There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to playing two hands in blackjack. Whether you’re playing blackjack at a land-based casino, online or a live casino, you have surely come across a player who was playing more than one hand. Depending on the number of people at the blackjack table, you can also go as far as playing three hands simultaneously.
However, is this a good idea? The best way to answer this question is to think about your typical win or loss rate. Below we go through the advantages and disadvantages of playing numerous blackjack hands. Also, we explain whether it is better to play two hands in blackjack or stick to one.
Pros And Cons of Playing Two Hands in Blackjack
Many casinos and software developers have gone as far as creating specific games that allow players to play more than one hand. These are known as multi-hand blackjack games. Below we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of playing more than two hands in a blackjack game.
Advantages of Playing Two Hands in Blackjack
- When you play one hand in blackjack, you can make a bigger profit when compared to playing only one hand. This is because you will be making separate bets on each hand.
- When you play two hands in blackjack, you’ll be allowed to Double Down, which increases your chances of winning when you make your moves at the right time.
- Playing two hands means you will have a lot of variety in terms of online blackjack moves.
- When you choose to play multihands blackjack at an online casino, you can take your time in creating the best hand possible without feeling any pressure from the dealer or any other players.
- Playing two hands in blackjack does give you an edge over the casino as you can make more money in an hour than you would with one hand.
- You can also decrease your hourly anticipated loss rate by splitting your bankroll into two hands rather than one.
Disadvantages of Playing Multiple Hands
- You will need to have a well-budgeted bankroll when you play two hands. You stand to lose more money per hour.
- Also, You will have to reduce your bet size to accommodate playing more than one hand in an hour.
- When you play multiple hands, you’re more likely to see a winning streak on a short-term variant.
- When playing more than one hand in blackjack, you need to play using a reliable strategy, and you have to be able to make adjustments where necessary.
- If you are a card counter when multiple hands are being played, it can get confusing, making it even harder for you to count cards.
Multi-Hand Vs Single Hand Blackjack
How do multiple hands work in blackjack? We will explain the basic scenario of how playing two hands can differ from playing one hand in blackjack.
Let’s say you play one hand per game for $5 per hand. The house edge on this game is 0.4%. The game is played with two decks and has good rules. You were using a basic strategy, and because you’re only playing one hand, you getting in about 200 hands per hour.
If you had to calculate the expected loss for this particular game, you would multiply the number of bets you make per hour by the size of the bet. So that would be 200 times $5. Initially, you would be putting in $1000 in action per hour. To get your probable loss per hour, you would calculate it by the amount of your action per hour by the house edge. With this example, that would be an unexpected $4 losses per hour.
So, if you were playing two hands at this particular table rather than one, the game would be slowed down to 160 hands per hour multiplied by your two hands. That means you would be getting in 320 hands per hour. This will, of course, move up your action amount to $1600. Again, to get the expected loss per hour, you would calculate your action amount times the house edge. This would give you an expected hourly loss of $6.40 per hour.
With this particular scenario, you would be losing more money if you were playing two hands rather than one. A player with card counting could win rather than lose money in this particular scenario.
Should You Play Multiple Hands in Blackjack?
Playing more than one hand at a blackjack table will depend on a number of variables. For instance, can you play at a reasonably quick pace? If yes, it can work in your favor as you won’t be annoying any of the other players at the table while trying to deliberate over your hands. If you’re playing the two hands on adjacent spots will help you tremendously as you won’t be moving from one part of the table to the other to play with your hands. Playing two hands should not slow down the game for everyone else at the table.
If you can card count very well or play the perfect basic strategy, playing multiple hands can work. We would suggest that before you go ahead and play for real money, you take some time to practice online for free. This way, you’ll be able to get the hang of the fast-paced gameplay as well as bankroll management. The last thing you’d want to do is play two hands only to continue and lose. Luckily, we recommend a number of top blackjack casinos right here on BestUSACasinosSites.com. These casinos allow you to try out their games for free before you play for real money.
