Your Blackjack Hand: 9

6 decks, S17, DAS, No Surrender, Peek
Estimated casino edge for these rules: 0.44 %
	Dealer Upcard
Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H

Get ready for action when you have a 9, 10, or 11. The hard 9 is your first chance to “double down” by doubling the size of your bet and committing to take a one card hit. You should double down only if the dealer shows an upcard of 3 to 6.

A dealer showing a 2 will beat your double down 9’s in the long run. So only hit your 9 vs 2.

Also, never double down your 9’s against dealer 7 through A.

The logic behind the doubling down proposition is both you and the dealer will likely draw a 10, since almost one-third of each deck consists of 10-valued cards. So if you double down your 9, your most expected total will be 19 (even better if you pull an Ace, for 20). This situation is good against a dealer upcard of 3 to 6, since the dealer has a reduced chance to beat your 19 if s/he has a 3 to 6 in their hand, and runs a good chance of busting if s/he has a 10 in the hole and draws a high card to bust.

Taking opportunity of Double Downs is essential to being a winning player. You are reducing the casino’s edge by increasing the size of your bet whenever your overall advantage calls for it.