When a black jack player receives a nine, ten or eleven, the correct play seems like a no-brainer, but is it? Blackjack players know they are taking a card when they have a nine, ten, or eleven – but how should they take the card? As a rule, when a blackjack player is dealt a ten or eleven, in most instances they will double down. In some instances when the blackjack player is dealt a nine, they will also double down.
Playing the Nine in Blackjack
When dealt a nine in black jack, the player is taking a card. Whether they double down or not, however, depends on what the dealer’s up card is. If the dealer holds an up card of a three, four, five, or six – the blackjack player will double down on their nine. In these instances, the player will out draw the dealer or the dealer will go bust enough times to make doubling down the most profitable move. Should the dealer have an up card of a two or higher than a seven, the player should simply hit their nine and then reassess their situation after they have received their next card.
How to Play a Ten in Blackjack
In most instances, the black jack on line player will double down when they are dealt a ten in blackjack. However, if the dealer shows a ten, face card, or an ace as their up card, we want to slow down a little bit and simply take a hit. Just hitting when the dealer shows ten or more is slightly more profitable than doubling down is and we want to play blackjack optimally. Speaking of doubling down, in every other instance (when the dealer has an up card of a nine or less), the blackjack player is most profitable by doubling down.
When trying to remember which situations a player should split their pairs and which they should not, the blackjack player will find that remembering what to do with a pair of fives is the easiest of all pair splitting rules to remember. When playing a pair of fives, the blackjack player should never split their fives. The pair plays more profitably intact. Splitting the pair of fives would take the player out of one of the most profitable starting situations they could be in.
Playing the Eleven in Black jack
When a blackjack is dealt an eleven by the blackjack dealer, they should double down in virtually every situation. Next to being dealt a natural blackjack, the eleven is the most profitable starting hand value in blackjack, which is why players can double down profitably in most situations. The only time a blackjack player should choose not to double down with eleven is when the dealer shows an up card of an ace.