When should you double down?
QUICK ANSWER
Double down when the odds favor you getting one strong card. Always double 11 vs any dealer card except Ace. Double 10 vs 2–9. Double 9 vs 3–6. Double soft 13–18 against dealer 5–6. Doubling doubles your bet in exchange for exactly one more card.
The math
Doubling is +EV when your expected win from a single card exceeds the risk of the extra bet. Basic strategy identifies exactly those spots.
Hard doubling
- 11: double vs 2–10 (vs A on H17 too)
- 10: double vs 2–9
- 9: double vs 3–6
Soft doubling (Ace counts as 11)
- A-2, A-3: double vs 5–6
- A-4, A-5: double vs 4–6
- A-6: double vs 3–6
- A-7: double vs 3–6, stand on 2 and 7-8, hit vs 9-A
Rules
You only get one more card. Some tables restrict doubles to 9-10-11 — worse odds for you.
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