Blackjack Strategy When Playing a Hard 11

Double Down: When the dealer upcard is between 2 and 10.
Hit: When the dealer is showing the ace.

Why to double down on hard 11

Basic blackjack strategy says that a hard 11 is the most powerful dealt hand for the player. This is a combination of the dealt hands that add up to a total of eleven. This is the same point value as an ace. The strategy goes that there are more tens in play than any other point value, so at this point, you have the highest probability of winning and should take advantage of a double down for a 21.

Why to hit on hard 11

You want to hit when the dealer is showing an ace upcard. Sometimes they dealer will ask you for insurance in this instance since basic strategy assumes that the dealer will have a ten and get a blackjack, in which case you would either lose or tie. It's not guaranteed that you will hit and get a ten either so there are a lot of strategic odds against you when playing a hard 11 with a dealer ace.