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Double Exposure Blackjack
Double Exposure Blackjack is a fun-filled game which requires a lot more thinking and strategy than the traditional Blackjack game does. Indeed, many will tell you it’s more satisfying to play Double Exposure Blackjack than its more established counterpart. Some see it as a natural progression – akin to Texas Hold’em poker players upgrading to Omaha. It’s all about taste at the end of the day, something the gambling industry is sold-out to satisfying, hence all the varieties of games available today.
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Double Exposure Blackjack
Double Exposure Blackjack is a fun-filled game which requires a lot more thinking and strategy than the traditional Blackjack game does. Indeed, many will tell you it’s more satisfying to play Double Exposure Blackjack than its more established counterpart. Some see it as a natural progression – akin to Texas Hold’em poker players upgrading to Omaha. It’s all about taste at the end of the day, something the gambling industry is sold-out to satisfying, hence all the varieties of games available today.
Pros and cons of Double Exposure Blackjack
Pros:
- Dealer’s hand is dealt face up
- Strategic decision making adds excitement and fun
- House edge is one of the lowest in the casino
Cons:
- Natural Blackjack only pays out even money
Double Exposure adds additional strategic decisions for the player, increasing the excitement of every hand you play.
Rules of Double Exposure Blackjack
What makes this Double Exposure variant different is that the dealer receives their two cards face-up from the initial deal. Consequently, players know what score they have to beat and that is a massive advantage for them.
There are no other changes to the traditional game: The deal is conducted in the same way as conventional Blackjack and the rules are the same: The highest hand wins and hands are ‘Bust’ should they exceed 21.
Odds in Double Exposure Blackjack
To negate the massive advantage of knowing the dealers starting hand, players are given some handicaps. These include:
- Lower Payouts: Unlike traditional Blackjack, the payout when the player receives a natural Blackjack is reduced to even money (from 3/2).
- No Push: Players lose their hand if they tie with the dealer.
- No Insurance: Insurance is only necessary when you cannot see one of the dealer‘s cards. In the instance of being able to see both cards from the outset, this option is redundant.
- No Surrender: Players may not give up once their initial bets are in. it seems silly that they would even contemplate this knowing what the hand to beat is from the outset.
These changes restore a small edge in favour of ‘the house’ and while the house edge is greater in this game than conventional Blackjack, it is still one of the best bets in land-based and online casinos if played to an optimal strategy.
The Double Exposure Blackjack tables that are most commonly played have a house edge of just 0.69 percent. In short – it’s a good bet!
Strategy in Double Exposure Blackjack
The basic strategy for this game is different to that of conventional Blackjack and while it takes some getting used to, learning the game is one of its most exciting aspects. For example:
- Split: Two ten-value cards should be split whenever the dealer has 13, 14, 15 or 16 (splitting 10’s is normally considered a cardinal sin) and
- High Hand Hit: A hard-19 must be hit if the dealer has a 20 because the player is guaranteed to lose unless hitting a 2 or runner-runner Aces.
Being able to see the dealer’s hand changes the dynamic tremendously.
Variations of Double Exposure Blackjack
Like most casino games, variations of Double Exposure Blackjack have cropped up. Some insist the dealer stands on a soft 17 while others insist they ‘hit’. Similarly, pairs can only be split once in most games but there are some exceptions to this rule.
These are generally not labelled as different game types, simply different rules used by that table or online casino.
Top Double Exposure Blackjack Tips
As with most games, some handy tips could help to set you off in the right direction. So here are several to get you going:
Double Down
As with conventional Blackjack players can only double-down for hands valued 9, 10 or 11 but, played correctly, there are only a few situations when you should do so. These are:
- When you hold 11 and the dealer’s two cards are valued 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15.
- When you hold 10 and the dealer has two cards valued 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15
- When you hold 9 and the dealer is showing 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15
- Only doubling down a pair of 5’s if the dealer is holding: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 12, 13, 14, 15.
Splitting
Never split Aces when the dealer has a score of 11.
Final Thoughts
Double Exposure Blackjack is a very exciting game, one that can take a little getting used to but is ultimately a real challenge. As with most new games we suggest playing for fun or for very small stakes as you find your feet with the challenge Double Exposure Blackjack presents.
Be sure to play Double Exposure Blackjack at our recommended Canadian Casinos to ensure that you play within a safe and fair gaming environment.
