Simple Blackjack Splitting Strategy

• Published: December 4, 2014
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In online blackjack when your first two dealt cards are of equal rank, then the split move comes into play. It is an optional move. If exercised, you will split the hand into two hands and immediately take one more card in each hand. You will then play each hand independently in the normal way. When you exercise this move, you have to place another equal wager for the second hand.

The simple blackjack split strategy is divided into three sections. The first section deals with equal ranked cards that must never be split. You should continue playing with a single hand. If you hold two like ranked cards of value 10 then you must not split. A hand value of 20 is near perfect. By splitting it is unlikely that you will reach a hand value of 20 in either hand. The second hand that you should never split is two fives. Two fives give a hand value of 10. With the third card it is very likely that you will get a hand value of 18 or more. This is a very comfortable position. If you split fives then you are likely to get stuck with hand values of about 15 in both hands. For the same reason you should never split fours.

The next section deals with equal ranked cards that must always be split. You must always split aces. Two aces give a hand value of either 12 or 2, both of which have a high probability of busting. Each hand with a single ace can give you a blackjack. The likelihood is that you will end up with a valid hand value of over 18. Similarly, the simple blackjack strategy states that two nine and two eights must always be split.

In the third section, which covers the remainder of the pairs, the decision to split depends on the dealer's face up card. The dealer’s face up card gives a clue to the possible strength of the dealer’s hand. If the dealer's face up card is an eight, nine, ace or a 10 value card then he is in a strong position and you should not risk the additional wager by splitting your hand. However if the dealer's face up card is a seven or less then the dealer is in a weak position. Therefore you should take advantage of the situation by splitting your hand.

The basic splitting strategy will give good returns to new players. But if you want the best possible results you will have to learn the optimum blackjack strategy that is more complex.