Double Deck Blackjack Strategy

Double Deck Blackjack Strategy - Master the Charts, Crush the House Edge

4 min

Double Deck Blackjack flaunts an appealing 0.5% house edge with flawless play, rendering 4X better odds than 6 or 8 deck variants as the optimal Blackjack strategy. This guide equips the indispensable basic Blackjack strategy charts and professional tips to memorise for domination of Double Deck.

We will outline perfect Blackjack chart guidelines and arm you with a comprehensive basic strategy sheet accounting for all scenarios when navigating this captivating game requiring skill and memory recall. Let’s unlock Double Deck Blackjack’s full potential using strategic charts for enhanced advantage over the house edge.

Take Down Double Deck Games with These Charts

  • Dealer Stands on S17

Dealer Stands on S17

  • Dealer Hits on S17

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

Follow These Charts, Win More Hands – Here’s Why

A chart summarises the best decisions you can take in each possible situation.

They are called 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 of 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 the house edge 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 allows 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

Dominate With these Pro Blackjack Strategies

  1. Do not take insurance on Blackjack or even money bets
  2. A 5-card pair acts as a hard 10 hand in the chart
  3. You should always stand on a pair of 10s
  4. 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
  5. 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

Should You Play Double-Deck Games

Compared to the more widely available 6 or 8 Deck Blackjack variants, the house edge is diminished in Double Deck from roughly 0.7% or higher down to a mere 0.5%. This statistical edge for players is significant over the long run, granting Blackjack experts a markedly higher ceiling for potential profits over physical or online casinos. Moreover, Single Deck Blackjack, with its even lower house edge, is difficult to find, while Double Deck pops up more routinely both online and especially in live casinos.

Given the improved odds and greater accessibility compared to Single Deck, Double Deck clearly emerges as superior to almost all Blackjack formats. Just be sure to play responsibly and thoroughly memorise the provided strategic charts above accounting for Double Deck intricacies.

Cosmin Brehoi
AuthorCosmin BrehoiAuthor & Editor at CasinoAlpha

Since forever a student of life and writer at his core, he loves to gamble on football matches in his spare time. Combining the art of prediction and a rigorously trained intuition, he has joined the iGaming world to promote a responsible and data-driven approach to sports betting.

Tudor Turiceanu
ReviewerTudor TuriceanuCEO & Chief Editor at CasinoAlpha

Tudor Turiceanu uses his multiple systematic skillsets to oversee and coordinate the CasinoAlpha project. He assists the authors in creating a transparent gambling niche for users. As a CEO and Chief Editor with broad knowledge, Tudor knows the importance of transmitting confident advice.