Ø  Ace Counts as 1 – In a soft double, the ace always counts as 1 with this rule. So, if you double an A8 and draw an ace, the hand counts as 10, not 20. This rule is found in some Northern European casinos.

Ø  Double after split (DAS) – This rule allows doubling down on hands that have been created by splitting a pair. This is common in Atlantic City, fairly common in Las Vegas and available at about 35% of the world's casinos. A few casinos limit the hands that you can double. This rule has an advantage of .12-.14. You must change your strategy to realize the full gain in advantage.

Ø  Double down on three cards – This rare option allows doubling down on three cards, as well as the traditional two.

Ø  Double on any number of cards – This rare Blackjack rule allows doubling down in almost any circumstance. Advantage of .23. Common in Spanish 21 and SuperFun 21; but the advantage is different in these games.

Ø  Redouble – Here you can double and then double again after drawing a card on the first double. You may be limited by the table limits.

Ø  Soft Double Down counts as hard hand – With this lousy rule, an Ace in a hand to be doubled always counts as one.

Ø  Discard Double – Very good but not common rule that allows you to throw away your double down card and draw another. This requires two strategies. The first strategy specifies when you will double. The second specifies when you will throw out the double down card.

Ø  Hit after Double Down – This rule does not actually exist. However, in some casinos surrender after double down does. Inexperienced dealers will sometimes allow you to hit after a double in these casinos. This can be very valuable.

Split Rules

Ø  Resplit – This very common rule allows splitting pairs, usually, up to three times. As a result, up to four hands can be created from one. Some casinos allow only one split and a few allow six or infinite splits. There is almost no gain in advantage past three hands.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger