Double Exposure Blackjack

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 in the form of a lower pay-out for Double Exposure Blackjack.

Unlike traditional Blackjack the payout when the player receives a natural online Blackjack is reduced to even money (from 3/2) and players lose their bets when their hand is tied with the dealer. Additionally, with both dealer’s cards exposed at the outset, players cannot buy insurance or surrender their hand in Double Exposure.

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 and when played to an optimal strategy.

The Double Exposure Blackjack tables most commonly played have a house edge of just 0.69 percent. In short, it’s a good bet.

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Strategy in Double Exposure Blackjack

The basic strategy for this game is different to that in conventional Blackjack and, while it takes some getting used to, learning the game is one of its most exciting aspects.

For example, 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 a hard-19 must be hit if the dealer has a 20 because they are guaranteed to lose unless hitting a 2 or runner-runner Aces.

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 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-up as different game types, simply different rules used by that table or online casino.

You can select the Double Exposure game that appeals to you at most by shopping around the online casinos. However research carried out by mymobicasino.com leads us to highly recommended the Double Exposure Blackjack tables found at Lucky247 casino for example.

Top 5 Double Exposure Blackjack Tips

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

Other strategic tips include:

• Only doubling down a pair of 5’s if the dealer is holding: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 12, 13, 14, 15.
• Never split Aces when the dealer has a score of 11.

Conclusion

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.