Double Deck Blackjack Strategy Explained
Francisc Csiki
Tudor TuriceanuYou will find all relevant double deck blackjack strategy charts that will inform your gameplay. Be sure to read the tips to know how to proceed.
Double Deck Basic Strategy Charts
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Dealer Stands on S17
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Dealer hits on S17
Legend
- Hit – you ask for another card.
- Stand – you keep your current cards.
- Split – you break up your pair into two cards.
- D./Hit – Double, if possible, otherwise Hit.
- D./St. – Double, if possible, otherwise Stand.
- Sp./hit – Split, if Doubling is allowed after, otherwise Hit.
- Sr./Sp. – Surrender, if allowed, and Doubling after Split isn’t. Otherwise Split.
- Sr./Hit – Surrender, if it is allowed, otherwise Hit.
- Sr./St. – Surrender, if you are allowed, otherwise Stand.
Why Follow the Charts?
A chart summarizes the best decisions you can take in each possible situation.
They are referred to as double deck basic strategy player charts since they only consider the information available within one round: your two cards, the dealer’s upcard, and the choice on how to play blackjack.
Important
Regardless of whether you are playing on blackjack casino sites or in land-based casinos, applying this basic strategy will reduce it from around 2%, down to 0.5%, for all game of blackjack versions.
Does the 2 Deck Blackjack Strategy Differ from Others?
In both soft 17 rule game versions, the basic charts differ for hard hands and pair Splitting decisions. Here are the differences between the strategies for two-deck and multi-deck games.
Dealer Stands on S17 Differences
- You Double, or otherwise Hit for a hard 9 against a dealer’s 2, instead of Hitting.
- For a dealer upcard of 9 and a hard 16 hand, you Hit instead of surrendering, even if possible.
- Hits for a pair of 6s against a 7 and a pair of 7s against an eight turn into Splitting if the mix of playing rules allow for doubling afterwards.
Dealer Hits on S17 Differences
- A hard 10 against a 10 requires Hitting, rather than Doubling.
- All other differences for Dealers Hit on Soft 17 games are the same as for Stand on a Soft 17 versions.
Deck Strategy Tips
- Do not take insurance on blackjack or even money bets.
- A 5-card pair acts as a hard 10 hand in the chart.
- You should always stand on a pair of 10s.
- If pair Splitting is not allowed, take the pair to be a hard hand. A pair of Aces acts as soft hands in this case.
- If you can’t re-split Aces but can draw after Splitting, double for 5 and 6 dealer upcards and hit otherwise.
Should You Play Double-Deck Games?
The number of decks directly affects the table game house edge, with fewer decks amounting to a lesser advantage. Games with only two decks of cards have better odds than most other game versions, with only games played with one deck of cards surpassing them.
In other words, single and double-deck games are always preferable since they provide the lowest house edge. However, double-deck games are more frequent in casino environments than single-deck games.
House Edge Depending on Decks
2 Deck vs 6 Deck Video