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Deal Me In: Never shortchange yourself with this betting opportunity

17 October 2014

Dear Mark: Is there an appropriate time to “double for less” at blackjack? I do it occasionally, but I am beginning to feel that it isn’t worth the hassle that I get from fellow players and sometimes even the dealer. Doug D.

When players double for less, they are doubling down for under their original wager. When the rules permit doubling, you as a player do not have to double your bet, but you can increase it by any amount up to, but never more than your original wager.

In my view, far too many players overlook the fact that doubling down is an offensive weapon and that they should always double the full amount whenever possible. Since basic strategy dictates that you should only double down when you are more likely to win the hand than lose, you always want to wager the maximum amount.

Along with blackjacks, it is the double downs and the splitting of pairs that help you move your blackjack play from the red into the black. I highly recommend that you should never shortchange yourself with these betting opportunities. You have an edge against the house at this point in the hand, so double you money to maximize your bet.

If ever there is a time to double for less, Doug, it would be when you are down to your last chips, and you can't afford a full double down. As for the hassling dealer, possibly he or she is looking out for your best interest as many, yours truly included, are apt to give unsolicited advice.

Dear Mark: My casino offers a wager on their blackjack game called “Perfect Pairs.” It pays 25 to 1 on suited pairs, 12 to 1 on black or red pairs and 6 to 1 on any pair. I ask because I get my fair share of pairs at blackjack. I was wondering if this is a gimmick bet, or does Perfect Pairs offer a halfway decent return for those of us who use basic strategy or at least a strategy card at the table? Jim M.

Every time you sit down at a blackjack game, Jim, you will no doubt get your fair share of "mixed pairs" (cards of the same number, one red and one black), "Colored pairs" (same colors and same numbers, either black or red), and the rare "perfect pair" (which consists of identically numbered cards of the same suit). Thus, is “perfect pairs” a value-added wager worth making?

Pay tables vary from casino to casino, Jim. On a six-deck shoe game and using your example of where you collect 6 to 1 for a mixed pair, 12 to 1 for a colored pair, and a perfect pair for 25 to 1, the house edge on a Perfect Pairs wager is over six percent.

Unfortunately, Jim, the problem with most side bets offered at any blackjack game is that they are too costly for readers of this column. When hands are played correctly, blackjack has a casino advantage of less than a half a percent. So, Jim, while you are using basic strategy to keep the house edge down, do you really want to make a side bet where the casino advantage is more than 10 times higher?

Sorry, Jim. A Perfect Pairs wager is just not a side bet that I would recommend.

Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “Serious action is a serious ride, and rides of this kind are all but arranged out of everyday life.” – Irving Goffman, Where the Action Is (1967)
Mark Pilarski

As a recognized authority on casino gambling, Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, author, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audiocassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.
Mark Pilarski
As a recognized authority on casino gambling, Mark Pilarski survived 18 years in the casino trenches, working for seven different casinos. Mark now writes a nationally syndicated gambling column, is a university lecturer, author, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals, and is the creator of the best-selling, award-winning audiocassette series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning.