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Blackjack Splitting Strategies |
Splitting is one of the most difficult aspects of blackjack strategy. Many online blackjack players who have mastered other elements of the blackjack basic strategy still have trouble with their splitting strategy. But if you want to win at blackjack, it is crucial that you take the time to learn correct splitting strategies.
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Before getting into strategy, it is worthwhile to review the rules of blackjack as they pertain to splitting. If the first two cards you receive are the same denomination - such as two 8s - you may split them into two hands. The amount of your original bet is placed on each of the two hands. In other words, if your original bet was $10, splitting your hand will place a $10 bet on each of the two resulting hands, giving you a total of $20 on the blackjack table. If you are playing blackjack online, the computer will place the appropriate bet on each hand automatically.
Once your original two cards are split, each of them will receive an additional card, so you now have two 2-card blackjack hands. You can then play each of the hands independently. You may stand on one hand, hit on the other hand, or whatever seems like the best blackjack strategy for each particular blackjack hand.
That's blackjack splitting in a nutshell. You bet $10, you receive a pair of 8s, and you split them. Each 8 receives another card, and you have a $10 bet on each of your two hands. But, of course, life is never so simple.
There are many online blackjack games, and each one has its own particular blackjack rules. Suppose, for example, that one of your split 8s receives another 8. Can you split that hand with the two 8s? This is known as resplitting. Some online blackjack variations allow it, and some do not.
Or suppose you receive an initial blackjack hand of a 10 and a Jack. Under the rules of blackjack, both cards have a value of 10 points. In some online blackjack games, you may split unlike 10-value cards. In other blackjack games, you may split only identical cards: a 10 and a 10, or a Jack and a Jack, but not a 10 and a Jack. Now suppose you have split a pair of 4s, and one of them receives a 7 to make 11. Can you now double down on your 11? Some online blackjack games allow doubling down after a split, and some do not. This can be a factor in your decision of whether to split or not, so make sure you know the blackjack rules of the particular game you are playing. |
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One of the essential elements guiding any blackjack strategy — including blackjack splitting strategies — is the knowledge that there are more 10-value cards than any other card in the deck. A deck of blackjack cards has four 2s, four 3s, four 4s, etc., but — since 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all valued at 10 — it has sixteen 10s. So in plotting your blackjack strategy, you should assume that the next card to be dealt is likely to be a 10. Of course, it won't come true every time. The game of blackjack would be a pretty boring game if you always knew what the next card would be. But it comes true often enough that it can be used as a general rule of thumb for a winning blackjack strategy.
With this bit understanding of the rules of blackjack as they pertain to splitting, and of the essential elements of blackjack strategy, let us look at some specific blackjack splitting situations.
Pair of 2s or 3s: Split against a dealer's 4, 5, 6, or 7, and split against a dealer's 2 or 3 only if doubling down after split is permitted. Otherwise, hit.
Pair of 4s: Split against a dealer's 5 or 6 only if doubling down after split is permitted. In all other cases, hit.
Pair of 5s: Never split a pair of 5s. Double down against a dealer's 2 through 9, and hit against a dealer's 10 or ace.
Pair of 6s: Split against a dealer's 3, 4, 5, or 6, and also split against a dealer's 2 if doubling down after split is permitted.
Pair of 7s: Split against a dealer's 2 through 7, hit against anything higher.
Pair of 8s: Always split a pair of 8s.
Pair of 9s: Split a pair of 9s, except against a dealer's 7, 10, or ace.
Pair of 10s: Never split a pair of 10s.
Pair of Aces: Always split a pair of aces.
When you split your hand in blackjack, you are also doubling your bet. That means that you can win twice as much, but it also means you can lose twice as much. And that's why splitting intelligently, and following the blackjack basic strategy charts, is so important when playing blackjack online. Good splitting decisions are often the key to winning at blackjack, so please split wisely.
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