Two Deck Blackjack is one of the best blackjack games players can play. It all comes down to what the maths says. The casino edge depends on the rules of the game. It can be as high as 0.34%. This assumes that the player uses a blackjack basic strategy and makes all the right decisions, starting from the better odds.
When more decks are added to a game of Blackjack, the player’s odds drop. Six- and eight-deck games will probably use an automatic shuffler, designed by the software providers. In eight-card blackjack, the casino advantage can exceed 2%, but re splitting is applied here. However, it should be noted that the casino edge in two-deck blackjack is around 0.34%, but can fall below 0.25%.
Double Deck Blackjack: Basic Rules
The rules of Two Deck Blackjack are similar to those of the traditional game. The session is played with two decks of cards, with the dealer standing on the soft deck. Players can choose to hit, stop, double down, or split their cards.
The main difference between two-deck blackjack and traditional blackjack is that players are not allowed to fold. In addition, the payouts for the game is 3:2 instead of 6:5, which gives players a better chance of winning big.
The Best Tips For Winning
- Don’t hedge your bets on Blackjack or Cash Bets. This is the main advice of the tournament strategy.
- A pair of five cards is a tight ten-card hand on the chart. The more hands, the bigger the bet.
- You should always stand on a pair of tens. This is the most advantageous position.
- If a pair cannot be split, it means that it has a strong hand. In this case, a pair of aces is a soft hand.
- If you cannot split aces again, but can take a card after splitting, double the dealer’s five and six face-up cards and hit.
Main Differences From Classic Blackjack
Two-deck Blackjack, although it has a lot in common, is still different from the classic version of the game. And here are the differences:
- A player cannot split hands twice.
- When aces are split, one card is dealt to each of them.
- In a two-handed game, a combination of 21 is not blackjack. It is just a half. Therefore, the counting strategy works a little differently here.
- After the player is completely satisfied with the cards on the first hand, the dealer offers to move to the second hand. Only then does the hand begin.
- If you turn over a card on any hand when you draw a card, that hand loses. After that, you move on to the next hand.
Double Deck Games: Advantages
Two-deck Blackjack has a number of advantages over other variants of the game.
- Since it uses two decks of cards, players have a better chance of predicting which cards will be dealt.
- Another big plus is the advantage when it comes to deciding whether to hit or stand.
- We shouldn’t forget that the house advantage is lower here.
Double Deck Blackjack Games: Strategy
There are many strategies that allow you to play Two Deck Blackjack and win. Below, we have published two charts that show how to play in different situations.
Double Deck Blackjack Tables
The table contains the best decisions and actions you can make and take in every possible situation. They are called Basic Double Deck Strategy Player Tables because they only take into account the information available for one round: your two cards, the dealer’s face-up card, and your choice of how to play Blackjack.
The first scenario is when the dealer is on S17.
The second scenario is when the dealer attacks S17.
It should be noted that single deck games are not guided by the above table. They have their own card limit and other odds of winning. Even the specific dealer hits affect the money a player can win.
Main Actions
| Action | Value |
| Hit | You request an additional card. |
| Stand | You hold onto your present cards. |
| Split | You split your pair into two playing cards. |
| D./Hit | If at all possible, double; if not, hit. |
| D./St. | Double, if possible, otherwise Stand. |
| Sp./hit | If doubling is permitted later, split; if not, hit. |
| Sr./Sp. | If permitted, surrender; if not, double after split. If not, divide. |
| Sr./Hit | If permitted, surrender; if not, hit. |
| Sr./St. | If you are permitted, surrender; if not, stand. |
Note: Ideally, the best double deck blackjack strategy is to show the play that will bring the biggest win or the smallest loss on average for the initial hand played. Our experts studied only the first two-card hands. The result is usually a better play. Keep in mind that the only known exception for any number of decks is soft 18, against the dealer’s ace, when the dealer has soft 17.
As shown in the table, a 2-card soft 18 against A has an expected hit value of -0.100359 and a persistence value of -0.100502. So, scoring is slightly better with two cards. However, not all soft 18s are made with two cards. The more cards in a player’s hand, the more chances in favour of standing. Simulations show that if you are forced to always hit or always stand, it is better to stand.
Features Of The Two Deck Blackjack Strategy
In both variants of soft rules, the basic table 17 differs for hard hands and pair splitting decisions. The differences between two-deck and multi-deck Blackjack strategies are as follows.
The dealer considers the differences S17:
- You double or otherwise get a solid 9 against the dealer’s 2 instead of hitting.
- If the dealer holds a 9 and a strong 16, you hit instead of folding, even if you can.
- If the combination of game rules allows doubling, hitting a pair of sixes against a seven and a seven against an eight becomes a split.
Dealers explain the differences in S17:
- Hitting, not doubling, is required for a hard ten against ten.
- The differences between Dealers Hit on Soft 17 and Stand on a Soft 17 are identical.
Should I Play Blackjack With Two Decks?
The house edge in a table game is directly affected by the number of decks, with fewer decks giving you a smaller edge. Compared to most other versions of the game, games played with only two decks of cards outperform games played with only one deck of cards. In other words, blackjack game with one or two decks are always better because they give the casino the smallest advantage. However, two-deck games are more common in casinos than one-deck games.
The histogram below shows the house advantage depending on the number of decks.
Conclusion
Two Deck Blackjack is a fun and exciting game that offers players a unique experience. By using some basic strategies and understanding the rules of the game, players can increase their chances of winning. The lower house odds, compared to the classic version of the game, also contribute to this, where is the best casino floor.
So, if you’re looking for an exciting game to play the next time you visit a casino, make sure you give Two Deck Blackjack a try! Of course, you can find single deck games with a soft hands. Or play craps with a hard hand. But in this case, you will never know the pleasure of real gambling.
