BS for H17, 6D, DAS: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjbse.p...rr=ns&peek=yes

A,2 & A,3 vs 5 or 6 is a double, but against a 4 it's a hit (no double). So, that kind of makes sense, initially, because the dealer is more likely to bust with a 5 or 6 and not as likely to bust with a dealer's 4 up. With an A,4 vs 4, it's a double.

But wait, let's look into this a bit further. Why wouldn't an A,2 or A,3 be a double against a 4? With an A,2, the only cards that actually help you are 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. A total of 5 cards. With an A,3, the only cards that help you are 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Again, total of 5 cards.

Now, with an A,4, the only cards that actually help you are 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 -- again, 5 cards.

By looking at the 3 hands (A,2 / A,3 / A,4) we realize they are all the same hands, because there are only 5 cards that help each of them.


So, what causes the difference?


PS: I'm assuming the reason why you double A,6's / A,7's / A,8 is because one of those "5 cards" is a ten, so there are actually 8 cards, not 5.