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Why Should You Always Split 8's In Blackjack

One of the best rules in blackjack is the 3 to 2 payout when you get an ace and a ten on your initial hand. This is called a “natural” or a “blackjack”. But you’ll find more casinos than everoffering games where the payout for this hand is only 6 to 5.

Always split aces and 8s. That is one of the golden rules for blackjack players but not according to a friend of mine. He insists that splitting 8s against a dealer upcard of 9, 10 or ace is crazy because you are probably going to lose anyway, so why double your loss by splitting? Although my friend's logic appears to make sense, it is flawed. Basic strategy states that you should always split these pairs. There is a prevailing reason for splitting each of them.Dec 25, 2008 Why should you always split 8s in blackjack? Since Ive been old enough to gamble the most popular piece of advice for blackjack I get is always split aces and eights but nobody ever explains why. When we were discussing blackjack basic strategy, I mentioned that one of the absolutes of pair splitting was to always split aces and 8s. Because, I answered, they are horrible hands and splitting them is a defensive move that will help you lose less money than by leaving them intact. Splitting 8s is very much a move that basic strategy players swear. This is because two hands starting with an 8 each isn’t nearly so bad a start to a new blackjack round as a hard total of 16. Many could argue that splitting is bad because it means the player must put another bet of the same value on the table.

A pair of aces should always be split because the total of these two cards is 12, a very bad total for the blackjack player. The more important reason, however, is that when you split aces there is a better than average chance that you will receive a ten-valued card on one or both of them.

Here’s how that works:

In a normal blackjack game, you bet $100. You get a natural. Your payout is $150.

In a 6/5 blackjack, you bet $100. You get a natural. Your payout is only $120.

Casinos offer other rule changes that favor the player in exchange for the reduced payout, but these rules are never good enough to account for that lower payoff on a natural.

Here are some examples of those favorable rules:

  • Single deck game
  • Dealer stands on soft 17
  • Player can double after splitting
  • Player can double on any 2 cards

These rule changes do have an effect on the house edge. A single deck game has a house edge 0.61% better than a single deck game. The dealer standing on soft 17 instead of hitting has a houseedge of 0.2% better. Being able to double after splitting is good for almost 0.15%. Being able to double on any two cards is worth about 0.2%, too.

In fact, if you combine all the rules variations I listed, you’ll get a net gain of 1.2%, which is significant.

Here’s the problem, though:

Always

6/5 blackjack gives the house an extra 1.35% edge.

And most casinos don’t give you ALL the good rules. They just give you enough good rules to convince you to try their 6/5 game.

Don’t do it. Even if you’re an excellent card counter, overcoming that extra 1.35% is tough.

Want to know how much that would actually cost you?

Assume an average 3/2 blackjack game offers the house an edge 1%. The 6/5 version has a house edge of 2.35%, instead.

Assume 60 hands per hour at $10 per hand. That’s $600 in action per hour.

Why Should You Always Split 8's In Blackjackin Blackjack

You’ll lose, on average, $6 per hour playing the standard game.

Why Should You Always Split 8's In Blackjack Terms

But if you play 6/5 instead, you’ll lose an average of $14.10 per hour.

Why Should You Always Split 8's In Blackjack Card Game

Just say no to 6/5 blackjack. If enough players refuse to play, the casinos might stop offering it.