Why You Split a Pair of Aces or Eights
By Arnold Snyder(First published in Player Magazine)
© 2005 Arnold Snyder
- You always split aces and 8s in blackjack. Of course, you can always find contrarians who disagree with everything, no matter how solid the math behind it is. This post is for people who want to understand in detail why you should always split aces and 8s in blackjack. A Pair of Aces in Blackjack Is a Soft Total of 12.
- By comparison, if you split the pair of 8s, your negative expectation drops to £0.48 against the ten and £0.37 against the ace. You can work out on your own which of the two plays is the best one. Player is dealt a pair of 8’s. Dealer’s Up card is a 10. According to Blackjack Basic Strategy Player should Split, but they could also Hit.
Aces and eights.
They are: always split aces and 8s, never splits 10s, never split 5s, always split 2s or 3s but only when the dealer has a 4, a 5, a 6 or a 7; always split 6s when the dealer is showing a 3, a 4, a 5, or a 6; always split 7s when the dealer shows a 2, a 3, a 4, a 5, a 6, or a 7 and always split 9s when the dealer is showing any number between 2.
Poker players know this as the 'Dead Man's Hand.' Legend tells us that these are the cards Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot down at a poker table in Deadwood, South Dakota, back in 1876.
To basic strategy blackjack players aces and eights have entirely different meanings. The common wisdom spouted by experienced players, dealers and pit bosses, is: 'Always split aces and eights.'
Virtually all players would agree that splitting aces makes sense as blackjack basic strategy. Who wouldn't trade one hand starting with a total of 12, for two hands starting with 11 each? Only a moron would keep the 12.
But eights?
Sure, it makes sense to split those eights in two when the dealer is showing a potential bust card. Who wants a blackjack hand totaling 16? No one. Ever. So if the dealer's got a five up, or a deuce, or any other pitiful low card, I'd rather take my chances with two hands starting with 8, than one lousy, rotten 16.
But that's as far as the 'common wisdom' may seem to make sense. When the dealer's got a scare card showing-any nine, ten, or ace-why on earth would I want to split my 8s? Sure, I know a 16 still looks like a loser. But two hands starting with 8 each against these scare cards just looks like two losers.
Or, so it seems…
In Beat the Dealer, Ed Thorp says that one of the hands that convinced the pit bosses that he was a complete fool back when he first hit Las Vegas as a blackjack card counter back in 1960 was a pair of eights. As per his computer analysis, he always split them. Before computers came along, it was not common wisdom to always split 8s. Is there an understandable logic behind this basic strategy play?
As a matter of fact, there is.
What if, instead of splitting 8s, casinos allowed us to 'toss' one eight whenever we were dealt a pair, and take our chances instead with whatever card the dealer dealt us to replace it?
That's a no-brainer. A total of 8 isn't nearly so bad a start on a blackjack hand as a total of 16. With the 8, you have a pretty decent chance of drawing a ten for an 18 total. And although I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of pitting my 18 against the dealer's ten up I sure do like it better than a 16! And I might even draw an ace, 2, or 3 on my 8, giving me a chance at a much stronger hand than 16.
It's not hard to see that a hand of 8 is a whole lot better than a 16 against a dealer ten. The 8 still looks like a loser, but nowhere near as bad of a loser. If I could toss one 8, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But casinos don't give me the toss option.
The option they do give me--splitting--seems bad because I've got to put more money on the table on a loser. Whether or not two hands of 8 each is better than one hand of 16 is really a question of which option loses the least. And I can only answer that if I know exactly how much more a 16 total costs me--over time--than an 8 total. How do I figure that out?
In 1956, a small group of mathematicians (Baldwin, Cantey, Maisel, and McDermott--memorialized by blackjack pros ever since as 'The Four Horsemen') used old-fashioned adding machines to calculate the answer to this and every other blackjack basic strategy question by tediously running through the math of every possible outcome. Their conclusion: Split the 8s. Even with twice the money on the table, they found, you'll fare better than you would taking your chances with that lousy 16.
For example, if the player has a sixteen versus a ten, with a $10 bet on the table, in the long run he will lose, on average, 40 cents on the hand. If he has a pair of 8s and he splits the 8s, so that he has two $10 hands starting with a total of 8, on average he will lose 16 cents on each of these hands, for a total loss of 32 cents. If you play the 16 against a ten instead of splitting the 8s, the long run cost is 8 cents for every ten dollars starting bet.
Splitting 8s versus dealer high cards is a classic defensive play. We know we will lose money on the play, but less than we would otherwise have lost.
Unfortunately, few players of that time believed the The Four Horsemen. Then, in 1962, Ed Thorp ran the same hand through his IBM computer and, in a fraction of the time it took those mathematicians, confirmed their answer. That 16 total is so bad, that when you see two 8s, you should throw the extra bet out there to split them with only one thought in your head: Thank heavens that sixteen isn't composed of a 9 and a 7, or a ten and a 6! With two 8s, you still have a fighting chance.
So, painful as it is, you should always split those is. But if you ever find a casino that offers the 'toss' option, don't split, toss! You heard it here first. ♠
In blackjack, the option to split your cards can be vital in order to increase your chances of winning, and lowering the house edge. For long-term success, understanding the advantages, disadvantages and when to pounce on the opportunity to split, is crucial. Splitting, as explained on our terminology page, refers to the option of dividing our hand into two separate hands, upon being dealt a matching pair.
We can split our hand if we are dealt two cards of the same value. For example, we can split two Aces, two Fours or two Kings. Depending on the rules, some blackjack games allow us to split non-matching face cards, because they are still valued at 10 points. For instance, we might be allowed to split a King and a Queen.
When splitting, we must place an additional bet equal to our original wager to cover the second hand. Our original matching cards will then be physically separated from each other to form two hands, and we will then be dealt an additional card for each new hand. Now, we play out our hands one at a time, just as we would if we had bet two hands at the start of the round, and we can opt to hit, stand, double down and even split again if the opportunity arises (although some games do not allow us to split again after already having split).
Note: If you are playing in a land-based casino, you must refrain from touching your cards at all times.
Again, depending on the style of 21 we are playing, there can be some slight variations in the rules regarding splitting, but there is always a level of restriction to limit or balance the tactic. The main rule which changes from game to game is the continual splitting option, where if we receive two of the same cards and opt to split them, and then receive another card of the same value, we may or may not be able to split again (and again).
Blackjack for online players
Split cards in play
Most styles of blackjack will let you double down on split hands, and also re-split your hands further if the possibility arises. However, as explained, some casinos have rules which restrict additional options. Here are the two common rule variations:
- If you split a pair of Aces, you will only be dealt one more additional card and you cannot hit, double down or split your hands any further and must work with the cards you’re dealt.
- If you split your hand once, further splits or double downs are not allowed.
If we are playing a standard game of blackjack, then standard rules stipulate we can generally split our hands up to a maximum of three times, which would mean we would be playing a total of four hands. Having said that, always check the rules before you begin playing either online or at a B&R casino to avoid confusion. It is important to try and make sure you have enough chips left so if you are dealt a couple of hands in which you’d be best served to split, you aren’t out of cash.
When to split
A common misconception for many in regards to splitting cards is that they should do so every time they receive a matching pair of the same value. Like all blackjack moves, splitting should be carefully considered and the dealer’s up-card should always be taken in to consideration.
Splitting Aces
Should I Split 8s In Blackjack
A pair of Aces is undoubtedly the most popular hand to split. By rule of thumb, we should always choose to split two Aces if we are dealt such a hand. In doing so, we are giving ourselves a greater chance to draw at least one blackjack hand. Alternately, if we opted to keep both Aces for a total value of either two or 12 points, this would eliminate and waste the potential for two separate hands reaching a natural blackjack. In some games, if we hit blackjack (whether it be after splitting or without splitting), we are paid out immediately, regardless of what the dealer has.
Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack
Note: Due to the popularity of splitting Aces in blackjack, should a split Ace be dealt a card valued at ten, some casinos and their rule variations will not regard that as a natural blackjack, and will not payout 3:2, but rather 1:1 Try to avoid such rules.