You look at your first two cards. If the cards do not sum up to a count of 9, 10, 11, or do not show soft hands of Ace + 3 to Ace+7, then you disregard this chart. Move on to the hit-stand situations, which are more frequent than the double-downs. The color of action is red — it makes it very intuitive to learn the rules of casino blackjack. If the color of the cell is red, you double up. For example, your first two cards total 11. The blackjack dealer's up card (face card) is 8. Signal double-down immediately to the dealer by building a pile of chips equal to your initial bet. If dealer's face card were 11, you do NOT double down. The color of the respective cell is grayed out (signifying no action). The Ace gives the Dealer multiple options, whereas you only get one card after doubling down. A double-down hand is the most favorable situation for the blackjack player. The player wins 55% of his or her doubling down bets.
The chart is a graphic (double-down.gif). You can right-click on it and select to print it — always in color!
Help other people find this worthy resource in blackjack basic strategy: Double down....and thusly return a favor to yours truly!
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