Blackjack rules XVII
While the decisions like surrender, hit or stand are common ones and most basic to the game, there are some options such as doubling down, which if availed by the player, can turn out to be a rewarding proposition.
A player can only opt to double down once he has received his two cards and before drawing the optional third card. Choosing to double down means that the player can double his bet and receive another card to his hand. A case in point would be when a player has a hand value of 10 with a 4 and a 6 card and the dealer’s up card is a 5. The player has an advantage and may possibly win the hand, so by doubling down he increases the bet that he stands the chance to win.
When the game is being played with initial dealing of two hole cards, the player indicates his intention to double down by throwing his cards in front of his bet with their faces up. In both this and the ‘shoe’ game, the extra wager is added in the betting circle in a separate stack alongside the original bet. This is followed by the dealing of the third card and in case of the face down game the dealer may place the card beneath the bet with its face turned downwards so that it may be revealed later.
The maximum amount of the additional wager is equal to the original wager and the player can choose to stake any bet size. So, if he had betted $20 in the first place, he may bet any amount now up to $20. Significantly, while one has the chance to draw any number of additional cards in a normal game situation (mostly only the third card is drawn, if any) the player who doubles down is bound to draw only the third card and no more. However, it is advisable to double the bet to full size if the player is confident that double down is the right choice of play.
