It is very important to keep in mind, when shopping for a basic strategy card for blackjack, to make sure that the small, credit card sized chart applies to the game you are going to be playing. For example, the basic strategy card I follow when playing blackjack is designed for tables that the dealer stays on all seventeens, as opposed to the house hitting soft seventeen. If the table you are going to be playing hits soft seventeen, then I would suggest finding a basic strategy card that is designed for those conditions.

According to the basic strategy card that I am looking at, when you are dealt a card total of eight and the dealer is showing an up card of a two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten valued card or ace, then you should not double down, not stand, but simply hit your eight. Your eight could be a combination of a two and six or a three and a five and no matter what the dealer is showing for an up card, you would simply hit your eight, not double down. If you had an eight that consisted of a pair of fours, then in some cases, you would instead of hitting your eight, you would split your fours. You would only split your fours, instead of hitting your eight, when the dealer is showing a five or a six. If the dealer is showing a two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, ten valued card or ace, you would simply hit your eight, not split your pair of fours.

Now of course, just because you follow basic strategy for blackjack every time you play, does not mean you will win every time you split your pair of fours against the the dealer's five or six, or hit your eight against the dealer's two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, ten valued card or ace, it does not even mean that you will win every time you have a big bet out there and do what basic strategy instructs you to do, it simply means that hopefully you will come out ahead more times than not.

Following basic strategy as opposed to the advice of the guy sitting next to you at the blackjack table is a great way to play consistent and with the best chance of not kicking yourself for not doing what you know you should have done.