When do you play multiple hands?

[p8ntballsk8r]

I use the KO system 6d H17 DAS DOA. Usually playing at a full table or close to it. At what point would I want the play more than one hand? If the count gets above the key count, then the advantage is in the players favor, so is this when I should play 2 hands? Or should I ever play 2 hands or just stick strictly to 1 hand with a 1-10 spread?

 

[Preston]

spread to two hands can be a good way to clear ploppies away if they keep on losing. So when you're at your key count, go for it. But I'd only do it if there are 3 or more other players at the table.

 

[EasyRhino]

I use KO and usually play in shoe games.

Heads-up, I'll just play one hand. Faster and simpler. (It's pretty rare that I'm in a heads up game).

Conversely, it has been written that you can bet 2 hands @ .75x your usual max bet, and have the same variance as one big bet. Having two bets out might also make it easier to disguise your bet ramping. But I still lean towards one hand.

With any other players, my goal is to eat more than my fair share of cards in positive counts. Since 2 spots usually requires double bet in each, I'll do this as soon as the count even remotely supports making a 4x bet. Usually for me this is when the running count is 3 or 4 over the key count.

If playing single deck, the considerations are different, and while I don't understand them, I know it's preferable to have two spots in play rather than one, because more rounds are dealt out that way.