Blackjack Always Split Aces And Eights

Remember once and for all: basic strategy recommends always split eights and aces. You may consider this one of the 'golden' rules. It is known to everyone who is more or less seriously interested in blackjack. Yet, some skillful players believe that split with a large card of dealer is unjustified. Let's see if they're right. The average hand in blackjack is 17.5. If you split the eights and hit a face card, a 10, or an ace, you’re beating the average. Don’t split nines because it’s a stronger hand (18). ALWAYS SPLIT ACES AND EIGHTS! Always split eights. Besides aces, the other pair that almost every Blackjack expert will tell you to split on is eights. It's difficult to get a good hand when you play your eights as one hand. Your chances aren't fantastic when you play them separately, but you do stand a better chance mathematically. According to everything I read, you are supposed ALWAYS split your aces and eights.and when the dealer hits a soft 17 you are supposed to double down with an 11. If you have a pair of Aces or Eights: Always Split. If you have a pair of twos or threes: Split if the Dealer has 2 – 7, otherwise Hit. If you have a pair of fours: Split if the Dealer has 5 or 6 – otherwise Hit. If you have a pair of fives: Double if the Dealer has 2 to 9 – otherwise Hit.

1. Blackjack Always Split Aces And Eights Game
2. Aces And Eights Blackjack
3. Blackjack Always Split Aces And Eights Full

People have been playing Blackjack since the middle of the 18th century.

It remains one of the most popular casino games, and for good reason. If you know what you’re doing, it’s possible to play Blackjack for a long time without losing too much and sometimes even coming out on top.

The beauty of the game is that there are only a limited number of blackjack wagers that you can make. It’s knowing when to make them that counts.

Read on to learn more.

The Basics

We are going to assume you know the basic rules of blackjack. If you don’t, you can find them here.

In normal play, some strategies make you statistically more likely to win. Firstly the most simple: if you have 17 or more, do not take another card. Regardless of what the dealer has, statistics show that if you take another card, you are far more likely to go bust than to turn over a four, three, two or ace, which are the only cards that can improve your hand.

At the opposite end of the scale, if you have a score between four and nine, you should always take another card, as no matter what card you turn over, you will still have less than 21, but will have improved your score.

There are tables that tell you exactly what you should do for every combination of your cards compared to the dealer’s face-up card. There are more than a hundred different combinations to learn, so you might need to use a learning technique such as concept mapping to help.

Blackjack Always Split Aces And Eights Game

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Doubling Down

This is a great way to win more money if you have a strong hand.

You add another wager that is the same size as your original stake and are given one more card only. It means that if you win, you will win twice as much, but you also have twice as much to lose.

That’s why you should only use this technique in certain circumstances. The most common is when you have either 10 or 11. Statistically, the most likely number to get from a single card is 10, as turning over a ten, jack, queen, or king will give you this total.

Doubling down on a 10 or 11 means you are most likely to score 20 or 21, which will very often be winning scores.

Splitting Pairs

If you are dealt two of the same card, you can split these cards, and play them as two separate hands. As with doubling down, you will need to match your original wager as you’re now playing two sets of cards.

This gives you twice the chances of winning, but also comes with twice the risk, so you should only do this under certain circumstances. The key phrase to remember is Aces and Eights. These are the pairs that you should always split.

Splitting aces gives you a good chance of getting 21 on at least one hand. Since the dealer has to hit anything below 17, a pair of eights isn’t a great hand, but splitting them gives you a good chance of hitting 18 or better or one or both of them.

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Ready to Try out Some of These Blackjack Wagers?

If you’re feeling ready to try out some of these blackjack wagers it’s important that you do so within your means.

Remember that the odds are stacked against you, so the likelihood is that you will lose money. Only gamble with an amount that you are willing to lose and can survive without. That way you’ll have a lot of fun and won’t leave yourself destitute.

For more tips and advice on a wide range of topics, check out the rest of our site.

Splitting is an interesting component of playing Blackjack that allows you to enter two hands in the same round if the first two cards in your initial hand are of the same value. So what is splitting, when can you do it and when should you? Read on to find out.

Aces And Eights Blackjack

What is splitting in Blackjack?

A player can split in a round of Blackjack if their opening two cards are of the same value. This means any pair from Ace through to nine and any two cards valued at ten (for instance, a ten and a Queen).

If a player decides to split, they must place a second bet for that round of the same value as their original bet, essentially doubling their stake. The two cards are then treated as the first card of two new independent hands that are played out separately. Should one of these hands become a pair, the player is allowed to split again and enter a third hand whilst tripling their stake, and so on.

Generally, you are allowed to hit or double down on a split hand, with the exception of if you have split two Aces, in which case the two hands are often not allowed to consist of more than two cards. In some cases, a Blackjack achieved on a split hand will not count as such, and simply be valued at 21.

In a game of Blackjack, opportunities to split will likely be rare. You have an approximate 0.5% chance of getting any pair from Aces to nines in your opening two cards, and a 9.4% probability of getting two cards valued at ten.

When to split in Blackjack

Blackjack Always Split Aces And Eights Full

It is arguably universally agreed that there are two scenarios in which you should always split: if you have a pair of Aces or a pair of eights.

You must carefully consider if you are going to split in Blackjack.

While you are likely to be prohibited to getting only one more card on two split Aces, this nonetheless presents two separate opportunities to get Blackjack. There will be an approximate 30.4% chance of a hand starting on an Ace getting Blackjack, equating to a 51.6% probability that at least one of your two hands will do so.

Meanwhile, a pair of eights presents a value of 16. This is widely considered to be the weakest opening hand in Blackjack, by virtue of the fact it is one beneath the minimum value of 17 that the dealer is required to finish on (meaning it is always likely to lose) but has a significant risk of going bust when hitting. Splitting a pair of eights averts this problem.

For a pair of nines, you should split in all circumstances unless the dealer’s face up card is a seven, worth ten or an Ace, in which case you should stand. If the dealer’s face up card is a seven, the most likely outcome is that their second card will be worth ten, meaning they will be forced to finish the round with a hand worth 17, less than your hand’s value of 18.

If the face up card is worth ten or an Ace then they have a chance to get Blackjack, meaning standing on a value of 18 is the option that presents the best chance of winning.

With the exception of pairs of fives, for pairs between two and seven you should look to split when the dealer’s face up card is certain values between two and seven and they are at the greatest risk of going bust. The information discussed in the last few paragraphs is summarised in the table below:

Blackjack splitting strategy

NB: This table assumes four to eight decks in play and that the dealer hits on a soft 17.

When not to split in Blackjack

Under no circumstances should you split on a pair of tens. An opening hand worth 20 is very strong and can only be beat by a Blackjack or a three-card hand worth 21, and the dealer has just an approximate 12.2% chance of getting this in any given round. When splitting a pair of tens, you are likely to end up with two separate hands both worth less than 20, essentially spurning a strong opportunity to win the round by putting yourself at risk of doubling your losses.

You should also never split on a pair of fives. In this situation, the best approach is to double down, as this will provide an approximate 53.8% chance of finishing your turn with a strong hand containing a value of 18 or higher. The exception here is if the dealer’s face up card is worth ten or an Ace and they therefore have a chance to get Blackjack, at which point you should hit.

For pairs of twos, threes and sevens you should not split if the dealer’s face up card is at least an eight, and for pairs of fours and sixes you should not split if the dealer’s face up card is at least a seven. For pairs of fours, you should also never split if the dealer’s face up card is beneath five, at which point they have a plausible opportunity to build a high value hand via three cards.

Enhance your Blackjack strategy

If you’re looking for general advice on how to play Blackjack, read our guide to Blackjack. If you want to learn more on how to inform your Blackjack strategy, remember to read our articles on how to double down and surrender, alongside how to place a side bet and insurance bet.

We also have an article outlining an advanced Blackjack strategy. If you want to learn more about Blackjack beyond how to play the game, you can read about the history of Blackjack.

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