Should You Always Double Down on 11?

Yes, you should always Double Down on 11. Here’s why.

You can’t bust when you’re Hitting or Doubling Down on 11, giving you a better chance of winning.

In particular, Doubling Down on 11 gives you the best chance to land on 21 with just one extra card. After all, four out of the possible 13 card values are 10, giving you around a 30% chance that you’ll land on 21 – and almost certainly beat the Dealer.

Finally, Doubling Down doubles your potential winnings, which can be especially advantageous if the Dealer is showing a weak hand.

Before we go any further, it’s important to explore what Doubling Down is. Essentially, Doubling Down sees you double your initial wager to receive an extra card. This also doubles your winnings in turn – if you are able to beat the Dealer’s hand.

You can only Double Down in Blackjack after receiving your first two cards, and cannot receive any additional cards afterwards. This point is vital. As you can only receive one extra card, you need to hope that you are dealt one that gives you a realistic chance of beating the dealer. Otherwise, you’ve just doubled your losses!

If you want to boost your winnings, then it’s a good idea to Double Down on 11. This is because being on 11 gives you a number of key advantages.

The most obvious one is that you can’t bust when you’re Hitting or Doubling Down on 11. After all, the highest possible value you can get would be a 10, which would give you an unbeatable 21. Of course, the closer you get to 21 without going over, the better your chances of winning.

This leads into the next advantage. One of the reasons why a lot of people believe that you should always Double Down on 11 is that this gives you the best chance to land on 21 with just one extra card. After all, four out of the possible 13 card values are 10, giving you around a 30% chance that you’ll land on 21 – and almost certainly beat the Dealer.

Finally, as we mentioned earlier, Doubling Down doubles your wager, but this also increases your potential winnings. This is especially advantageous when the Dealer is showing a weaker hand. And when you’re on 11 points, there are more of those than you might think!

Doubling Down on 11 definitely has its advantages, and there are a few key scenarios where this is especially true.

As a rule of thumb, there are three main scenarios where you should always Double Down on 11.

When the Dealer Shows 2–10 (and Must Stand on Soft 17)

In a standard game of Blackjack, the Dealer usually has to stand on soft 17, although this can vary by casino. Don’t worry though – the casino’s rules will spell out where this is the case.

A “soft” hand is one that contains an Ace.

Assuming this is the case, you should always Double Down when the Dealer is showing cards 2 through 10. This gives you the best chance of being able to beat the Dealer’s total, regardless of what their second card is revealed to be, as well as any additional cards they may draw.

The lower the Dealer’s face card is, the more it makes sense to Double Down. You’ve already got a 9-point advantage if the Dealer is showing a 2, for example. Plus, as we mentioned earlier, you can’t go bust when you receive an extra card from 11.

Even at the other end of the range, the odds still favor the Player. If the Dealer stands on 17, you have a good chance of beating this upon Doubling Down on 11, as 7 out of the possible 13 values on the cards will take you over the Dealer’s stand threshold.

Your 11 vs. Weak Dealer Upcards

As we mentioned, the lower the Dealer’s face card is, the more it makes sense to Double Down. This is because the lower the Dealer’s face card is, the higher the odds are that the Dealer will either lose or go Bust.

The weaker the Dealer’s hand, the more likely it is they will have to draw extra cards to try and beat the Player’s total. And the more cards they draw, the greater the likelihood that they will go over 21, go Bust, and have to pay out to everyone still in the game.

Games Where Doubling Down is Allowed After Splits

This is most advantageous if you’ve been lucky enough to be dealt a pair of Aces. Each of these cards is worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on how strong your hand is.

So if you can split the Aces, you’ll double your chances of beating the Dealer, should you be allowed to Double Down.

Splitting a pair of Aces would automatically give you two hands of 11 points. Plus, should you be lucky enough to subsequently draw a 10, you’ll get Blackjack and win automatically!

If you’re ever in doubt, it’s a good idea to follow the Strategy Chart below.

So, should you always Double Down on 11? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There are a number of scenarios where this doesn’t make sense, so you’ll likely just be throwing money away needlessly.

If the Dealer Shows an Ace

This should go without saying, but don’t try Doubling Down when the Dealer is showing an Ace. This means they already have 11, so chances are they’re going to win this hand.

Using the calculations we mentioned earlier, there’s a 30% chance that they’ll draw a Blackjack, and even if they don’t, they’re still more than likely to win.

If the Dealer shows an Ace, keep your money on hand for future rounds.

If You’re Unsure

Sometimes the cards just don’t fall in your favor. And that’s OK.

As we mentioned earlier, you usually have a chance of winning if you Double Down on 11. However, it’s a good idea to evaluate the state of the table to see what’s already been dealt, as this can give you a rough idea of what cards are still available to draw that round.

If a lot of high-value cards have been dealt, it might be worth avoiding Doubling Down. You can still Hit if you feel confident, but Doubling Down when you’re unsure can easily lead to you losing money faster than you anticipated.

Asking yourself the question “Do you Double Down on 11?” with each hand can save you a lot of money in the long run.

If Doubling Down After Splitting Isn’t Allowed

We would always encourage Players to split a pair of Aces, as this gives you more chances of beating the dealer. However, some casinos will have rules in place to prevent Doubling Down after splitting, as this helps protect the House.

Of course, if you can’t Double Down, there’s no point in trying. Still, if you do happen to land a pair of Aces, we would encourage you to Split the Aces, and then Hit. This is allowed, and as we mentioned, you’re in an advantageous position.

Just make sure to calculate the odds of whether Hitting more than once is worth it, depending on what you receive. There’s no point in trying your luck if the likely outcome sees you going over 21.

It’s important to consider the House Rules before you decide to Double Down, as these can significantly impact whether or not the risk is worth it.

The main Rules to consider are:

Standing on Soft 17 vs. Hitting on Soft 17

Depending on the casino you choose to play at, some will allow the dealer to Hit on soft 17, whereas others will require the dealer to stand. This varies depending on the casino you choose, whether you are playing online or in person.

The ability to Hit on soft 17 benefits the dealer, as they can keep drawing until they either decide to stand or go Bust.

On the other hand, mandating the Dealer to stand on soft 17 is better for Players, as it decreases the House edge. This is particularly advantageous for Players looking to Double Down, as it greatly increases their chances of beating the Dealer.

Number of Decks

Most casinos use multiple decks of cards in Blackjack. This has numerous benefits for the House, including making it more difficult for Players to count cards.

The fewer number of decks that are being used, the better your chances of winning when you Double Down on 11. This is because there are fewer cards in play, which in turn means that the odds of the Dealer winning when you Double Down on 11 are significantly reduced.

Double Down After Split

If Doubling Down after splitting is allowed, it can be very beneficial to the Player, as it can increase your chances of winning. Of course, this means you’ll have to stake twice as much money as you’ll be playing with two hands, but it can be very advantageous if you are dealt the right cards.

Splitting the Aces always offers the best chance of beating the Dealer, as this gives you two hands of 11 straight away. What’s more, should you subsequently draw a card worth 10 points, you’ll automatically get Blackjack and win!

No Hole Blackjack

No Hole Card Blackjack is a very special variant of Blackjack. In this game, the Dealer isn’t dealt a “Hole” card – meaning they only receive one card to start with. It’s only after every Player has either busted or stuck that the Dealer receives their second card. This means that the Dealer is unable to offer Players insurance against a Blackjack.

As a result, Doubling Down in No Hole Blackjack can easily result in Players losing the original bet as well as the doubled bet in the event that the Dealer draws a Blackjack.

Do you always Double Down on 11? In short, no. But most of the time, Doubling Down on 11 gives you a significantly better chance of winning. As well as this, you can also win more money by doing so, as Doubling Down requires Players to stake more money.

If you don’t Double Down, you could well end up losing out on significant winnings. Sometimes, it pays to be brave. Losing out on potential winnings can also cost you in the long run, as not winning extra chips may deprive you of the chance to keep playing in future.

Of course, Doubling Down is a double-edged sword. While it can reward you with twice your winnings, losing once you’ve doubled down also means you’ve just lost twice as much money.

There’s no guarantee that Doubling Down will work either, as you could easily end up with a card that doesn’t work in your favor, increasing the likelihood of losing your stake.

If you’re unsure, it may be best to Hit rather than Double Down. This can give you more chances to boost your points score, as you can Hit as many times as you like as long as you stay under 21. More importantly, although you might not win as much, this also protects your bank balance.

As we’ve illustrated, Doubling Down on 11 is a general rule, but there are always exceptions. It’s best to take each game as it comes, and work out your strategy from there.