It is. Well, you don’t really beat the edge this way, but it’s part of perfect play, which in 3:2 blackjack gets you pretty close to even. In terms of value missed, not doubling down in a good situation is worse than hitting when you shouldn’t. But the dealer isn’t going to tell you to put more money down.
Card counting is the only way you beat the edge, and the point of card counting is to get yourself into situations where a blackjack is more likely and better larger amounts appropriately. But it’s a lot more limited in how you can apply it than what most people assume. Most blackjack tables have a lot of decks in the shoe, and there’s pretty much no point at 6:5 tables.
Former dealer here, I would absolutely tell a player to double or split if it was the correct move, If they are sitting at an 11 with me showing a 4 i am telling them every time to double with out a second thought. Hell I am even reminding them that the most common value is a 10 and so the odds are(ignoring the count) that they will get a 10.
•
u/mad_synthesist Jul 20 '26
I think doubling down is how you can beat the edge too though. You’re probably right though