Why do you split 8s against 10?

Michael Shackleford, who calls himself "the Wizard of Odds," says splitting 8s against a dealer 10 has the "smallest expected loss" (as opposed to staying, hitting or doubling) of all moves with a pair of 8s.

Why split 8s vs 10?

If you stand on a pair of 8s vs. a 10, you win only if the dealer busts, and the dealer busts only a bit more than 21 percent of the time when starting with a 10-value card. If you hit, you lose any time you draw a 6 or higher to bust, and even if you draw a low card, you can lose to a better dealer's hand.

Why do you always split 8s?

Splitting eights limits one's losses and improves one's hand. Probabilistic research of expected value scenarios shows that by splitting eights one can convert a hand that presents an expected loss to two hands that may present an expected profit or a reduced loss, depending on what the dealer is showing.

Why do you never split 10s?

That's not too surprising because it's tough for the dealer to beat a strong hand of 20. If you split the 10s one time, you stand to win 63% and lose 37% on each split hand. That's a significant decrease in the number of hands won simply because if you split, you will often end up with less than 20 on both hands.

Are you not supposed to split 10s in blackjack?

Splitting a 10-10 hand is fine, but not a jack-queen hand, for example. After the first split, doubling down and further splitting of hands may be limited. After the first split, an ace and a ten-card may be regarded as a non-blackjack 21. After splitting aces you're generally not allowed to hit more than once.

Blackjack Card Game Tips : Blackjack Splitting Aces & Eights

Should you split 8s or surrender in blackjack?

According to The Wizard of Odds, if you follow the basic strategy, you should Split 8's, with one exception: If the dealer hits on soft 17 and is showing an Ace, then you should Surrender.

Should you ever hit on 17?

It is best to hit when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over. An ace gives you a good chance of making 21 with a hit. When a dealer has a seven, eight or nine card it is impossible for them to make a blackjack, so your chances increase.

Should you split 8s against a 4?

It's important to note that Shackleford's math indicates there's still an expected loss - likely more than half of your original bet. Other experts advise against splitting 8s against anything but a 7, or unless the dealer shows a bust card of 3, 4, 5 or 6.

Is it better to split 10s or 6 in blackjack?

As for the arithmetic, the statistical data on how often you will win when you split a pair of 10s against a dealer showing a 6 is 64% of the time. Your profit expectations for every $100 you bet while splitting those 10s will be, on average, a $56 profit.

What pairs do you never split in blackjack?

Do you always split 9s in blackjack?

For example, if you are dealt a pair of 9s against a dealer's 6 upcard, you should split them. Suppose on the first 9, you are dealt another 9 on the draw. You should resplit to form a third hand. If the casino allows resplits up to a total of four hands, then you should resplit again if you are dealt another 9.

Do you always split 7s?

In multi-deck games, always split 7s against a dealer's 2 through 7, otherwise hit. In double-deck games, split 7s against dealer's 2-8 if DAS or 2-7 if NDAS; otherwise hit.

Should you split 3s against a 10?

The pair of 3s should be split versus the dealer's 4 through 7. Hitting is optimal with 3s when the dealer starts their hand with 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, and ace. This is because hitting slightly overpowers the split where expected value is concerned.

Should I split 10s against a 5?

Some card-counting experts suggest splitting 10s in very specific situations. For example: if you're counting cards and know that there are lots of 10s left in the shoe, it can make sense to split 10s against a dealer showing 5 or 6 (which suggest a weak hand).

Do you double down on 11 against a 10?

When you double down, you risk losing double your original bet, but with 11 vs. 10, you win double your bet more often, giving you a higher average profit.

Do you ever split 4S?

RESPLITTING 4S

If the playing rules allow you to resplit, then it is advantageous for you to do so. For example, if you were dealt a pair of 4s against a dealer's 5 upcard with DAS, you should split. Suppose on the first 4, you are dealt another 4 on the draw. You should resplit to form a third hand.

Should you split 8s against 10 or surrender?

According to this basic strategy table , you should always split 8's. The one exception is if dealer hits soft 17 and the casino offers surrender, in which case you surrender your 8's against an ace. But splitting 8's even then is not a big mistake, so “always split 8's” is not a bad rule.

Why is blackjack not 50 50?

Blackjack is roughly 50.5 / 49.5 or about 1/2% house edge. Depending on the rules AND the player's decisions, excluding advantage play, the house edge can be anywhere between -. 13% and 2%. If it was neither side would profit and it would be thus losing money to casino(salary of dealers etc).

Why is 3 to 2 better than 6 to 5 in blackjack?

What's The Difference? The difference between 3:2 blackjack and 6:5 blackjack is simple. If you have a winning blackjack hand, you get paid 3 dollars for every 2 that you bet, or 1.5:1 odds. In 6:5 you get paid $6 for every $5 you bet, which is 1.2:1 odds.

Should you hit on 16?

If you hit the 16, you will win 25.23 percent of the time, bust out 69.31 percent of the time and push 5.46 percent of the time for a net loss of 44.08 percent of the time. By standing on the “hard 16” you will win 29.01 percent of the time and lose 70.99 percent of the time for a loss of 41.98 percent of the time.

Do automatic shufflers change blackjack odds?

But that's true regardless of how the cards are shuffled. If you want to play a betting progression, continuous shufflers do not affect the odds against you. There is one aspect in which a continuous shuffler hurts a progression player: More hands are dealt per hour when there are no shuffle breaks.

Why not split 9s against a 7?

Players should refrain from choosing this move as the odds are not in their favour. In fact, 9s versus 7 is considered one of the trickiest hands in blackjack and as such, it is frequently misplayed by novices. A total of hard 18 holds well against the dealer's 7 and so does starting two hands with a 9 each.

Why not split 4s against a 4?

Another important thing to take into account is that in the situations where they have a pair of 4s against a 4 as the dealer's upcard, it is only acceptable to split (rather than hit) in single-deck blackjack that permits them to double after a pair split.

Should you split two 5s in blackjack?

One of the absolutes in blackjack is that you should never split 5s. Most players aren't even tempted, because they recognize they have a much stronger building block for a hand when they start with 10 than starting each of two hands with 5s.

Do you always double down on 11?

If the dealer is showing a lower card than a 10, it is good strategy to double down. If the casino rules dictate the dealer must hit soft 17, you should always double down on 11 no matter what the dealers up card.