whats going on here....

[Mimosine]

You double A,2-7 not because you have an excellent chance of improving your hand, but the combination of a small chance of improvement combined with a decent chance of a bust. So, high counts will improve the chance of the dealer busting on these doubles but make your chance of improving your hand less.
So your soft double win rate is lower than your hard double win rate.
ihate17

Soft doubles with low cards A2-A4/5 are typically not great doubles, as the number of cards that helps you to a pat total is less than the number that hurt you. this changes dramatically when you get to A5-A7, where now the number of cards that get you to a pat total is greater than the number that hurt you, hence the "expansion" of doubles with A6 & A7 V. (3-6) vs. A2 & A3 V. (5-6)

but ihate17 is right, and looking at BS charts as a whole, 10's and 11's are much stronger doubles as they occur more frequently AND are correct against a wider spectrum of dealer cards.

 

[Preston]

never realized just how important those blackjacks and double downs were.... uhmm actually they are apparently crucial factors for a winning game.
?

I don't remember where I read this, but the house gets their distinct advantage by acting last. There is where they get all their edge.

The other rules bring back an edge to the player. Such as:

Blackjack Pays 3:2 (imagine how pissed you'd be if every time a dealer hit a blackjack you had to pony up another half of your bet)

The ability to double down, split, and surrender, also along with the ability to hit or stand at will.