2 deck Blackjack strategy
2-deck blackjack, also known as double-deck blackjack, is played with two decks and the dealer stands on a soft 17. The dealer deals the initial hand of two cards to the player face down. If the player hits after the original deal, their new card (or cards) will be dealt face up.
2-deck blackjack rules may be different from one casino to another. Make sure you are familiar with the rules and basic strategy, whether you are just out to enjoy a few hours of fun at a casino or you aspire to be a professional gambler.
Some casinos require dealers to stand on any hand that is worth a total of 17 points, whether soft (made up of an Ace counted as 11 plus a Six) or hard (a face card plus a Seven). If this rule applies, it will be indicated on the blackjack table layout, which will state: “Dealer Must Stand on all 17.”
If the dealer is not required to stand on all 17, the table layout will say: "Dealer Hits Soft 17." In such a case, the dealer may hit whenever he or she has 17 consisting of an Ace together with a Six. When this rule is followed, it results in a slightly higher edge for the house.
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Blackjack Player's Choices
You as a blackjack player will choose one of these strategies after the initial deal: hit, stand, pair splitting, doubling down, even money or surrendering.
Hit: Request another card from the dealer. You can show your intention by using your finger to beckon to the dealer or to tap on the table top behind your existing card pile. If the additional card makes your total exceed 21, you are out of the game for that round and lose your wager.
Stand: Wave your hands above your card pile or turn your cards sideways to show you do not want any additional cards.
Pair Splitting: When the initial hand dealt to you turns out to be a pair, you may split the cards – that is, divide them into two hands of one card each. Then place a bet on the additional hand which is the same amount as your original bet. When playing by classic blackjack rules, you may only split a pair of identical face value (such as 2 Jacks), and are allowed to split just once per round.
Other versions of the game are more lenient in permitting pairs that have the same point value (a Ten plus a face card or 2 face cards) to be split, although this is not generally advisable. They may also allow resplitting – sometimes freely, or sometimes up to a certain number of times.
Splitting a pair of Aces is universally accepted as good blackjack strategy, even though the majority of casinos will only allow a player to draw one additional card on a hand that has been created in this way.
From 2003 onwards, the addition of the Super Goal was added to the pre-season competition. This is indicated by the first number in the score, followed by regulation goals, then behinds with the total score in brackets.
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