Splitting Pairs

The Split Move in Blackjack and Its Intricacies

While blackjack is a rather straightforward game to play, one could face puzzling situations requiring specific actions to reduce the house advantage. While it is perfectly fine to play without using any strategy, you will significantly reduce your long-term winning chances, which may also result in shorter playing sessions to enjoy the card game.

Fortunately, blackjack aficionados have developed several blackjack strategies, with the basic strategy being widely recognized as the most advantageous system to use. Making decisions in blackjack based on the basic strategy will help you reduce the house edge, which may minimize your losses and help your bankroll last longer. If you take a look at a basic strategy chart, you will notice that “splitting” is one of the recommended moves for certain pair hands.

The split option often allows players to improve their winning chances; however, splitting is not the optimal move for every pair. If you are curious about this move and the ways you can use it correctly, you should check the rest of this article.

The Splitting Move

When you are dealt two cards of the same rank, you have the chance to split them into two individual hands. They are separate hands, and you should treat them as such, meaning that you should apply a different strategy to each of them. Whenever you split a pair, you are required to place a bet equal to your original wager. After you are dealt one card for each hand, you are ready to play each hand.

In most cases, if you receive another pair, you are allowed to perform the same move again, a process often referred to as re-splitting. It is vital to become familiar with the best approach for the different pairs, as only then will you be able to handle such situations with ease.

Strategy for Splitting Pairs

As already indicated, if you want to increase your chances of winning and get the most out of every hand, you should use an efficient strategy and apply it correctly throughout the game. The first thing you need to know when you have two cards of identical rank is that you should treat such card combinations differently from other hands. Some pairs are extremely beneficial and should always be split, whereas others should never be split. Let’s have a look at some of the pairs you may receive during the game and how to cope with them successfully.

Best Moves for a Pair of 2s, 3s, 6s, and 7s

We will discuss the pairs consisting of 2s, 3s, 6s, or 7s together because their strategy is the same. It is helpful to group pairs with identical or similar strategies, as this makes them much easier to remember. If you ever find yourself holding any of these pairs, you have two main options—to split or to hit. If the dealer’s up card is from two through seven, you should split the pair. The reason why it is beneficial to make this move is that the dealer is in a weak position.

In such cases, you should try to maximise your profit because your chances of winning are good. When the dealer has an eight, a nine, a ten, or an ace, your best move is to hit. If you split the pair in such situations, the totals of the two new hands are unlikely to be sufficient to beat the dealer.

Having two 6s as your first two cards is considered an unfavorable way to start the game, as your chances of busting are significantly high, provided that you hit. The strategy for this pair is the same as for the other pairs mentioned above, except when the dealer shows a seven; in that case you should hit. The reason why you should refrain from splitting here is that you will most likely end up with two weak hands.

Best Moves for a Pair of 4s

Whenever you have two 4s, splitting is also among the best moves you can make, but only in two specific situations. If the dealer’s up card is a five or a six, it is best to split this pair and form two new hands. The motive behind this move is that by splitting the two cards, you have a good chance of creating an advantageous situation in which you can double down. In all other situations, you should hit, as there are more cards in the deck that will improve your hand than ones that will cause you to bust.

Best Moves for a Pair of 9s

If you receive two 9s, you should usually split, because each new hand will start with a nine, which is a fairly good position. Both new hands have decent chances of forming a strong total and beating the dealer, especially if the dealer is in a weak position. If the dealer’s up card is 2 through 6, or an 8 or 9, you should split. If the dealer is showing a seven, a ten, or an ace, it is advisable to simply stand. These moves are optimal when playing single-deck blackjack in which the dealer stands on all 17s. If you opt for any other move, you will most likely end up losing your bet. By choosing to stand, you have a very good chance of beating the dealer or at least finishing with the same total, resulting in a push.

Splitting a Pair of Aces

An ace is the most powerful card in blackjack, as it provides players with flexibility. If you are a blackjack fan, you know that aces count as 1 or 11 depending on the player’s needs and form the so-called soft hands. Hence, a pair of aces can count as 2 or 12, which is not a good starting hand. This is the reason why splitting a pair of aces is your best option regardless of the dealer’s up card and the blackjack variation you play. By splitting your pair of aces, you will have two strong separate hands and cut down the house edge by 0.19%.

Once you split the pair of aces, each new hand with a starting point of 11 will be dealt one more card. Some casinos allow their players to re-split already split aces if any of the new hands are dealt another ace. However, this is a very rare rule as it further increases players’ winning chances and reduces the house edge by 0.08%.

As a matter of fact, ten-valued cards significantly outnumber the others in the blackjack deck. Hence, you have good chances of drawing a ten and forming blackjack. If you play single-deck blackjack, the total number of ten-valued cards is 16. After you are dealt two cards and the dealer holds one, 49 cards remain in the deck. This means that you have a 16/49 = 0.3265 × 100 ≈ 32.65% chance of drawing a ten and forming blackjack. That is why it is always better to split aces.

Splitting Paired 8s

If you are interested in playing blackjack, you have most likely heard that a pair of 8s is the worst hand one could get. But have you ever wondered why this hand is so problematic? Well, a pair of 8s is equal to hard 16. The likelihood of going bust if you do not split the pair is very high, meaning that hitting is not an option. On the other hand, standing is also not the best move, as the hand is not strong enough and the dealer stands a good chance of finishing with a better total. Surrender is an option, but only when the dealer’s up card is an ace or a ten and the dealer hits on soft 17.

According to the basic strategy, splitting a pair of 8s is the right decision when the dealer’s up card shows anything from 2 through 9, regardless of the blackjack variation you are playing.

Never Split a Pair of 5s or 10s

When it comes to a pair of 5s or 10s, splitting is not a good idea. A pair of 5s means that the starting value of your hand is 10. Therefore, you have a good chance of improving your hand without busting. If you are lucky enough to draw an ace, you will hit blackjack. On the other hand, if you split paired 5s, you will have two separate hands, each having a starting value of 5. Since splitting is not the optimal move, the best move you can make is to either double down or hit, depending on the dealer’s up card. If the dealer holds 2 through 9, then you have to double down. Hitting a pair of 5s is the best move when the dealer’s up card is 10 or an ace.

Of all pairs you can get while playing blackjack, a pair of 10s is the most common because the ten-valued cards are the most numerous in the deck. Hence, you should know how to act if you receive paired 10s. A pair of 10s is a very strong hand as it totals 20. Splitting paired 10s means that you will have two separate hands, each having a starting point of 10, which puts you in a less favorable position.

Rule Variations of Splitting in Blackjack

The rules regarding splitting can vary, depending on the casino and the version you are playing. In some games, you are allowed to split every pair. However, when it comes to aces, you are limited to doing so only once. In general, it is always best to check all of the rules regarding a pair of aces since it consists of two of the most powerful cards in the deck. It should be noted that if you manage to get blackjack as a result of split aces, it is considered simply as any other combination whose total is twenty-one. The payout in such cases is even money, not the usual 3:2 for a natural blackjack.

Sometimes it is permitted to double down after splitting, but sometimes it is not. In the latter case, the house edge increases by approximately 0.12%. You should always check the rules of the version you are going to play in advance so that you can alter your strategy accordingly. The rules regarding re-splitting can also differ from one casino to another. In some games, you have the chance to re-split pairs as many times as you wish, whereas in others you might be restricted to a limited number of hands.

Conclusion

Blackjack is an extremely exciting game that offers you the opportunity to influence the outcome of every hand by using strategy. One of the card combinations you can receive during the course of the game is two cards of the same value. While it is true that there are many pairs which should be split, you also need to note that there are some you should avoid splitting. To handle such situations properly, it is advisable to get familiar with the best moves for each pair.

FAQ: Splitting Pairs in Blackjack