Atlassino Academy · Blackjack · Lesson 7
A second bet that buys exactly one card: the three totals these rules let you double, when the chart asks for it, and what each call costs.
A double is a second bet for exactly one more card. In Chile you may make it when your first two cards make 9, 10 or 11, and the second bet is the same amount as the first.
You hold a 6 and a 4: hard 10, one of the three totals you may double here. The dealer shows a 10. Do you put the second bet down?
Double 11 against 2 to 9, 10 against 2 to 9, and 9 against 3 to 6. Against a 10 or an ace, take the card on all three. The dealer’s second card is dealt only after every player has finished, so a blackjack can still turn up behind your double, and what that blackjack takes from a double the catalogue does not say. The figures here assume the dearer reading: both bets.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
Doubling is the only move that asks you for more money, so people play it on feeling: some never double at all, others double whenever the hand looks pretty. At these tables the chart’s answer fits in three rows, and the dealer’s missing second card explains where each row stops.
No single card can take a hard 9, 10 or 11 over 21, and a 10 — the commonest card in the shoe — turns them into 19, 20 and 21. These are also the three totals the national catalogue of games lets you double.
No card can take 11 over 21, and the commonest card in the shoe, a 10, makes 21. Against a 10 or an ace the chart takes the card instead: the dealer’s second card is still to come, and it could make a blackjack.
A 10 makes 20, and no card can take 10 over 21. Against a 10 or an ace the chart takes the card, for the same reason as on 11.
A 10 makes 19, and 19 only holds up against a dealer card that goes over 21 often. So 9 takes a second bet only against 3 to 6.
Six decks · the dealer stands on every 17 · double on 9, 10 or 11 · the dealer’s second card is dealt after you play
| Hard | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | H | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | H | H | H | H | H |
| 10 | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | H | H |
| 11 | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | Dh | H | H |
And no other total. The rules allow a double on two cards that make 9, 10 or 11 and on nothing else. From 12 a 10 takes you over 21, and a hand that can go over is not a hand to put more money on. Every other hard total is a hit-or-stand decision, and those rows are in the previous lesson.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
Look at where the rows for 10 and 11 stop: at the 10 and at the ace. That is not caution. It is the dealer’s second card, which is not on the table yet, and the next section is about it.
Every card at these tables is dealt face up. The dealer takes one card at the deal, and the rest only once every player has finished. So when you double against a 10 or an ace, the card that could give the dealer a blackjack has not been dealt yet. A dealer showing a 10 makes blackjack on 7.7% of hands, and a dealer showing an ace on 30.9%.
What a dealer blackjack takes from a double, the catalogue does not say: it names no exception for a double either way. The figures on this page assume the dearer reading, both bets. On it, 11 against a 10 is worth +0.31 units a hand on average on an example bet of 10 units if you take the card, and +0.08 units if you double; against an ace, −2.09 units for the card and −5.35 units for the double. Read the other way — the double coming back on a dealer blackjack — the chart would double 11 against a 10 as well, and nothing else in these three rows would move. A plus sign here is an average over many hands; any one hand can still lose.
A pair of 8s was split, and the first hand caught a 3. That hand has a bet of its own, and it may take a second bet exactly as any hard 11 may.
A pair of aces was split, and each ace takes one card and no more. There is no moment in which to double, whatever card lands.
Split a pair and you have two hands, each with a bet of its own. The catalogue allows the double on every hand, pairs included, so a split hand that lands on a hard 9, 10 or 11 reads off the same three rows as any other hand.
One exception: a split ace takes one card and stops, so a split ace never has a moment in which to double.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
The two mistakes run in opposite directions. Keeping the second bet in your pocket on a hand the chart doubles feels careful; putting it down against a 10 or an ace feels bold. Both have a price, and standing on 11 costs more than either.
What each call gives up on average, per hand, on an example bet of 10 units
Three bars, each the average cost of one call against the chart’s play. Standing on 11 against a 10 is by far the longest.
Amounts are for an example bet of 10 units: double the bet, roughly double the amount. Amounts are in betting units, not pesos: a unit can stand for any amount, and the arithmetic is the same at any scale.
each time you take the card on 11 against a 6 instead of doubling. On 10 against a 2 the same habit costs 1.82 units; on 9 against a 4, 0.61 units.
Fix: on 9, 10 and 11, read the row before you decide, not your nerve.
each time you double 11 against a 10, 3.26 units each time against an ace, and 0.60 units each time you double 9 against a 7.
Fix: against a 10 or an ace, take the card and keep the second bet in your pocket.
The house keeps its edge; the chart only makes the edge smaller. Play every row of the chart and these rules still leave the house 0.36% of every bet with the full chart. Doubling where the chart asks lowers the price of the evening; it does not turn the game round.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Doubling is the one move where more of your money goes down in the middle of a hand, so it helps to know what the rules let you change and what they do not.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
A double is a second bet, and an evening with several doubles is an evening in which more money went onto the felt than you counted at the door. Decide the limit first, and count the doubles inside it. A losing double is not a reason to bet larger on the next hand. If the money starts to feel like money you need, stop for the evening.
If gambling stops being fun, the SCJ self-exclusion applies in every casino in the country. Minimum entry age: 18 (age of majority under Law 19.221; Law 19.995 bars minors from gaming rooms). The casino may ask for an official ID. More on responsible gaming.
The practice table is the same one as in the previous lesson, and it keeps your place: level 1 is hard 12 to 16, and the double comes in on level 2, where every hard total is dealt. It answers by the chart for the rules on this page. Decide with the buttons or the keys H, S, D and R: R is surrender, which these rules allow against any dealer card except an ace. The table tells you what the chart says, why, and what each choice costs on average. The amounts are for an example bet of 10 units unless you pick another one — an example, not a suggested bet. The lesson is one run: every square on the strip below is one hand of it, and they are all there from the start. Only your first move on each hand is scored, and when a level’s squares are full the next level begins by itself.
These are the rules the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) sets for every casino in Chile; this table answers by the chart for those rules. The bet is only an example for the amounts shown, not a suggested bet.
Dealer
You
Progress stays in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
The practice table needs JavaScript. Here is one hand from it, with the answer.
Dealer shows a 7
You hard 16
The chart says: Hit.
Hard 16 against a 7: The dealer card is strong: standing on 16 loses whenever the dealer finishes on 17 or more, 73.8% of hands against a 7.
Average result per hand on an example bet of 10 units (a minus means money lost): stand −4.77 units · hit −4.09 units. Standing instead costs about 0.68 units more each time.
One strip, no rounds. Every square on the strip is one hand of this lesson, and they are all there from the start. The square keeps your first move on that hand; later moves in the same hand are still checked and explained.
Levels. Level 1: hard 12 to 16 against every dealer card. Level 2: hard 5 to 19, doubles included. Level 3: hard 9 to 16 against every dealer card; the clock is optional. Level 1 belongs to the previous lesson; it is here so that the ladder does not restart when you arrive from search. Every hand dealt is a hard total, so the table never asks you to double anything but 9, 10 or 11.
Dealing. Cards come from a shuffled 6-deck shoe with a fresh seed each visit. A hand that does not belong to the level is set aside unseen, so the shoe runs down faster than at a real table.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Five quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
And the question at the start: hard 10 against a 10 takes the card. The rules let you double it; the chart does not ask you to, because the dealer’s second card is still to come.
18+ across Chile · Play responsibly · the help box is further up this page
Rules. The figures on this page follow the rules the SCJ sets out for blackjack in its national catalogue of games: six decks, the dealer standing on every 17, a double on two cards that make 9, 10 or 11 for the same amount as the first bet, a double after a split, surrender for half the bet except against an ace, and every card dealt face up, with the dealer’s second card dealt after the players. What a dealer blackjack takes from a double or a split the catalogue does not say; the figures assume it takes every bet on the hand. It is a preset for learning, not a statement about any one casino.
Numbers. Every figure is worked out when the page is built, by our blackjack engine. A mistake’s cost is the average result of the chart’s play minus that of the mistake, per hand, for an example bet of 10 units, with each average rounded to the hundredth first. Against a 10 or an ace the averages include the hands where the dealer turns up a blackjack. The house edge assumes the full chart, soft hands and pairs included, and cards shuffled after every hand. No document we read publishes these figures; they are ours.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
No promise. Blackjack is played against the house. The chart lowers the price of playing; nothing on this page removes that price, and nothing here tells you how an evening will end.
Doubling in Chile
Cuando el jugador obtiene 9,10 u 11 puntos con las dos primeras cartas, tiene la opción de incrementar su apuesta original. Este incremento debe efectuarse por el mismo monto de su apuesta original.Free translation: When the player obtains 9,10 or 11 points with the first two cards, he has the option of increasing his original bet. This increase must be made for the same amount as his original bet.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Doubling after a split
Esta doble apuesta está autorizada para todas las manos incluyendo los pares.Free translation: This double bet is authorized for all hands including pairs.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Split aces take one card
Cuando un jugador separa un par de ases en dos manos, en la pedida de cartas del jugador no se le permite pedir más que una sola carta por cada as que ha formado una nueva mano.Free translation: When a player splits a pair of aces into two hands, when drawing cards the player is not allowed to ask for more than a single card for each ace that has formed a new hand.
En este caso, si se forma un nuevo par, no se podrá separar nuevamente.Free translation: In this case, if a new pair is formed, it may not be split again.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
The deal in Chile
Cuando se hayan efectuado todas las apuestas el croupier distribuye una carta a cada mano, comenzando por su izquierda y siguiendo el sentido de las agujas del reloj. Luego el mismo se da una carta.Free translation: When all the bets have been placed, the dealer deals one card to each hand, starting from his left and proceeding clockwise. Then he deals himself a card.
Todas las cartas se distribuyen siempre descubiertas.Free translation: All cards are always dealt face up.
Una vez que los jugadores han hecho su juego, el croupier termina su mano, dándose a sí mismo una o varias cartasFree translation: Once the players have made their play, the dealer finishes his hand, giving himself one or several cards
Section III.1 Black Jack, Distribución de cartas; a) Juego simple
One card after a double
Cuando se aumenta la apuesta el jugador tiene derecho a una sola carta adicional.Free translation: When the bet is increased, the player is entitled to only one additional card.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Doubling in Chile
Cuando el jugador obtiene 9,10 u 11 puntos con las dos primeras cartas, tiene la opción de incrementar su apuesta original. Este incremento debe efectuarse por el mismo monto de su apuesta original.Free translation: When the player obtains 9,10 or 11 points with the first two cards, he has the option of increasing his original bet. This increase must be made for the same amount as his original bet.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Doubling down: the move
Cuando se aumenta la apuesta el jugador tiene derecho a una sola carta adicional.Free translation: When the bet is increased, the player is entitled to only one additional card.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Doubling at these tables
Cuando el jugador obtiene 9,10 u 11 puntos con las dos primeras cartas, tiene la opción de incrementar su apuesta original.Free translation: When the player obtains 9,10 or 11 points with the first two cards, he has the option of increasing his original bet.
Cuando se aumenta la apuesta el jugador tiene derecho a una sola carta adicional.Free translation: When the bet is increased, the player is entitled to only one additional card.
Section III.1 Black Jack, e) Apuesta doble
The deal in Chile
Cuando se hayan efectuado todas las apuestas el croupier distribuye una carta a cada mano, comenzando por su izquierda y siguiendo el sentido de las agujas del reloj. Luego el mismo se da una carta.Free translation: When all the bets have been placed, the dealer deals one card to each hand, starting from his left and proceeding clockwise. Then he deals himself a card.
Todas las cartas se distribuyen siempre descubiertas.Free translation: All cards are always dealt face up.
Una vez que los jugadores han hecho su juego, el croupier termina su mano, dándose a sí mismo una o varias cartasFree translation: Once the players have made their play, the dealer finishes his hand, giving himself one or several cards
Section III.1 Black Jack, Distribución de cartas; a) Juego simple
Doubling after a split
Esta doble apuesta está autorizada para todas las manos incluyendo los pares.Free translation: This double bet is authorized for all hands including pairs.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Split aces take one card
Cuando un jugador separa un par de ases en dos manos, en la pedida de cartas del jugador no se le permite pedir más que una sola carta por cada as que ha formado una nueva mano.Free translation: When a player splits a pair of aces into two hands, when drawing cards the player is not allowed to ask for more than a single card for each ace that has formed a new hand.
En este caso, si se forma un nuevo par, no se podrá separar nuevamente.Free translation: In this case, if a new pair is formed, it may not be split again.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
One card after a double
Cuando se aumenta la apuesta el jugador tiene derecho a una sola carta adicional.Free translation: When the bet is increased, the player is entitled to only one additional card.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Your bet after the deal
No puede realizar más apuestas, ni retirar, disminuir o aumentar su apuesta, una vez que el croupier haya dado inicio al pase.Free translation: You may not make further bets, nor withdraw, reduce or increase your bet, once the dealer has started the round.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Who decides
Un jugador no puede jugar la mano de otro.Free translation: A player may not play another player's hand.
No pueden interferir en la decisión de otro jugador (plantarse, abrir, doblar, asegurarse o retirarse),Free translation: They may not interfere in another player's decision (to stand, open, double down, take insurance or fold),
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales
Surrender in Chile
El jugador que use la opción de retiro pierde la mitad de sus apuestas (50%) y debe renunciar al juego.Free translation: The player who uses the surrender option loses half of his bets (50%) and must give up the hand.
El retiro no procede cuando la primera carta descubierta del croupier es un as.Free translation: Surrender is not allowed when the dealer's first face-up card is an ace.
Section III.1 Black Jack (modalidad Black Jack o Veintiuno); I. Cuestiones generales