High Pair Strategies For Online Blackjack Explained

• Published: July 23, 2015
• Comments
• 

When you are playing blackjack online you should use the strategy card if you have access to it. In the event that you do not have access to the blackjack strategy card, you have no option but to memorize the optimum strategy for the particular blackjack variant that you are playing. Though this task can be difficult, it is not impossible because there is a logical rationale in the choices. This article discusses this rationale for high pairs dealt in the first two cards. Pairs of eight and above, including aces, are considered as high pairs. The optimum blackjack strategy is simpler for high pairs because it is largely independent of the dealer’s face up card.

When you have a pair of eights you should always split. A hand value of 16 puts you in no man’s land. You cannot hit for fear of busting and it is not good enough to stand. It is better to pay the extra wager and start each hand with a value of 8. When you have a pair of nines you start with a hand value of 18. This is of course considerably better than a hand value of 16. But computer simulations show that starting with a hand value of 9 is better because of the chance of ending up with 19 or 20. This is because almost 40% of the deck consists of cards are valued at 10 or 11. Here the dealer’s face up card does come into play. If the dealer has a 10 value card or an ace he stands a good chance of getting a blackjack. In that event it is not worth risking the additional amount with a split. You stand and hope for the best.

With a pair of tens you stand, no matter what. A hand value of 20 is almost perfect and it would be foolish to disturb that. You always split a pair of aces. It is bad strategy to progress with a starting point of 12 or 2 because you are likely to get stuck up somewhere around 17 or 18. And it would be crazy to give up the chance of getting one or two blackjacks.

These are basic strategies that have to be fine-tuned for the exact online blackjack variant that you are playing. Suppose you are playing American blackjack with 4 or more decks and with the dealer standing on soft 17. Then you must make an adjustment to the above strategy. For a pair of nines you stand and not split if the dealer shows a 7.