Splitting your cards in blackjack can be a two-edged sword. If you split at the right moment and place your game right, you’ll be able to tilt the game in your favour and win the round but if you are unable to achieve that you’ll lose twice as much as you would have lost if you didn’t split. It’s no wonder why Splitting seems like a no-mans-land for experienced players and beginners alike. If you made it here, that’s means you are curious about it. Lucky for you, you won’t just be reading what it means to split in this blog post but you’ll also learn when to split when playing blackjack.
What does it mean to split in blackjack?
Split is a move in blackjack just like hit or double down. When playing blackjack, splitting is a move that permits the player to split the pair he/she receives into separate hands – both hands have their life cycle.
To further expatiate on what it means to split, let’s assume you are playing a game of blackjack and your dealer, deals you a pair. If the cards you are holding on your hands are of the same number, say two aces or two eights, you’ll be able to split them apart and play each card as a separate hand. If it’s so easy I don’t understand why many would dodge or avoid it? The reason is that to split you’ll have to place a bet equal to your original bet otherwise you won’t be able to.
The downside associated with splitting is if you don’t know or have a working strategy, you might end up losing all your money.
When should I split my cards in blackjack?
In blackjack, certain hands or cards favours splitting as compared to other cards. As a player who is aiming to become the best in blackjack and ultimately out best every dealer you play with, you should be familiar with those cards because they’ll help you in knowing when it’s okay for you to spit. Just as some hands favour splitting, some aren’t good for splitting at all and there are times when you should split based on your dealer’s top card. Interesting? I thought so too. In this guide, I’ll be showing you the best scenarios you should split in.
Split Aces
Whenever you are being dealt a pair of aces, it’s a wiser option to split first rather than playing something else. Why should I split my aces? The answer is practically obvious but I’ll explain. When you hold a pair of aces on your hands, one caries the value 1 while the other, the value 11. This means that you have a total of 12 cards which means that only the number 9 can get you to 21. However, if you should draw a card that’s been valued as 10 then the pair of aces will be valued as 2 which means you still have 12 cards in your hands.
Split Eights
Having a pair of eights is not a good hand when playing blackjack, because without splitting them you are now so close to 21 that if lady luck isn’t on your side, you’ll end up bursting and leaving the game.
Having eights places you at a disadvantage but by being able to split them quickly changes that disadvantage and gives you a competitive hand.
The above pairs are the two best pairs you should always split. There are cards that you shouldn’t split. Those cards are tens, fours, and fives. For tens you are practically close to 21 you can win the game as it is so why split? Your probability of winning becomes slimmer when you split such a pair. Splitting fours and fives doesn’t make sense because even without splitting them, adding another card won’t make you burst and rather it’ll take you closer to 21.
Other scenarios where you should split your cards include:
- When you have twos, threes, and sevens and your dealer’s top card is two through seven.
- When you have nines and your dealer’s top card is two through six, eight or nine.
- When you have sixes and your dealer’s top card is two through six.
In those scenarios, it’ll be safer for you to split in order to win the game than to carry out any other plan or option.
With these splitting strategies, you’ll be able to win real money by playing in an online casino with real money. Do you want to practice this strategy? Then visit casinomarin.com today.
