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What Are Blackjack Side Bets?Side bets are bonus bets placed on a round of Blackjack on outcomes beyond whether the player or dealer will win. The majority are staked at the start of the round before the cards have been dealt alongside regular bets and many have fixed odds that usually offer greater payouts than the simple 2:1 rewarded for beating the dealer.Play Blackjack at Pinnacle Casino

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Side bets provide an exciting way to make Blackjack games more interesting whilst offering you a greater number of ways to win. So what are side bets, what side bets are available and are they worth it? Read on to find out.

Blackjack Side Bets Explained

Finding a niche market in betting can often lead to value. This can be anything from specialist knowledge of handball betting to extensive experience in betting on Japanese baseball. Providing you know more than the bookmaker, there is money to be made.  &lt;Bet on soccer at Pinnacle&gt; They also make for interesting and potentially profitable bets, as they can be a little more reliable

Soccer odds

A corner is one of the most inexplicably exciting events in soccer. Only around three per cent of them lead to a goal, but you can guarantee that the attacking team’s fans will roar their approval and encouragement if their team are awarded one. Read on to find out how you can benefit from betting on corners.

Corners betting in soccer: Value in a lesser-known market

Poisson Distribution is a mathematical concept for translating mean averages into a probability for variable outcomes across a distribution. For example, if we know Manchester City average 1.7 goals per game, so by putting the Poisson Distribution formula tells us that this average equates to Manchester City&nbsp;scoring 0 goals 18.3% of the time, 1 goal 31% of the time, 2 goals 26.4% of the time and 3 goals 15% of the time.

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Poisson Distribution: Predict the score in soccer betting

What is Expected Value?The amount a player can expect to win or lose if they were to place a bet on the same odds many times over, calculated through a simple equation multiplying your probability of winning with the amount you could win per bet, and subtracting the probability of losing multiplied by the amount lost per bet.A simple example of Expected Value (EV) put into practice -&nbsp;if you were

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The Expected Value of a bet shows us how much we can expect to win (on average) per bet, and as such is the most valuable calculation a bettor can make when comparing bookmakers' odds. How can you calculate Expected Value in sports betting in order to predict your winnings? Read on to find out.

How to Calculate Expected Value

We have a team of editors and writers at Pinnacle, as well as a collection of external contributors, ranging from university lecturers and renowned authors, to ex-traders and esteemed sports experts. Collectively, the Pinnacle team and external contributors produce the educational content within Betting Resources.

<h2>What is Doubling Down in Blackjack?</h2>If a player decides to double down after receiving their initial hand, it means they have decided to double their original bet on the agreement that their hand will only receive one more card. Once the player’s hand is hit with the third card, their turn for that round is deemed finished.A player is allowed to double down after they have been dealt their first two cards. Generally, you are not allowed to double down if you get Blackjack, hit or place an <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/blackjack-insurance-bets-explained/28c2jhscbmq4yd94/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">insurance bet</a>, although you are often allowed to double down on a <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/what-is-splitting-in-blackjack/kqljnabj7qn3bcyu/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">split hand</a>. You are allowed to double down as many times as you want during a game of Blackjack, but you can only do so once per round.As a result of its name, players often incorrectly assume that doubling down involves adding a further two cards to your hand or entering two hands in the same round (this is in fact <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/what-is-splitting-in-blackjack/kqljnabj7qn3bcyu/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">splitting</a> and the player needs to be initially dealt two cards of the same value in order to do it).<img src="/sites/default/files/media-image/blackjack-doubling-down-in-article1.jpg" alt="blackjack-doubling-down-in-article1.jpg" width="600" height="351" title loading="lazy"><h2>When to Double Down in Blackjack</h2>The vast majority of Blackjack strategies will recommend always doubling down if your first two cards have a value of 11. This gives you an approximate 53.8% chance of finishing your turn with a strong hand containing a value of 18 or higher, and around a 30.4% probability of finishing it with a hand valued at 21.It is advisable to also double down if your initial hand is worth 10 (including if it is comprised of two fives), with the exception of if the dealer’s face up card is worth 10 or an Ace and they therefore have a chance to get Blackjack. If your initial hand is worth nine, then probability dictates you should double down if the dealer’s face up card is three to six: essentially, when they are most susceptible to going bust.If you have a soft hand containing an Ace and a card worth eight or lower, then it is sensible to double down when the dealer’s face down card is between certain values, again when they are at the greatest risk of exceeding 21. The information discussed in the last few paragraphs is summarised in the table below:Blackjack Double Down StrategyNB: This table assumes four to eight decks in play and that the dealer hits on a soft 17.<img src="/sites/default/files/media-image/blackjack-doubling-down-in-article2.jpg" alt="blackjack-doubling-down-in-article2.jpg" width="600" height="344" title loading="lazy"><h2>When Not to Double Down in Blackjack</h2>With the exception of when your initial hand is worth 11, under no circumstances it is advisable to double down if the dealer’s face up card is worth 10 or an Ace.In both of these scenarios the dealer will have the aforementioned approximate 53.8% chance of getting a strong hand worth at least 18 (plus around a 30.4% probability of getting Blackjack if the first card is an Ace). A hand with a value other than 11 is incapable of matching this probability, ultimately handing a significant advantage to the dealer.Likewise, you should never double down on a hard hand that does not have a value between nine and 11. For values greater than 11, the probability of going bust will always exceed the chance of getting a strong hand with a value between 18 and 21.Conversely, doubling down is not a logical approach for values less than nine, as you will be limiting yourself to a poor maximum potential value for your hand.<h3>Enhance Your Blackjack Strategy</h3>If you’re looking for general advice on how to play Blackjack, read our <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/how-to-play-blackjack/apn24f8ark6vlkzn/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">guide to Blackjack</a>. If you want to learn more on how to inform your Blackjack strategy, remember to read our articles on how to <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/what-is-splitting-in-blackjack/kqljnabj7qn3bcyu/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">split</a> or <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/blackjack-surrender-explained/muy2zw6sad3sskty/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">surrender</a>, alongside how to place a <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/blackjack-side-bets-explained/tsb25x5x3x5cg2py/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">side bet</a> or <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/blackjack-insurance-bets-explained/28c2jhscbmq4yd94/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">insurance bet</a>.We also have an article outlining an <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/advanced-blackjack-strategy/x56jx2a62l2jp3sq/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">advanced Blackjack strategy</a>. If you want to learn more about Blackjack beyond how to play the game, you can read about the <a style="color:#f50;" href="/betting-resources/en/casino/the-history-of-blackjack/4vfjvgwl3s9q9m7j/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">history of Blackjack.</a><h3>Play Blackjack on Pinnacle Casino</h3>Pinnacle Sports Casino has a wide range of <a style="color:#f50;" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/casino/games/favourite/table-games/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">Blackjack games</a> for you to enjoy, including <a style="color:#f50;" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/casino/games/favourite/live-casino/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">Live Blackjack</a>, <a style="color:#f50;" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/casino/games/favourite/table-games/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">Classic Blackjack</a>, <a style="color:#f50;" href="https://www.pinnacle.com/en/casino/games/favourite/table-games/" id="articleLink" target="_blank">Vegas Strip Blackjack</a> and many more!

Doubling down offers a way to boost your winnings in Blackjack if you are confident that are you are about to get a strong hand. So what is doubling down, when are you allowed to do it and when should you?

What is Doubling Down in Blackjack?

Doubling down offers an exciting way to boost your winnings during a game of Blackjack if you are confident that are you are on verge of getting a strong hand. So what is doubling down, when are you allowed to do it and when should you? Read on to find out.