What to do when you're dealt a pair of eights?

• Should I Split 8s In Blackjack
• Why Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack
• Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack
• Do You Always Split 8's In Blackjack
• Should You Split 8's In Blackjack

If you have a pair of 8's against a dealer 10 (6 deck shoe) The expected value are: Stand -0.536853 Hit -0.535361 Split -0.486276 with No Double After Split allowed Split -0.475385 when Double After Split allowed Surrender -0.500 with no variation Splitting is the best option against a 10 (although it is not much better than surrender). If you’ve spent any time studying blackjack basic strategy, you’ve probably heard that you should always split aces and eights. The goal of this post is to explain why this is the appropriate move in almost any variation of blackjack. It doesn’t matter what the dealer’s face-up card is, by the way.

On the other hand, if you choose to split, you have four ways to get a 21 in either hand (being dealt a 10, J, Q, or K). Always split eights; Besides aces, the other pair that just about every Blackjack expert will tell you to split on is eights. As it’s difficult to get a good hand when you play your eights as one hand. A guide to when you should & shouldn't split in blackjack. Always split Aces & Eights, but never split Fives & Tens. Rules about re-splitting are covered, too. One of the golden rules of basic strategists is to always split paired 8s in all blackjack variations where the dealer is bound to draw to 16 and stand on all 17s. This applies no matter whether the respective S17 game plays with one, two, four, six, or eight decks.

This is actually an academic question in blackjack circles, but I've still been encountered by my share of people who have their doubts about which move to make.

No responsible Basis Strategy would dictate the player do anything but split those eights. But it may look curious to someone who wonders whether, even if a ten is drawn to each of the split 8's - having twin 18's, which is not the strongest two-card hand anyone could have, merits putting twice as much money on the table.

Indeed, since the dealer achieves an average hand of 18.23, you're going to find yourself on the losing side of the equation more often than not.

But that's not the whole story here. In fact, it's not the story at all. When you're dealt a pair of eights, it represents what you might call a trichotomous situation. That is, there is a tremendous difference between making the correct move and the incorrect move, or in this case moves, since you would have three options here - hitting, standing or splitting.

Hitting the eights, which in effect constitutes hitting a hard 16, will cause you to lose over 60% more times than if you split the hand.

Should I Split 8s In Blackjack

If you STAND with the pair of eights, it's even less effective, as you'll lose 74% more.

But is this any surprise? A 16 is one of the worst 'stiff' hands the player could have.

Splitting eights is by far the most prudent play you could make in this situation, and in fact, stands as one of the cardinal rules of Basic Strategy. It works not only mathematically, but should make perfect logistical sense, in that it takes your stiff hand and immediately transforms it into two hands that each have a fighting chance to beat the dealer.

By Charles Jay

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More Blackjack Tips

Blackjack is considered to be one of the most complicated games to play, so many professional players share their gaming experience and knowledge to help others. This is how was the basic blackjack strategy created with such a helpful blackjacks strategy chart! If players want to become real blackjack gurus, they have to learn how to play blackjack and then master their skills constantly by practicing online, playing with skilled players and also reading blackjack books or watching the educational movies on this subject.

But no one wants to lose a lot during their learning, of course. That is why it is recommended to make use of basic strategies which contain sets of the best moves, which may be made by players. Those moves guide were created by professional players, who played blackjack for a long period of time and understood the dependence of the card which have been dealt already and cards, which are still in the shoe.

Why Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

Those strategies were developed according to the hands that players have. There are special basic strategies for hard and soft hands. But there is also one more type of blackjack hand – hand where two cards are of the same rank. In this situation players should use the Strategy for Splitting Pairs.

Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack

Do You Always Split 8's In Blackjack

Here is presented the basic strategy when playing blackjack with a hand that consists of a pair. This is also called the splitting pairs strategy.

Should You Split 8's In Blackjack