One casino I go to doesn't require you to match your original bet to double down. For example, dealer upcard = 3, you have 9 total. BS says to DD. Instead, should you put 50% on the double down bet?
Let's also assume you're counting and using BSV.
Don't know what BSV is, but here is my take on double downs.
Count systems and basic strategy call for you to double down when you have an advantage on the hand. If you didn't have the advantage why would you double down? (Yeah, I will probably lose this hand, I would like to bet more money please.) So after seeing your two cards and the dealer up card, you determine that more times than not, you are going to win the hand, so you increase your bet.
Casinos realizing you are in an advantage situation and are increasing your bet, create a restriction. You can only take 1 card. So if you double down on 9 and get a 2, you cannot hit again, you have to stand. This is the trade off. You give up the advantage of maybe hitting a couple of times and being more likely to win the hand, by just taking one card for more money bet.
Now casinos being really nice, will let you take the full disadvantage of only getting 1 card, but allow you to only take a small portion of the advantage, by allowing you to double for less.
What nice guys. (Yes, I have the advantage, but I only want to win half the money I could, and maybe the next hand I lose, you will give me back half, right?)
Bottom line. If you are in a double down situation, always double down for the full amount. Hell, double down for 10x your bet if they will let you. If a double for the full amount is overbetting your bankroll, then you bet too much on the hand to begin with.
If you don't take full advantage of the rare times you have a slight advantage, the casino will be glad to take your last dollar on the many times they have you at a slight disadvantage.
Is BSV Basic Strategy Variation perhaps??
SOTSOG's assessment is correct. This double-for-less proposition is not unusual. I have been to several casinos that allow double-for-less. In fact, I can't remember the last casino I was at where you couldn't double-for-less. I see ploppies doing it all the time everywhere I go.
Additionally, if you could actually double-down-for-more, then there would be some especially exciting play there. If it's worth doubling, then it's worth putting as much out there as you are allowed.
Now what about splitting-for-less?? I have actually seen this on occassion. Conceiveably you would be risking less on those split 8's vs. an Ace...but the situations where you win the small bet and lose the original bet would be kind of annoying. Still, I would be tempted to try this in certain situations but I'm not certain of the mathematcis in this scenario.
I just thought of a good situation in which to double-for-less...
Try it when the pit is watching and when the count dictates that your 11 vs. 10 isn't as favorable. This will be good camo because it's most ploppy-like.
Actually, a S17, S18 or S19 when the count dictates it is a borderline play would be even better to double-for-less. Now you're in a situation where you're less likely to need that extra-hit. Explanation - conceiveably you could land on hard 12 vs. 2 or 3 but if you were doubling all-the-way or doubling-for-less on S17 or S18 vs. 2 or 3 then this indicates that the count was likely high enough to be better off standing on 12 vs. 2 or 3... Otherwise, your hit is going to give you a better soft total (18-21) or you will have a hard-total that you would be standing on anyway (12-16 vs. 3-6).
Again, I don't recommend doubling-for-less at all and I don't do it. But if you want to find a relatively low-risk ploppy-play for camo while the pit is looking...then this might be a good one. You can make it look like an uncertain hunch play or you can do it with all kinds of confidence...like it's the type of thing you do all the time. Either way, you'll be a little bit better off if the pit happens to see it (assuming the pit knows that it's a ploppy-play which isn't always a sure thing).
Most casinos I have been to, the dealers loudly announce "Double for less!", thus bringing your play to someone's attention. Personally, I don't want my play to be scrutinized at all if possible.
Jay
Doubling for less often brings a worse averaged result than either doubling for the max. or just plain hitting. Take 11 vs. a dealer's 10 as an example with a $25 bet up. If you just hit, you'll win 56 times out of 100 and lose the other 44 (counting pushes as a half win and a half loss in a six deck game). Instead, if you double, you'll win 54 and lose 46 since you won't be able to take a second hit when your first one is a small card. But doubling is still the better choice since going 54 and 46 for $50 each nets $400, while going 56 and 44 for $25 nets only $300. Now suppose you decide to double for less by putting up just an extra $10 next to your original "quarter" bet. This time you'll go 54 and 46 for $35 each, netting $280! You've gone above and beyond the spirit of good sportsmanship to find a way to hurt yourself.
Of course you don't normally want any attention at all but it's impossible to be entirely invisible.
This is the kind of attention you actually DO want to draw for yourself....This type of play would make it take significantly longer for the pit to actually notice your advantage play. No matter what your spread was they would tend to remember that really stupid I'm-such-a-great-player face you put on while pushing out your double-for-less chip.
I've known counters who would double a H7 or H12...or would split 5's or split 10's on a $5 bet early on in their arrival to accomplish the same goal....getting the pit to think you're a moron.
After that, if the pit sees it, they will divert their attention elsewhere because they know that you are not a threat.
I just read a different article online where a player doubled for less with good reason...to clear the table.
he had just sat down at a table he had back-counted...slowly climbing through 1st couple hands and then on 3rd hand all 4 of the players had split or doubled to small cards and the dealer hit a 6-card 21 pushing the true-count to 2 1/2 - 3.
So the counter puts down 2 bets of $100 each. gets a 15 vs. 7 on one of them and a pair of 9's on the other.
After splitting the 9's to the horror of the table...he annouces double-for-less on his 15 v. 7 and lays out a measly $5 chip (remember, this was a $100 bet). After going even on the split 9's (win one, lose one) and then busting out on his double for less...the table clears out muttering things about how he's the worst bj player they've ever seen.
Now he gets to go heads-up with the dealer and the count is still sky-high thus he proceeds to make a modest killing through the rest of the shoe that likely would not have happened with a mostly full table.
$5 investment to get heads-up play in a great count?? Yeah, I'd say that's $$ well spent.
Again, this is not my story but rather an article I picked up from some other site. Whether true or not, I found it pretty amusing...and certainly relevant to this doubling-for-less discussion.
