Everything You Need To Know To Play Double Deck Blackjack
Card counting. It has intrigued blackjack players for centuries and thanks to the movie 21 back in 2008, it’s something that people around the world have been trying to master.
Although frowned upon, card counting is not illegal in Australia (as long as you’re not using any card counting devices). And in fact, there’s one game you can play that allows card counters to practice their skills, with the chance to win real money at the same time – double deck blackjack.
If you’re a fan of blackjack, you’ve probably heard of double deck blackjack; but if you’re new to the game, you might be wondering what we’re talking about. Whether you’re an experienced Aussie player or you’re just starting out, here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know about double deck blackjack.
What Is Double Deck Blackjack?
Blackjack has been played in casinos for over 300 years and it was one of the first games to be introduced to online casinos when they first came into being back in 1996. While regular blackjack is popular as ever, sometimes players are looking for a game that has a little bit of edge to it, and that’s where double deck blackjack comes in.
Most blackjack tables use a six-deck set. So, six individual 52-card decks are shuffled together and then that’s what the dealer knocks out. When blackjack first came into casinos though, they only used one deck – but people got smart. They started card counting, which, of course, was much easier with a deck of 52 cards than it is for six decks of 52 cards.
So why did they move to double decks? Well, it’s a novelty. To put it simply. And everyone likes a challenge! Particularly if you like to practice card counting. Double deck blackjack card counting is a great way to hone your skills.
You might be wondering why on earth a casino would allow this? It’s simple. Double deck blackjack increases the house edge. When you’re playing blackjack, you want the house edge to be as low as possible. The fewer decks you work with, the better the house edge. With the right blackjack strategy, though, you can decrease the house advantage to a low level – which means the casino’s edge can go lower than 1%.
If you want to take few risks, double deck blackjack is the way to go. First, though, you need to understand how to play, or you risk losing.
How to deal double deck blackjack
As we’ve mentioned already, double deck blackjack has two decks in play, rather than the usual six. It’s available in single player games and multi-player modes, but the rules are simple. One of the biggest differences with double deck blackjack and regular online casino blackjack is that dealers will stand off a soft 17 (a 17 that includes an Ace). In regular blackjack, dealer hitting is required on 17 and they need to get a 2, 3 or 4 to make a strong hand. This is in favour of the player. Winning!
Other rules include:
- You can double after a split
- You can double on any hand
- A player can re-split twice, to four hands in total
- You can’t re-split aces
- You can’t hit split aces
- There is an option for “dealer peeks”
- You can’t surrender – but who would want to do that anyway?
On average, the double deck blackjack house edge is 0.39702% on basic strategy. Payout is 3:2, while any hand is paid 1:1 and insurance is paid at 2:1.
Keep in mind that some double deck games have different rules, so do some research before you start playing.
When it comes to double deck blackjack strategy, our top tips are: don’t take insurance or “even money”; double down on soft totals of 13 to 18 if the dealer is showing something weak like a five or six; and when it comes to split aces, you can only hit once, but you need to be on the lookout for unfavourable totals in the 12 to 16 range.
Double Deck Blackjack With Ignition Casino
Ignition Casino has a range of double deck blackjack games on offer, including double deck blackjack Las Vegas, which gives you the feel of being in a Vegas casino. The atmosphere is a little better than hitting the Crown Casino in Melbourne or The Star in Sydney, and it’s even more fun because you don’t have to change out of your gym shorts to enjoy it!
