Do You Split 8s In Blackjack

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What to do when you're dealt a pair of eights?

This is actually an academic question in blackjack circles, but I've still been encountered by my share of people who have their doubts about which move to make.

Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

No responsible Basis Strategy would dictate the player do anything but split those eights. But it may look curious to someone who wonders whether, even if a ten is drawn to each of the split 8's - having twin 18's, which is not the strongest two-card hand anyone could have, merits putting twice as much money on the table.

  • A guide to when you should & shouldn't split in blackjack. Always split Aces & Eights, but never split Fives & Tens. Rules about re-splitting are covered, too.
  • Always split aces and 8s. That is one of the golden rules for blackjack players but not according to a friend of mine. He insists that splitting 8s against a dealer upcard of 9, 10 or ace is crazy because you are probably going to lose anyway, so why double your loss by splitting?
Blackjack

Indeed, since the dealer achieves an average hand of 18.23, you're going to find yourself on the losing side of the equation more often than not.

But that's not the whole story here. In fact, it's not the story at all. When you're dealt a pair of eights, it represents what you might call a trichotomous situation. That is, there is a tremendous difference between making the correct move and the incorrect move, or in this case moves, since you would have three options here - hitting, standing or splitting.

Hitting the eights, which in effect constitutes hitting a hard 16, will cause you to lose over 60% more times than if you split the hand.

Always

Sometimes blackjack strategy decisions are a matter of playing defense, trying to lose less. That’s what you’re doing when you split 8s against a dealer’s 10. It’s a lousy hand no matter what you do, but playing it as 16 against a 10 gives the house a bigger edge than when you split the 8s. Even players with little or no knowledge of basic strategy in blackjack understand one thing: You always split aces and 8s in blackjack. Of course, you can always find contrarians who disagree with everything, no matter how solid the math behind it is.

If you STAND with the pair of eights, it's even less effective, as you'll lose 74% more.

Should I Split 8s In Blackjack

But is this any surprise? A 16 is one of the worst 'stiff' hands the player could have.

Splitting eights is by far the most prudent play you could make in this situation, and in fact, stands as one of the cardinal rules of Basic Strategy. It works not only mathematically, but should make perfect logistical sense, in that it takes your stiff hand and immediately transforms it into two hands that each have a fighting chance to beat the dealer.

By Charles Jay

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Why Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

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