Chicago Sun-Times: Take advantage of blackjack's double dose of opportunity

Q. I strictly play on low-limit $2 blackjack games. I lean against doubling down on 10s and 11s because, as I stated, I tend to play on the lowest denomination game available. Should I be doubling down more when given the opportunity?

Jed S.

A. Blackjack is easily the most popular table game in the casino. I believe one of the primary reasons for blackjack's immense popularity is that when played with skill, it offers the best odds of all casino games. Blackjack also offers two sweet little bonuses. You are paid an extra half of your bet on natural blackjacks -- no skill or monetary risk involved -- and you get to put more money down on favorable doubles and splits.

It is the splits, double downs and blackjacks that jiggle your blackjack play from the red into the black. Do not shortchange yourself in these situations. It is worth the extra two bucks to double down in favorable situations.

I am asking you to double your bet when your chances of winning the hand are better than the dealer's. Doubling down is an offensive strategy that allows you to earn more of a profit than you'd rake in just by hitting the hand.

For those new to blackjack, let me remind you that you also have the option of making this additional bet, even after you see the dealer's up card, by doubling your stakes. As the name implies, a double down allows you to double your wager after you receive your initial two cards.

However, there is one little governing precept: You receive one and only one card. You are not allowed any more hits, even if you get a dreaded deuce. Besides engaging in other lucrative opportunities, basic strategy players will double down every time when their first two cards add up to a 10 or 11, especially when the dealer's upcard is 2 through 9. The player then hopes for a 10- card, thus making the hand a 20 or 21. So is it smart strategy, or is the player simple-mindedly doubling his wager on a hunch? It's a good play because a 10-card is the most frequently occurring card in blackjack (there are 16 10-value cards per deck), and by doubling down, there's a lively chance that he will receive a 10-value card

Q. Is the number 7 the essential number in craps, because it appears so often?

Willie G.

A. Each die has six equally possible outcomes when thrown, the numbers 1 through 6. When two dice are tossed together, there are 36 possible outcomes.

Since craps uses two dice, a shooter can roll combinations totaling at any number between 2 and 12. Certain numbers are more likely to appear than others. For example, there are six different ways to roll a 7, giving it a 16.7 percent chance of coming up on each roll.

Conversely, there is only one way to roll a 2 or 12. The chance of rolling either the 2 or 12 is less than 3 percent. Because the 7 is the most frequently rolled number, it should come as no surprise that the game revolves much around the number 7.

Q. Though not a poker player, I was wondering if you could describe what a "flop" is?

Andy G.

A. In poker parlance, a flop is "not falling on your face." The archetypical flop occurs when the three community cards are dealt face up, all at once, in the center of the table in the game of Hold'em. Players then use their own two cards in conjunction with the communal cards to make the best possible poker hand.

Mark Pilarski is a syndicated gaming writer. Send e-mails to: pilarski@markpilarski.com.