Learning when to split on your pairs is a golden ticket to winning hands at the blackjack table; for few people understand that strategy can vastly improve your game in the online casino.
In blackjack you’re offered a split when you have a pair from the first two cards and many first-timers immediately go for it because of the novelty value.
Bad mistake. The split effectively gives you two hands on the same table and you have to match your initial bet to split the hand. If you have Pair 4 and split, you’ve got two weak hands and will probably lose both stakes.
No, harnessing a good split strategy can be the difference between losing it all and winning big in blackjack and you should learn this method for when you play in the online casino.
The first consideration you must make is ‘what strength are these cards individually?’ Of course, don’t split on a Pair 10 or 9 because 20 or 18 are decent hands in blackjack and worth keeping.
Anything between Pair 6 to 8 is a decent hand to split because you have leeway to twist twice on each individual card and not run too high a risk of going bust. Always split on Pair 8, but only split Pairs 7 and 6 if the dealer’s turned card is lower than 7.
This is because you want to be higher than the dealer from the off and so hitting on Pair 6s and 7s is worth the risk if their hand is strong.
Twisting on Pair 5s is also a good idea and worth doubling up your stake if possible, because a 10 or Ace here effectively gets you a win over the dealer. You know you’re sat next to a novice blackjack player if they split Pair 5 – so don’t let it be you.
As for a Pair Ace it’s worth splitting because these cards individually are valuable and wield much more influence on their own than together.
Remember, if you don’t feel comfortable splitting then don’t. There’s no rule to say you have to.
Once you’ve considered your splitting strategy then it’s time to put in into practice in the online casino, where you can watch others make the mistakes you now know are costly.