Split or Hit It is advised to split pairs of 2s, 3s or 7s if the dealer's card is from 2 to 7. In other cases it is advised to hit, as there is a high possibility of the dealer to go bust. Split or Hit It is advised to split a pair of 4s only if the dealer's card is 5 or 6. When to split in Blackjack It is arguably universally agreed that there are two scenarios in which you should always split: if you have a pair of Aces or a pair of eights. You must carefully consider if you are going to split in Blackjack. No, this is wrong. You TOTALLY want to split 8s and aces when the dealer has 4-6. You are basically a favorite ONLY if you split: AA against Dealer 4: Stand: -0.20084 Hit: +0.12929 Split: +0.58230 AA against Dealer 5: Stand: -0.15875 Hit: +0.16083 Split: +0.63371. Sometimes in blackjack, the best offense is a good defense. And splitting pairs is often a form of defense. Take a pair of 8s, especially when the dealer has a 10 face up. If we play it as a 16, we bust too often if we hit, and if we stand, the dealer beats us all 79 percent of the time he makes 17 or better. First, to improve weak hands, splitting 8s are a clear example for that. Second, to increase possible winnings on stronger hands, for example splitting Aces. As with every blackjack rule, things are very simple and yet complicated in the same time.

The aces are easy—you will have two chances to get 21!

With 8s, mathematical analysis shows that splitting them loses less often over the long run than any other move you could make. Still a tough hand though.

In most versions of Blackjack, when you are dealt a pair (two of the same card), you have the option to split them into two new hands. When you split, you must match your bet on the new hand, effectively doubling the amount wagered.

You now have two chances to beat the dealer—or two chances to lose.

After the split, you are dealt two more cards, one for each hand. Play then proceeds, with you playing both hands.

Why split two Aces?

Should you receive two aces, the split is an easy move because an Ace is the most powerful card in Blackjack. Any card drawn next that is valued at 10 gives you 21.

The deck has more 10-value cards than any other single value—10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all count as 10. So, you combine an Ace with the higher probability of drawing a 10-value card, thus increasing your chances of beating the dealer and winning.

What are your other options?

An ace can count as either a 1 or an 11, so you could play either of those values. Or, you could add the 1 and the 11 to total twelve. If you draw a ten-value card against that 12, you will bust immediately at twenty-two!

Splitting Aces offers two chances for the strongest hand in the game. Draw a 10 after splitting, and you’ve got 21. Draw a 10 on the other Ace, and you’ve got two 21s.

Note: After splitting those Aces, any draw of a 10-card isn’t considered a Blackjack hand, so you’ll be paid at even money.

Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

But splitting Aces every time is mathematically the best move possible, against any possible dealer up-card.

Why split two 8s?

The hard fact is that the dealer is favored to win when you hold a pair of 8s.

Together, your cards total 16–the weakest, most dangerous hand in Blackjack. The most likely single card to draw in any situation is a 10 card, as mentioned, because each deck has more 10-cards than any other value.

Draw a 10 against your two 8s, combining for 16, and you bust. As a matter of fact, any card over 5 will bust you.

Should You Split 8's In Blackjack

What are the possibilities? If the dealer shows 6, 5, 4 or another ‘bust’ card, you are playing against the weakest ‘up’ cards possible. Splitting 8s makes sense here, because you have increased your odds of drawing a better hand.

If the dealer shows a 7 or an 8—your spilt 8 could easily draw a pair of 10s and beat a potential dealer 17 with both hands, or tie a dealer 18.

But what if the dealer is showing a 10 card? Why would you want to split two 8s against a dealer’s 10 and possibly create two losing hands instead of one?

In this situation, the dealer may already have 19 or 20.

Simply put, the math says that over the long-term, you have the best chance of minimizing your losing hands by splitting the 8s.

The dealer has the upper hand when you combine your pair of 8s against her 9 or 10. With a dealer presenting 10, computer analysis shows her hand will hit a total of 17-21 about 77% of the time, busting only about 23% of the time.

Let’s quantify the benefit of splitting 8s. If you bet $1.00 each time you combined two 8s against a dealer 10, you’d win 23 times, or $23.00, and lose 77 times, or $77.00, for a net loss of $54.00 after 100 hands.

But split those 8s, and you change the math.

Computer analysis* shows that each time you play an 8 against a dealer 10, you will win the hand about 38 times out of 100 –better than the 23% you would win by combining the 8s. You will still lose more than you will win, but your expected loss will be lower by splitting, even though you are playing two hands with twice the bet as before.

Should I Split 8s In Blackjack

Money you don’t lose is money saved. Put another way, you’re better off to play an 8 against a 10 two times, with twice the bet, than to play a 16 against a 10 once with one bet.

*Analysis assumes the following game rules: 6-deck game, dealer stands on 17, double after splitting is allowed, and resplitting is allowed up to four hands.

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.

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.

Splitting Aces

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.

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.