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And When Not to Split in Blackjack |
Knowing when to split is an important element of blackjack strategy. But knowing when not to split is equally important. Splitting your blackjack cards in the wrong situation can seriously undermine your chances of winning at blackjack.
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Just because the blackjack rules ALLOW you to split your cards does not mean that you OUGHT to split them. A pair of 5s is a perfect example of a hand that should NOT be split.
If you keep your 5s together, you have a hand of 10 — one of the strongest hands in blackjack. In fact, it is so strong that it is often advisable to double down on a hand of 10. That is an indication of how confident you can be of winning blackjack when your initial hand totals 10.
On the other hand, if you split your 5s, there is a good chance that you will get two 10-cards to go with them, and thus end up with two hands of 15. (Tens, jacks, queens, and kings are all worth 10 under the rules of blackjack, so there are a lot of 10-cards out there.) Now, a hand of 15 is one of the worst blackjack hands you can get — it's too low to beat the dealer, but too high to hit without serious risk of busting. There is no reason why you would want that.
So splitting 5s is a serious mistake in blackjack strategy. It is far better to keep your 5s together to make 10, to hit if the dealer is showing a 10 or an Ace, and to double down against any other dealer's up card.
Many beginning online blackjack players make the mistake of splitting a pair of 10-value cards. Their reasoning goes like this: A 10 is a very good starting card for a blackjack hand. I have a good chance of drawing another 10 — or even getting lucky and drawing an Ace — on each hand. So splitting my 10s means I can win twice as much money. The more experienced blackjack gamblers see the flaw in this reasoning. Yes, a 10 is a very good starting card. But a 20 is an outstanding blackjack hand. You will rarely lose with a hand of 20. And it is better to have one outstanding hand than to have two very good hands. |
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In other words, go for the (almost) sure thing. Things can go wrong when you split. Yes, you could get a 10 or ace to go with your split 10s, but it is also possible to get a 4 or a 5 or a 6, and then you're in trouble. Your odds of winning at blackjack with a hand of 20 are so high that it doesn't make sense to break it up and take your chances on split hands.
An exception to the rule is if you are counting cards and the count is very high. With an abundance of high cards to be dealt, the odds of getting two winning hands from your split 10s is higher, justifying the risk. But unless you are highly skilled at blackjack card counting, and you are playing in a land-based casino (blackjack card counting doesn't work when you play blackjack online), you're best off keeping your 10s together and standing on your 20. That's the best blackjack strategy for most ordinary online blackjack gamblers.
The splitting rule is one of the most important tools in an online blackjack player's arsenal. When used wisely, it can help you turn one weak hand into two strong hands. But the key, as in many things in life, is restraint. Sometimes, it's best to JUST SAY NO. And that's exactly what the best blackjack players say when given the opportunity to split a pair of 5s or a pair of 10s.
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