Double Deck Blackjack Rules
Winning Blackjack is typically paid off at odds of 3 to 2 or 6 to 5. DOUBLE DECK BLACKJACK GAME VARIATIONS Double Deck Blackjack is played with two traditional decks of 52 playing cards. The cards will be hand held by the dealer, dealt face down and “Pitched” to the players who may touch the cards. Players may double down on 8, 9, 10,. Basic strategy for double-deck games, S17. The table below illustrates basic strategy for S17 double-deck games. Doubling down is allowed on any 2 cards, double down after split is permitted (DAS) and there is no surrender. The dealer peeks. The house has an estimated advantage of 0.20%. It has a single-deck game that still offers the ideal 3-2 odds on a blackjack. That game has a house edge of about 0.3%, while a double-deck game there comes with a 0.45% edge. Both games can be. Game Rules Unlike most other Blackjack games, only two 52-card decks are shuffled together and dealt at the start of each hand. Dealers do not receive a hole card. They will stand on a soft 17 (a hand featuring an ace that totals either seven or 17). These rule changes are less common in double deck blackjack, which means that a double deck game can often be the best blackjack option in a given casino. Sure, some live casinos have been known to try to tilt the odds slightly by adding rules that only allow the player to double down on 10 or 11, and allowing the dealer to hit on soft 17s.
Good Blackjack Rules or Penetration – Greater Impact on Card Counting?
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- Good Blackjack Rules or Penetration – Greater Impact on Card Counting?
There are many conditions in blackjack that make a game more or less profitable for card counting. Two of the most important conditions are the blackjack rules of the table and what is referred to by card counters as the dealer penetration. When counting cards you’re looking for the best combination of the two in order to maximize the expected value of your play.
Let’s start by defining what we mean when we talk about “good blackjack rules” and “good dealer penetration”. I will then go through a quick analysis of which condition is more important in maximizing your profit potential. As always, my main focus in blackjack is increasing profits.
Good Blackjack Rules
H17 or S17 – This refers to the dealer hitting or standing on Soft 17. We prefer the dealer to stand.
DAS – This refers to a player’s ability to double after splitting. If you split your 8’s and get a 3 to make 11, you want to be able to double down on the 11.
RSA – This refers to the player’s ability to resplit aces after an initial splitting of aces. If you split a pair of aces and get a third ace, you want to be able to split that into a third hand.
LS – This refers to a player’s ability to surrender. Surrendering allows you to forfeit your hand and get half of your bet back without playing out the hand. This is commonly used when on a player’s 16 versus a dealer showing a 10.
These are the main blackjack rule variations you will encounter, but it’s certainly not all of them. We’re going to assume you’re getting the full 3:2 payment on blackjack and you can double any two initial cards dealt.
Preferred Rules: To get the best of these rules, you want the dealer standing on Soft 17 and you want to have the DAS, RSA and LS options available to you.
Good Dealer Penetration
“Dealer penetration” is blackjack terminology used for describing how deep a dealer will deal into a deck (or multiple decks) before reshuffling. This is a critical concept in card counting. Penetration is determined by where the dealer places the cut card and it varies from casino to casino. A deeply placed cut card will show you a higher percentage of the cards in a shoe, therefore giving you more information to work with when tracking the count. It also causes high counts to occur more frequently and last longer. For basic strategy players, penetration really doesn’t matter. For card counters, the deeper the penetration, the more profitable the game will be.
Preferred Penetration: Typically a 6-deck game that deals 4 out of 6 decks is considered to have “poor penetration”. Dealing 4.5 decks out of 6 before shuffling would be “average penetration”. A casino that shows 5 full decks out of 6 before hitting the shuffle card has “good penetration”.
Therefore if Casino A is dealing 4 out of 6 decks before shuffling and Casino B is dealing 5 out of 6 decks before shuffling, Casino B is going to be a much more profitable game for card counting assuming the rules of the tables are similar.
Greater Impact: Rules or Penetration?
Often the choice comes down to this… Do you go play at a casino that has all the best rules but poor penetration, or do you go for unfavorable rules with good penetration? Although you want the best of both, what if you have to decide between the two? Let’s take a closer look at the relative performance under different rules and penetration levels.
Blackjack Dealer Penetration
Here we see the relative profitability of three different sets of rules at four different depths of penetration. For this example I’ve kept the parameters simple and consistent. I’m using a 6-deck game with a Hi-Lo card counting system, 70 hands played per hour, 4 players at the table and an optimal betting ramp from 1-10 units with no back counting or backing out of negative counts. Manipulating any of these parameters will obviously change the chart somewhat. This chart would also look different if we analyzed a single deck, double deck or 8-deck game instead of this 6-deck game.
Conclusion: You can see that if you have terrible rules on a game, you better have good dealer penetration if you want to make money. If you have great rules you can be a little more forgiving when it comes to the shuffle point. Then there’s the middle ground of semi-decent rules and average penetration. The lesson to be learned here is that to be a successful card counter you really need to know how to analyze the quality of a game. There are also many other blackjack conditions to consider such as the level of casino heat you will get at different betting levels with different betting ramps. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to cover some of these other issues in a future post. For now I hope this helps to clarify the decision between good rules and good penetration. Now go hit the tables and make some money!
New: Las Vegas is currently reopening after the Covid-19 shutdown. Read more about the current state of blackjack in Las Vegas post reopening.
The quality of blackjack games in Las Vegas has declined over the past 15-20 years. The availability of strategy information over the internet has forced casinos to drop some of the more liberal rules. Casinos first started hitting on soft 17. Some stopped offering surrender or re-splitting aces in shoe games.
The biggest rule change that goes against players was rolled out first at single deck games. This terrible rule started paying players 6:5 on a blackjack, as opposed to 3:2. This means that a $10 blackjack would pay $12 instead of $15. Once the casinos got away with this at single deck games, the 6:5 rule started infecting double deck and shoe games.
While some Las Vegas casinos offer terrible rules on blackjack these days, there are still several places where a good game may be found. Some are even on the Las Vegas Strip, although some of the better ones are located downtown or in the locals market. All of the games mentioned below pay 3:2 on a blackjack.
Best Las Vegas Strip Blackjack
Treasure Island is the best Las Vegas Strip casino for blackjack. Players will find $10 games with great rules. The shoe games offer surrender, re-split aces, and double down after splitting. The double deck games allow double down after splitting. These low limit games hit a soft 17.
Players willing to move up to $50 can move to the high limit salon. They will get a shoe game with double down after splitting, re-split aces, and surrender. The dealer stand on all 17’s in this game. The high limit double deck starts at $50 and allows double down after splitting. The dealer stands on all 17’s.
Sahara spreads good $15 blackjack dealt from a shoe. Players can double down on any two cards and after splitting. Surrender and re-split aces are also permitted. The dealer hits soft 17. This game is offered in the high limit salon for $100 where the dealer stands on all 17’s.
Caesars properties spread 3:2 blackjack under $25. Bally’s, Caesars Palace, The Cromwell, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Paris and Planet Hollywood each have a number of 3:2 blackjack games under $25. Each casino offers multiple tables with a house edge under one half of one percent (0.05%). Caesars offers more 3:2 blackjack games under $25 on the Vegas Strip.
Best Downtown Las Vegas Blackjack
Rules For Double Deck Blackjack
El Cortez offers the best blackjack game in downtown Las Vegas. It is a single deck that pays 3:2 on a blackjack. Players can double down on any two cards and the dealer hits soft 17. The minimum bet is usually $5 or $10. Be careful in this game as the pit bosses will sweat large action or bet spreads.
Double Deck Poker Rules What Beats
Downtown Grand offers the best shoe games downtown. For a $5 minimum, players can double down after splitting, re-split aces and surrender.
The D and Golden Gate only offer 3:2 blackjack. Every table at these casinos pays 3:2 for a natural blackjack. When Circa Resort and Casino opens it will also offer 3:2 blackjack since it has the same owner as the other casinos.
Best Las Vegas Locals Blackjack
Double Deck Blackjack Rules
The competition in the off-strip blackjack market is fierce. Players will be able to find shoe games that start at $5 or $10 where double down after splitting and surrender at are allowed at Rampart, Aliante Casino, Arizona Charlie’s and all Boyd and Station casinos.
M Resort offers a $50 double deck game where players can double down before and after splitting, as well as re-split aces. This game stands on all 17’s This is the best blackjack game in Las Vegas. There is also a six-deck shoe game that adds surrender.
Double Deck Poker Rules
Station Casinos properties offer double deck blackjack where players can double down after splitting. M Resort offers the same game. The dealer hits soft 17. Suncoast, The Orleans, Gold Coast, South Point and Silverton also spread this game.