We have written in the past about BlackJack, and also given you some helpful strategies which will increase the edge you can have over the house.
However, BlackJack comes in different variants, both in terms of amounts which can be staked, and number of decks used.
Many common BlackJack games are multi-deck, meaning they will have between 4 and 8 ‘decks’ in the stack.
We use this advisedly because of course online BlackJack is truly random, with the cards being constantly ‘shuffled’ by the programming behind the game, unlike with the face-to-face game, where card counting can be employed to a greater or lesser extent.
Nonetheless online BlackJack games are usually advertised as Multi-deck, or Single-deck which naturally only uses one deck of 52 cards.
Then there is also a 2-Deck version out there, which is the subject of this piece, so read on and we’ll give you some great tips for playing (incidentally these are intended as a complement to the item on general BlackJack strategy, so check that one as well).
- If you have 10 or more and the dealer has 10, stand.
- If the dealer hits on soft 17, it’s best to surrender if you can, when the dealer has a soft 17 (ie. an Ace in the hand, counting as 11, plus, say, a 6, would be a ‘soft’ 17 as it could equally count as 7, with the Ace counting as 1).
- Doubling down is less frequently a sound option in 2-Deck BlackJack than it is in other versions. In fact there is only one situation where you should always double down regardless of what the dealer has, and that is when you have 11 on your hand. The rest of the time depends hugely on what the dealer has and also in what case you can double down (which can vary from casino to casino). So always consult the tables (which you can easily do when playing online) and the rules of the specific game in question.
Incidentally, whilst we are primarily concerned with the online version of BlackJack, these tips would work just as well with 2-Deck BlackJack in a casino or other face-to-face venue, so keep them safe!
