How To Split In Blackjack

Among the most misunderstood facets of playing Blackjack is that of splitting a pair of cards. Realising when to split, and when to stay with what you have got is essential to your play. As ever, a great deal hinges upon what cards you have and what the dealer’s upcard is displaying. A key aspect is to remember there are a lot of cards with a value of 10 in the pack than any other value.

For a start, never split a pair of face cards or a pair of tens! With these cards you’ve a really strong hand of 20 and there’s no point in ruining it by splitting. By contrast, always split a pair of aces. A single ace with another card is a much stronger hand than two aces and by splitting up your probabilities of ending up with a high hand or even 21 are really good.

A pair of 9s are best split if the dealer is displaying a weak card of 2 to 6. If the dealer is displaying an 8 you should also. Similarly, if the dealer is displaying a 9 you ought to split because if the dealer gets 19 it will beat your current hand of 18. If the dealer is displaying a 7 then you ought to stand.

A pair of 7s should be split if the dealer’s upcard is 7 or less. A hand of 14 is a weak hand but by splitting there’s a good probability you’ll convert that into a pair of 17s. If the dealer is showing an 8 there’s a good stay with what you have got and be prepared to lose the hand. You’re better off just losing the one hand against an 18 than losing two hands of 17 against a dealer’s 18. Split a pair of 6s if the dealer is displaying a 6 or lower. It is risky to split 6s because you might end up with two hands of 16 so only do it if the dealer is displaying a weak hand of below 6 that may lead to the dealer busting.

Never ever split a pair of fives. Your hand is now a very strong ten. Keep the fives and take a hit. Don’t split 4s either unless the dealer is displaying a 5 or 6. If you split a pair of 4s you are in all likelihood to hit a hard 14. 5 or 6 for the dealer however is in all likelihood to give the dealer a tricky 15 or 16 so it’s worth your while splitting.

You should split 2s or 3s if the dealer is showing a weak upcard of below 7.
By knowing when to split and when to take a hit with what you have got you will be able to add critical strategy to your Blackjack play.

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