As a general rule, a ten on a split ace (or vice versa) is not considered a natural blackjack and does not get any bonus. Prohibiting resplitting and redoubling is also common. 2 Regardless of the payout for blackjack, the rules for resplitting, the rules for doubling, the rules for multiple card draws and the dealer's cards, one should always split aces. Jun 02, 2013 With pairs, aces and eights, you should always split. Tens and fives, you should never split. When you have a pair of twos, you're supposed to do it versus a dealer's two through seven.

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. This post is for people who want to understand in detail why you should always split aces and 8s in blackjack.

A Pair of Aces in Blackjack Is a Soft Total of 12

I don’t know a single blackjack player who gets excited about having a hard or soft total of 12. It’s a hand that’s going to bust a lot of the time when you hit it, because there are at least 16 cards worth 10 points in the deck. (That’s almost 1/3 of the cards in the deck.)

On the other hand, if the 1^st card of a hand is worth 11 points, you stand a good chance (1/3 again) of winding up with a total of 21. Even if the game doesn’t pay off at 3 to 2 for blackjack after splitting, that’s still an excellent hand that the dealer probably won’t beat. The best the dealer can do is push.

The thing about splitting, though, is that you must put up another bet. Low rollers who are under-bankrolled sometimes don’t like this. They don’t WANT to risk additional money on a single hand, even if that hand becomes 2 new hands.

They’re making a mistake, and a big one. Not splitting aces does serious damage to the house edge for the game.

In fact, the house is so convinced of how strong a play this is that they have strict rules about what you can do after splitting. For example, you’re not allowed to take more than one additional card after splitting aces. And no one understands the math behind these casino games than the casinos themselves, trust me.

Casinos also usually restrict you from doubling down after splitting. You usually can’t resplit aces if you get another ace again, either.

None of those minor rules variations, matter, though. It’s still always the correct strategy to split a pair of aces at the blackjack table.

A Pair of 8s in Blackjack Is a Hard Total of 16

If you think blackjack players are unenthusiastic about a total of 12, watch them shift uncomfortably in their chairs when they have a hard total of 16. There’s no good way to play a hard total of 16. If you stand, the dealer will probably beat you with a higher total. If you hit, you’ll probably bust.

But when you have a pair of 8s, you get to start 2 new hands, both of which have an 8 as their starting hand. 1/3 of the time, you’ll get a 10, which will make your new total a hard 18, which is a respectable hand for any blackjack player in almost any situation.

Also, even if you don’t get a 10, you might get an ace, which gives you a total of 19—which is, of course, even better than a total of 18.

Even if you get a 9, your hand improves to a 17, which is respectable, if not ideal.

Most casinos don’t have the same restrictions that apply to your “after-splitting” hands, too.

When Do You Deviate from Basic Strategy When It Comes to Splitting Aces and 8s

If you’re not counting cards, you NEVER deviate from basic strategy when it comes to splitting aces and 8s. Most of the time, even if you ARE counting cards, you still always split aces and 8s.

But there are exceptions if you’re counting cards.

If your count is negative and the dealer has an 8, 9, or 10 showing, you just hit the aces instead of splitting them.

Why is this?

When the count is negative, it means that there aren’t as many 10s left in the deck. Part of what gives splitting aces its kick is the possibility of getting that total of 21.

You run the risk of turning a single likely loser into 2 likely losers with twice as much money in action.

If the count is positive, you will sometimes not split a pair of 9s. If the dealer has a 9 or 10 showing in this situation, he’s more likely to have a 10 in the hole. (That’s what the positive count means, after all.) This means you’re probably facing a 19 or 20.

When you split those 8s, yes, you’ll probably get a couple of hands that total 18.

But that does you little good against a 19 or 20.

And remember—those are only correct decisions if you’re counting cards and know what you’re doing.

An Argument against Splitting Aces in Certain Situations

Suppose the dealer is showing a 10, and you have 2 aces.

Most people assume that the dealer’s down card is also a 10, so you’re probably facing a dealer total of 20.

If you split those aces, the only way to win both those hands is by getting a 10 in each of them. The probability of that is less than 1/3 for each, or about 1/9 for both of them.

What this argument misses is that a soft total of 12 is no fun to play in that situation, either. Sure, you don’t have to invest extra money to get those extra cards, but the trade-off just plain isn’t worth it.

Conclusion

When it comes to blackjack, you should always follow basic strategy—except when you shouldn’t.

Of course, the only time you shouldn’t is when you’re counting cards. In rare cases when you’re counting, you’ll deviate from basic strategy.

And one of the 1^st rules of basic strategy is that you ALWAYS split aces and 8s.

That’s an easy one to remember.

Splittingaces and eights is part of blackjackbasic strategy. Rules vary across gambling establishments regarding resplitting, doubling, multiple card draws, and the payout for blackjack, and there are conditional strategic responses that depend upon the number of decks used, the frequency of shuffling and dealer's cards. However, regardless of the various situations, the common strategic wisdom in the blackjack community is to 'Always split aces and eights' when dealt either pair as initial cards.^[1] This is generally the first rule of any splitting strategy.^[2]

• 1Splitting

Splitting[edit]

Can You Get Blackjack On Split Aces Lyrics

The object of blackjack is for a player to defeat the dealer by obtaining a total as close to 21 as possible without accumulating a total that exceeds this number.^[3] In blackjack, the standard rule is that if the player is dealt a pair of identically ranked initial cards, known as a pair, the player is allowed to split them into separate hands and ask for a new second card for each while placing a full initial bet identical to the original wager with each. After placing the wager for the split hands the dealer gives the player an additional card for each split card. The two hands created by splitting are considered independently in competition against the dealer.^[4][5] Splitting allows the gambler to turn a bad hand into one or two hands with a good possibility of winning. It also allows the player to double the bet when the dealer busts.^[2] Some rules even allow for resplitting until the player has as many as four hands^[4] or allow doubling the bet after a split so that each hand has a bet double the original.^[6][7] The standard rules are that when a bet is doubled on a hand, the player is only allowed to draw one more card for that hand.^[8][9]

Aces[edit]

A pair of aces gives the blackjack player a starting hand value of either a 2 or a soft 12 which is a problematic starting hand in either case.^[2][10] Splitting aces gives a player two chances to hit 21.^[11] Splitting aces is so favorable to the player that most gambling establishments have rules limiting the player's rights to do so.^[2][10] In most casinos the player is only allowed to draw one card on each split ace.^[8][10] As a general rule, a ten on a split ace (or vice versa) is not considered a natural blackjack and does not get any bonus.^[6] Prohibiting resplitting and redoubling is also common.^[2] Regardless of the payout for blackjack, the rules for resplitting, the rules for doubling, the rules for multiple card draws and the dealer's cards, one should always split aces.^[10][12][13]

Eights[edit]

If a player is dealt a pair of eights, the total of 16 is considered a troublesome hand. In fact, the value 16 is said to be the worst hand one can have in blackjack.^[10] Since sixteen of the other fifty cards have a value of 10 and four have a value of 11, there is a strong chance of getting at least an 18 with either or both split cards. A hand totaling 18 or 19 is much stronger than having a 16.^[6] Splitting eights limits one's losses and improves one's hand.^[10][11][12] Probabilistic research of expected value scenarios shows that by splitting eights one can convert a hand that presents an expected loss to two hands that may present an expected profit or a reduced loss, depending on what the dealer is showing.^[14] A split pair of eights is expected to win against dealer upcards of 2 through 7 and to lose less against dealer upcards of 8 through ace.^[15] If a player hits on a pair of eights, he is expected to lose $52 for a $100 bet. If the player splits the eights, he is expected to lose only $43 for a $100 bet.^[16]

History[edit]

Blackjack's 'Four Horsemen' (Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott), using adding machines, determined that splitting eights was less costly than playing the pair of eights as a 16.^[17] They were part of a 1950s group that discovered that strategy could reduce the house edge to almost zero in blackjack.^[18] Now a typical strategy involves the following sequence of playing decisions: one decides whether to surrender, whether to split, whether to double down, and whether to hit or stand.^[19]

Blackjack Split Vs Double Down

One of the earliest proponents of the strategy of splitting eights is Ed Thorp, who developed the strategy on an IBM 704 as part of an overall blackjack strategic theory published in Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One in 1962.^[18][20][21] Thorp was the originator of the card counting system for blackjack.^[18]

Notes[edit]

Hands To Split In Blackjack

1. ^Gros, p. 60
2. ^ ^abcdeOrtiz, p. 56
3. ^Gros, p. 48
4. ^ ^abGros, p. 51
5. ^Jensen, pp. 22–23
6. ^ ^abcSchneider, p. 47
7. ^Gros, p. 52
8. ^ ^abSchneider, p. 49
9. ^Gros, p. 50
10. ^ ^abcdefJensen, p. 53
11. ^ ^abJensen, p. 56
12. ^ ^abHagen and Wiess, pp. 68
13. ^Schneider, p. 48
14. ^Hagen and Wiess, pp. 66–67
15. ^Scoblete, Frank. 'Why Splitting Eights At Blackjack Is An Iron Clad Rule'. Golden Touch Craps. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
16. ^Tamburin, Henry (25 October 1999). 'Splitting Aces and Eights'. Casino city Times. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
17. ^Snyder, Arnold (2005). 'Blackjack Basic Strategy: Aces and Eights'. Player Magazine (republished).
18. ^ ^abcGros, p. 44
19. ^Jensen, p. 51
20. ^Thorpe, Beat the Dealer as cited in Snyder, Arnold citation below
21. ^Levinger, Jeff (10 February 1961). 'Thorpe, 704 Beat Blackjack'(PDF). The Tech. Retrieved 30 May 2009.

References[edit]

• Dunki-Jacobs, Frits. Betting on Blackjack: A non-counter’s Breakthrough Guide to Making Profits at the Tables. Adams Media. pp. 28–34. ISBN1-58062-951-2.
• Gros, Roger. The Winner's Guide To Casino Gambling. Carlton Books Limited. pp. 44–69. ISBN1-85868-899-X.
• Hagen, Tom & Sonia Weiss (2005). The Everything Blackjack Strategy Book: Surefire ways to beat the house every time. Adams Media. pp. 66–68. ISBN1-59337-306-6.
• Jensen, Marten (2003). Beat Multiple Deck Blackjack. Cardoza Publishing. pp. 22–23, 51–56. ISBN1-58042-069-9.
• Ortiz, Darwin. Casino Gambling For The Clueless. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 55–59. ISBN0-8184-0609-7.
• Schneider, Meg Elaine. The Everything Casino Gambling Book (2nd ed.). Adams Media. pp. 47–49. ISBN1-59337-125-X.
• Thorp, Ed (1966). Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One. Vintage. ISBN0-394-70310-3.