How can YOU win more hands per hour? Never double down. When you double down, you give up the right to take another card for the right to double your bet. Basic strategy correctly tells us when to double down for maximum profit in the long run. Play indices tell us when to refrain from these doubles, generally when there are more small cards (2 - 7) than normal left to be played. Can there be other reasons not to double down or split?
Yes, for some players there are reasons I consider valid to break the rules for. What are those reasons? As mentioned earlier, a limited bankroll. I know many excellent players that know basic strategy perfectly, count the Hi/Low perfectly, but only have a few hundred dollars at a time to play with for various different reasons. Other players play so seldom they will never work their way into the long run and like playing betting progressions. Some players do not enjoy seeing 4 hands being risked at the same time. None of these reasons are valid to a truly professional card counter with a proper bankroll that is able to play games with good rules and good penetration. I make sure players that decide to implement these methods understand what they are doing, and make a few other recommendations to them.
I always recommend that every player learn to count. Knowing the value of the un-played cards is always important. As the count increases, I recommend playing perfect basic strategy and bet increases at the point Insurance bets kick in. With weak counts, splitting and doubling is less effective as the dealer break ratio drops off and player bets are also small. For progression players I recommend different progressions at different count levels that depend on size of bankroll.
Knowing the difference between long term and short term goals and strategies is important to every serious player. Conditions and results may influence you in your methods for a particular session, and you may switch from one attack to the other. The main thing is that you understand what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
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