Split 8s In Blackjack

• Should I Split 8s In Blackjack
• Should You Split 8's In Blackjack
• Do You Always Split 8's In Blackjack
• Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

By Henry Tamburin. Always split aces and eights. That is one of the golden rules for blackjack players but not according to a friend of mine. He insists that splitting eights 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? 6s – split on dealer’s 2-6. And the unique ones: 4s – are not a perfect hand for splitting, so you should split them only when the dealer shows 5 or 6 and only when you can double after split. If the casino doesn’t allow to double on split hands – never split 4s. 9s – split on dealer’s 2-6 and 8,9. Best Casinos to Play. In the interview, Patrick offers this explanation (in his words) as to why he wouldn’t split a pair of 8s against a dealer 10 and instead would surrender the hand: “If you’re playing blackjack for $10 a hand and you are dealt two eights and the dealer has a king showing, the book says to split.

By Henry Tamburin

Always split aces and eights. That is one of the golden rules for blackjack players but not according to a friend of mine. He insists that splitting eights 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?

Although my friend's logic appears to make sense it is flawed. Here's why.

When you split in blackjack, you must bet more. That is a fact. The strategy of pair splitting, then, only makes sense if you end up either winning more or losing less in the long run vs. standing or hitting.

Losing less is often a hard concept for blackjack players to grasp. For example, you can expect to be dealt a 12 through 17 hand about 43 percent of the time you play blackjack. No matter what strategy you follow, the dealer will, on average, win more hands than the player will (with only one exception- a 17 vs. a dealer's upcard of 6). Thus the best a player can do in a losing situation is to use a strategy that will allow him to lose less in the long haul.

This is in fact the situation with a pair of eights against a dealer 9, 10, or ace. If you hit the eights (or 16), you will lose on average about $52 for every $100 bet. That is quite a hefty loss, but not to be expected because you a big underdog when you hold a 16 against a dealer’s strong upcard of 9, 10 or ace. However when you pair split, you break up you 16, double your bet, and play two hands of 8. A computer analysis of this situation shows you will lose about $43 per $100 bet when you split 8’s. This is still a losing proposition from the player’s perspective. But notice by splitting you’ve won just enough slpit hands to reduce your overall loss $9 per hundred dollars wagered. You’ve reduced your loss by pair splitting the 8’s which is why it’s the better strategy than hitting or standing.

To be sure sometimes when you split a pair of 8’s against say a dealer 10 you will lose both split hands. You might even hear some comments from the dealer or fellow players about why you should have stood or hit. Forget about them. Just remember that in the long run which means after you are dealt many pairs of 8’s you will wind up losing less than if you stood or hit. Follow the basic strategy and always split 8’s no matter what the dealer shows.

Thankfully my friend always splits aces. You would think that every blackjack player would automatically split aces. But recently I observed a young player pass on splitting aces because 'she was afraid to bet more on the hand'. I even offered to make the bet for her at no risk (if the bet lost she owed me nothing). But it was like talking to a wall. She insisted on hitting the pair of aces and drew two tens and broke. She was mumbling incoherently when she left the table knowing full well that if she had taken my offer she would have had two hands of 21 (by the way, I was card counting and the count was positive indicating she had a good chance of drawing tens to her aces.)

It use to be standard casino policy that when you split aces you would get one and only one draw card to each split ace. Sometimes the player would draw another ace and was stuck with a hand of 12. Nowadays many casinos allow players the opportunity to resplit aces. In the above example the player could split his third ace and play three hands. Resplitting aces is a favorable player rule that adds about 0.06% in the player's favor. It doesn’t look like much of an edge but every bit helps so always resplit aces!

Follow the golden rule and always split eights and aces no matter what the dealer upcard happens to be. Splitting aces will result in significant gains for the player. Splitting 8's for the most part is a defensive play that will cut down on your losses. But keep in mind you will lose your fair share of hands when you split 8's, but if you were to hit or stand, you would on average be losing more money. It's the smart play to make when you play blackjack.

In blackjack, the option to split your cards can be vital in order to increase your chances of winning, and lowering the house edge. For long-term success, understanding the advantages, disadvantages and when to pounce on the opportunity to split, is crucial. Splitting, as explained on our terminology page, refers to the option of dividing our hand into two separate hands, upon being dealt a matching pair.

We can split our hand if we are dealt two cards of the same value. For example, we can split two Aces, two Fours or two Kings. Depending on the rules, some blackjack games allow us to split non-matching face cards, because they are still valued at 10 points. For instance, we might be allowed to split a King and a Queen.

When splitting, we must place an additional bet equal to our original wager to cover the second hand. Our original matching cards will then be physically separated from each other to form two hands, and we will then be dealt an additional card for each new hand. Now, we play out our hands one at a time, just as we would if we had bet two hands at the start of the round, and we can opt to hit, stand, double down and even split again if the opportunity arises (although some games do not allow us to split again after already having split).

Note: If you are playing in a land-based casino, you must refrain from touching your cards at all times.

Again, depending on the style of 21 we are playing, there can be some slight variations in the rules regarding splitting, but there is always a level of restriction to limit or balance the tactic. The main rule which changes from game to game is the continual splitting option, where if we receive two of the same cards and opt to split them, and then receive another card of the same value, we may or may not be able to split again (and again).

Blackjack for online players

Split cards in play

Most styles of blackjack will let you double down on split hands, and also re-split your hands further if the possibility arises. However, as explained, some casinos have rules which restrict additional options. Here are the two common rule variations:

• If you split a pair of Aces, you will only be dealt one more additional card and you cannot hit, double down or split your hands any further and must work with the cards you’re dealt.
• If you split your hand once, further splits or double downs are not allowed.

Should I Split 8s In Blackjack

If we are playing a standard game of blackjack, then standard rules stipulate we can generally split our hands up to a maximum of three times, which would mean we would be playing a total of four hands. Having said that, always check the rules before you begin playing either online or at a B&R casino to avoid confusion. It is important to try and make sure you have enough chips left so if you are dealt a couple of hands in which you’d be best served to split, you aren’t out of cash.

When to split

A common misconception for many in regards to splitting cards is that they should do so every time they receive a matching pair of the same value. Like all blackjack moves, splitting should be carefully considered and the dealer’s up-card should always be taken in to consideration.

Should You Split 8's In Blackjack

Splitting Aces

Do You Always Split 8's In Blackjack

A pair of Aces is undoubtedly the most popular hand to split. By rule of thumb, we should always choose to split two Aces if we are dealt such a hand. In doing so, we are giving ourselves a greater chance to draw at least one blackjack hand. Alternately, if we opted to keep both Aces for a total value of either two or 12 points, this would eliminate and waste the potential for two separate hands reaching a natural blackjack. In some games, if we hit blackjack (whether it be after splitting or without splitting), we are paid out immediately, regardless of what the dealer has.

Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

Note: Due to the popularity of splitting Aces in blackjack, should a split Ace be dealt a card valued at ten, some casinos and their rule variations will not regard that as a natural blackjack, and will not payout 3:2, but rather 1:1 Try to avoid such rules.