The key to winning at Blackjack consistently is to minimize your losses when the odds are against you and maximize your odds (and winnings) when the odds are in your favor. Doubling Down and Splitting are two ways that you can maximize your chances of winning when the cards are in your favor and against the house. What is Split in Blackjack? When splitting, you are offered a chance to split your two hole cards if they are forming a pair. For example, if you have two cards in your hand which are the same number as two sevens and two nines, then you can split them apart and play each one like two separate hands instead of one. House rules might vary here. Most blackjack games will permit you to split a maximum of three times (to play a total of four hands) When you should never split. Never split tens; This is a common rookie mistake in Blackjack. Splitting 10s basically sacrifice a great hand for a very slim opportunity at an even better one. 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). Split or Hit It is advised to split pairs of 2s, 3s or 7s if the dealer's card is from 2 to 7. In other cases it is advised to hit, as there is a high possibility of the dealer to go bust. Split or Hit It is advised to split a pair of 4s only if the dealer's card is 5 or 6.
- What Is A Split In Blackjack Game
- What Is A Split In Blackjack Card Game
- What Is A Split In Blackjack Strategy
This guide is up to disclose the essence of hit & stand solutions in Blackjack. These are the basic moves in this casino game. In the article below, we will point out situations that are the best for hitting or standing in the game without the need to learn any card counting tactics.
- ALSO READ: Blackjack Strategy & Card Counting Guide
What is Hit in Blackjack?
Hit is a decision in Blackjack that considers taking an additional card. If you choose this move, one more card will be added to your hand. You can hit until the value of your hand reaches or exceeds 21, as many times as you want, during the match.
For example, you have a 5 and a 6 in your initial hand. That means the value of your hand makes 11. There is no chance you will get busted if you hit, and you shouldn't stand because 11 is obviously not enough to win the match.
Thus, if you hit and get 3, the value of your hand will be 14. The best decision here would be to hit again, as the majority of dealers stand on soft 17, so you are likely to lose if you stand. You can hit until you get 21 or get busted, and the best solution depends on the value of your hand and the value of the dealer's hand. Below, we will explain the best situations to hit.
When to Hit in Blackjack?
There are situations when hitting in Blackjack will always be a better idea than choosing any other option. The tips on hitting below are based on the mathematical calculations of probabilities and can be used both by novice and advanced players. Here, we do not consider options like splitting or doubling down:
- Hit if your initial hand's value makes 4-11 – the thing about an 11 maximum hand value is you have no other options, except taking one more card. The thing is, here you are 100% safe from getting busted and can get a good combination after one or more hits.
- If you get hard 12, hit on the dealer's 2, 3, 7-Ace upcard – based on the mathematical calculations, you will have a better chance to get a good combination with this strategy, as the only way you can get busted is if you get 10.
- For 13-16, hit if the dealer has 7-Ace – the higher is the dealer upcard value, the more there are chances that your initial hand value is not enough to win.
When You Should Not Hit in BJ?
Here you can see the situations when you should avoid hitting:
- Do not hit if your initial hand value makes a hard 17-20 – this is already a good hand, which gives you high chances to win. On the other hand, hitting with 17 or higher will give you a high chance of getting busted.
- Never hit with soft 19 or soft 20 as well – there is an extremely low chance you will get a better combination in this game, and if dealer plays on a soft 17, you are already in a strong position.
- If you get soft 18, do not hit if the dealer has a 2, 7, or 8 upcard – a soft 18 is good enough to give you a chance to win already.
What is Stand in Blackjack
Stand is a decision in Blackjack that considers not taking any more cards in your hand. You choose to stand when you think you have the best value for your hand in the round. After you and the dealer stand, the value of both hands is calculated, and the winner is determined.
For example, when your initial hand makes 10-9, you are likely to stand instead of taking more cards. However, it also depends on the dealer's hand, which can make 10-10, meaning that you will lose 100% if you stand. Below we will disclose when to stand or not to stand in detail.
When to Stand in Blackjack?
Stand is one of the most important decisions in Blackjack, as you need to choose whether to risk-taking another card to improve your hand or stop at this spot and count on the dealer having a weaker hand. Here are some situations when you should definitely stand in Blackjack:
- If you have a hard 17-20, always stand – most dealers play soft 17, which means they stop hitting when they get as much as an Ace and a 6, so it is likely that you will win the match if you stand. On the other hand, if you have hard 17, you need 4 or less to improve your combination and not bust, and with hard 20, you need only an Ace to stay alive. It is obvious that the chances for this are rather low.
- Also, always stand if you have soft 20 or soft 19 – there are more chances that you will make your hand weaker than improving it. The thing is that in order to improve soft 19 (A, 8), you need another Ace or 10 on the next hit, and the chances of this happening are low. If you take two hits, the chance of getting more than 19 is low as well.
- When getting 13-16 with the dealer's 2-6 you better stand. The thing is that in this situation, the dealer has to have a high-value second card to beat your hand. For example, if you have 16, and the dealer has 6, he has to have 10 or an Ace to equal or beat your hand. Even if the second card is of low value like a 2 or 3, you still have more chances to win.
When you should not stand in Blackjack?
Space wars slot. There are also situations when standing will always be a bad idea:
- If you have 4-11, there is no chance standing would be a good idea. The thing is that if you hit in this situation, you only have chances to improve your hand, and you are safe from getting more than 21.
- Never stand if you have soft 12-16 – standing on this position would be a bad idea as most of the dealers play till soft 17, and even soft 16 can sometimes not be enough to win the match. It would be much better to hit in this situation, with high chances of improving your hand.
Hit & Stand Chart
This is one of the basic strategy charts, which is absolutely essential to beat the house edge when you play blackjack.
Hit & Stand Ultimate FAQ
This FAQ is composed of the most popular questions on hit & stand decisions in Blackjack. Google free online casino games.
Do you hit on a 12 in blackjack?
Should I hit or stand on 16?
How many times can you hit in blackjack?
Does the dealer hit on soft 17?
Other Blackjack Strategies
Along with the hit & stand solutions, there are also other, more advanced moves you can use to your benefit. You can choose among double down, split or surrender as well. Of course, you can limit your decisions with hit & stand, and still exploiting other moves in the right way will increase your chances to win when you use long-term strategies.
Double Down
Double down is a solution that allows you to increase your initial bet up to 100% (depending on Blackjack game rules), and add one more card to your hand. This is a good decision when you have a strong hand against the dealer's weak one. It allows you to increase your winnings up to 2 times. The only shortcoming of this decision – you cannot hit after you double down.
Split
Split is a decision that allows you to turn one hand into two hands and play each hand separately. Splitting is allowed when you get pairs in your initial hand (5-5, 6-6, etc.).
Depending on the Blackjack game you play, you can split more than once during the game, split Aces, etc. This is a good move in some situations. To use this move to your benefit, you should consider the dealer's hand as well.
Surrender
Surrender is a decision that allows you to save 50% of your bet. It considers that you can stop the game if you have a weak hand against the dealer's strong hand. This decision can be valuable if you want to cut your losses. It depends on the BJ game rules, whether it is possible to make the surrender move.
Kenny Rogers sang that: 'You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em'. But when it comes to blackjack, knowing when to split, when to hit, when to double and when standing will give you trouble is what it is all about.
Country music classics aside, when should you split in blackjack, and – just as importantly – when shouldn't you?
It's not a question that can be answered quickly or easily, and will depend on the cards in front of you as well as those in front of the dealer, so remembering the optimal play in any given situation is tricky. It takes time to master.
That said, there are a few key rules to get you started that will serve as a solid foundation from which to get to grips with the rest. This all assumes that you know what splitting is of course, so if you don't, read the next section before getting on to the nuts and bolts further down the page.
What Is Splitting?
Let's start right at the very beginning and explain what splitting actually means. In blackjack you will be dealt two cards and, quite simply, if those cards are a pair of the same number (or, for example two jacks, two aces and so on) then you can split them.
Splitting effectively creates two hands, so you will be required to put down the same stake again, doubling your overall bet for that round. The two original cards are split off, becoming the first card of two separate hands. You will then be dealt a second card for each of the original two and play these in turn against the dealer's card.
Splitting can be beneficial in a range of ways. It can, for example, allow you to bet more if the dealer has a very poor first card, such as a six. It can also allow you to bet more and create two very good hands, if, for example you draw a pair of aces first up. On the other hand, a pair of eights together is a very poor 16, with a high chance of busting; but split them and they become two decent first cards where you are in with a good chance of winning at least one and thus breaking even.
Always Split Eights & Aces
Basic strategy, otherwise known as optimal play, is a proven theory that gives you the best chance of winning. Unless a player is card counting, or with the odd more advanced situation that equates to very low level card counting, basic strategy irrefutably tells you what decision to make in any given situation at the blackjack table.
As with all elements of basic strategy, some of the minutiae is dependent on the exact rules of the format of blackjack you are playing. When it comes to splitting this concerns things like whether or not you can double after a split or re-split further pairs.
However, in terms of when to split there are two very simple rules that always apply and everyone should be able to remember. Casino slot games pc. These are:
- Always split aces (and re-split where allowed)
- Always split 8s
No matter what the dealer has or what rules are in play both of these calls improve your odds of winning in the long term (with one tiny exception discussed below). A pair of aces may be great if you're playing poker with Kenny Rogers, but in blackjack a soft 12 is no fun. Having two hands in play, both with an ace as the first card, is, however, a lot of fun – and highly likely to be profitable.
When it comes to eights, as said, whilst 16 is the worst two-card combination possible, an eight first up is not too shabby. With two hands starting with an eight there is a good probability that at least one will win. That means you have turned a probable losing hand into one that has an above average chance of breaking even.
In fact, detailed analysis shows that even against a very strong dealer hand, it is the right call to split those eights and double your stake. This might seem counterintuitive to many, as if the dealer has a 9, 10 or ace, many will feel that adding to their stake is the last thing they want to do. Computer analysis shows that against these strong dealer hands, splitting the 8s will see you 'lose about $43 per $100 bet' compared to a loss of $52 if you had hit the 16 (standing on 16 yields an even worse result).
But Never Split Fives or Tens
The next simple rule to follow when it comes to splitting concerns two times that you should never split. Once again this applies to all rule variations and just remembering these two things, plus the two above, will get you reasonably close to the minimum possible house edge with regards to this aspect of the game.
What Is A Split In Blackjack Game
- Never split 5s
- Never split 10s
Once again, this is an absolute rule with no exceptions, and whilst one part of the rule might seem quite obvious, the other is perhaps less evident. Not splitting 5s is something that we would expect most players to realise is wise. The pair is worth a very favourable 10 when added together but if you split them you are creating two very bad hands with the second-worst starter card possible.
The argument not to split 10s (including jacks, queens and kings) may seem less clear but is none the less watertight. A player unfamiliar with basic strategy may feel that having two good first cards and the chance to double their overall bet is one they should take, especially if the dealer is showing a poor first card, such as a five or a six.
However, by splitting 10s you are breaking up what is almost certainly a winning hand. Statistically 20 is a favourable position against any dealer hand including an ace. It will win more than 70% of the time and lose around 12% of the time (around 18% of hands being a push, or tie).
Whilst a 10 is indeed a strong first card, especially when you have two such hands, there is a better than five in 14 chance that you will draw a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 for your next card. This is a very good example of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, or for vegan blackjack fans out there, a berry in the hand being worth two on the bush.
Other Splitting Rules
Whilst those simple four rules work very well, basic strategy covers every eventuality, not just pairs of aces, 10s, 8s and 5s. We reemphasise that the following is a broad guideline, designed for four to eight-deck blackjack with standard rules including surrender. In other blackjack articles we have explained certain differences, such as whether or not the dealer stands or hits on a soft 17.
What Is A Split In Blackjack Card Game
When it comes to splitting, the difference is very minor and is only relevant to a pair of 8s. The only exception to the 'always split 8s' diktat is that if the dealer hits on a soft 17 and their upcard is an ace, you should surrender. Other than that, the rules are the same and can be summarised (though not very simply) thus:
- Split 9s – but stand if the dealer has 7, 10 or an ace
- Split 7s – unless the dealer has an 8 or upwards (in which case hit)
- Split 2s, 3s – if the dealer has 4, 5, 6 or 7. Hit to an 8 or higher. Only split to a 2 or 3 if double after split is permitted
- Split 4s – only to a five or six when double after split is permitted
- Split 6s – to a 3, 4, 5 or 6 and also to a 2 if double after split is allowed
What Is A Split In Blackjack Strategy
That might seem relatively complex but the beauty of playing at an online casino is that you can easily have these rules to hand. Splitting is one of the key decisions when it comes to blackjack so make sure you know when to split and when to hit (or stand) and give yourself the best odds of cashing in.
