1 hand vs 2 hands

[BlackJackMonster]

Do you have any rule when to apply 2 hands vs 1 hand ?

BJ attacks said in high TC, if head on just 1 hand, with other players the optimal would be 2 hands

Any thought or success at which point to switch from 1 hand to 2 hands or vice verse?

Thanks!

[bigplayer]

With other players or when against table max limits lower than the amount you want to bet you want to play 2 hands. (with really low limit games some players will play up to 7 spots.

Heads up you use the same number of cards per dollar wagered in + counts whether you play 1 hand or 2 hands so it's really a matter of preference. That said, playing 1 hand when heads up gives you more opportunities through the shoe to change your bet and the count moves more gradually when you're playing one spot while heads up. Also, the dealer does on average use 1 extra card per 5 rounds when more than 1 player spot is in play. All of that in favor of playing one hand, heads up, it's still my belief that when heads up I can play two hands faster than two players can each play 1 hand therefore I prefer to always play 2 hands in + counts regardless of how many players at the table. I feel like when the plus count comes I want to get through that shoe as fast as possible (to avoid a mid-shoe backoff) and have lower amounts of money on each hand in those positive counts so I will jump from 1 hand to 2 hands (in shoe games) and sometimes to 3 hands on the final round of the shuffle. For me, the only reason to play two hands off the top in a shoe game is to lock in the spots for yourself or protect the betting spots for later. Otherwise, I always play 1 spot in neutral and negative counts and spread to two hands as soon as I have a 0.5% edge (usually using wins and losses to tell a story).

For Double Deck you should just play 1 or 2 hands all the time because going back and forth creates red flags. I will generally play two hands almost all of the time and drop to 1 hand occasionally in negative counts. That said, some people have very good reasons to stick to one spot all the time when heads up.