Why Do Blackjack Basic Strategy Players Always Split 8s? 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. 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.
FACTS OF SPLITTING 8s AGAINST A 10
By Henry Tamburin
The May 2009 issue of Casino Player magazine contains an interview with gambling writer and maverick John Patrick, who advocates an “unorthodox” approach to gambling. In the interview, Patrick offers this explanation (in his words) as to why he wouldn’t split a pair of 8s against a dealer 10 and instead would surrender the hand:
“If you’re playing blackjack for $10 a hand and you are dealt two eights and the dealer has a king showing, the book says to split. So you split and you put another $10 up there. Now, there’re gonna give you a card on each eight, which means you have one eight with a card for $10, and another eight with another card for $10. The dealer still has that king showing. How have you improved your situation? Why would you take a bad hand of two eights and turn it into two bad hands, when you admittedly are inferior to the dealer’s hand?” Patrick then goes on to say that if he were dealt this hand, “I’d surrender. I’m gonna lose that with two eights. I give it up. I tell the dealer, “Go ahead, take half my bet.” I’d rather play a hand I’m going to win.”
On the surface, Patrick’s analysis of splitting 8s against a 10 seems convincing. In fact, most players agree with Patrick and would never split. Unfortunately, that’s a big mistake, and here’s why.
There is no question that the dealer has the upper hand when you hold a pair of 8s against her 10. The math says she’ll make a pat (17-21) hand about 77 percent of the time (assuming she doesn’t have a blackjack), and she has only a 23 percent chance of busting. So, there is no argument here: you are the underdog, period. But, what Patrick and others fail to grasp is the following:
Even though you are the underdog when you are dealt a pair of 8s against a dealer 10, you are less of an underdog when you split the 8s and play two hands with an 8 on each hand.
So, the real question that you should ask yourself is this: If I’m going to lose money on this hand no matter how I play it (and you will), which strategy cuts my losses? Is it hitting, standing, splitting, or as Patrick suggests, throwing in the towel and surrendering?
The only way to know for sure which strategy is best is to calculate in dollars how much you can expect to lose using each strategy and then compare the results. Agreed? And the math to do this calculation is, surprisingly, quite simple. (For the following analysis, I assumed a standard game: 6-deck, s17, das, and resplitting allowed up to four hands.)
What we positively, absolutely, know about hitting or standing on 16 against a dealer 10 is this: on average you will win this hand only 23 times out of 100 (hey, I told you this was a bad hand). (Note: The actual win percent to two decimal places is 23.22 for hitting and 23.16 for standing, which is why basic strategy says to hit 16, when it is 10-6 or 9-7, against a 10). But when your 16 happens to be a pair of 8s, you have an escape: you can split and play each 8 against the 10. Why would you want to do this? Because when you play an 8 against a 10, you stand to win this hand more times .. 38 times, in fact, out of 100 (still a bad hand but better than playing a 16 against a 10). And here’s the key, and what Patrick and others fail to understand: Playing two hands of 8 against a 10 will lose less money than playing one hand of 16 against a 10. Can I repeat that again .. it’s cheaper to play an 8 against a 10 twice than to play the pair of 8s against a 10 once!
Wow, that was a bombshell I just dropped, and I’m sure you’re all saying, “Yeah, right Tamburin, now prove it!” So, let’s do it.
Let’s first look at hitting or standing on 16 against a 10. If you win 23 hands out of 100, this means you’ll lose 77 hands and have a net loss of 54 hands. So, if you were to bet $10 on each hand, you would wind up with a net loss of $540 after 100 hands. With me?
Now let’s look at the scenario of splitting the 8s and playing each 8 against a 10. Here you’ll win 38 hands and lose 62 hands resulting in a net loss of 24 hands. At $10 wagered per hand, your net loss is $240. Double that and your total loss is $480, which is $60 less than hitting or standing. Voilá, I told you so: playing an 8 against a 10 twice (which is what you do when you split 8s) is cheaper than playing a 16 against a 10 only once!
The fourth playing option that Patrick proposed is to surrender the hand. The arithmetic of surrender is pretty easy: you automatically lose half your bet on every hand. So, after 100 hands, your net loss if you surrendered the 8s all the time would be $500; therefore, Patrick’s option costs you $20 more than splitting.
So let’s summarize the losses after 100 hands for each playing option:
- If you hit, you’ll lose on average $540.
- If you stand, you’ll lose on average $540.
- If you surrender, you’ll lose exactly $500.
- If you split, you’ll lose on average only $480.
It’s clear that no matter what strategy you use, you are going to lose money when you hold 8s against a 10. But .. here’s the key .. you’ll save more money in the long run if you split.
I know that every once in a while you are going to lose both of your split hands and feel lousy about it (been there, done that). If it’s any consolation, keep this thought in mind when it occurs: You made the mathematically correct play holding a lousy hand, and in the long run, you’ll wind up with more money in your pocket compared to playing the hand any other way.
So now that you’ve read the math-based analysis on how to play a pair of 8s against a 10, are you still going to follow Patrick’s advice and surrender? Or have I convinced you to split? I’m waiting.
Why Do Blackjack Basic Strategy Players Always Split 8s? 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. 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.
FACTS OF SPLITTING 8s AGAINST A 10
By Henry Tamburin
The May 2009 issue of Casino Player magazine contains an interview with gambling writer and maverick John Patrick, who advocates an “unorthodox” approach to gambling. In the interview, Patrick offers this explanation (in his words) as to why he wouldn’t split a pair of 8s against a dealer 10 and instead would surrender the hand:
“If you’re playing blackjack for $10 a hand and you are dealt two eights and the dealer has a king showing, the book says to split. So you split and you put another $10 up there. Now, there’re gonna give you a card on each eight, which means you have one eight with a card for $10, and another eight with another card for $10. The dealer still has that king showing. How have you improved your situation? Why would you take a bad hand of two eights and turn it into two bad hands, when you admittedly are inferior to the dealer’s hand?” Patrick then goes on to say that if he were dealt this hand, “I’d surrender. I’m gonna lose that with two eights. I give it up. I tell the dealer, “Go ahead, take half my bet.” I’d rather play a hand I’m going to win.”
On the surface, Patrick’s analysis of splitting 8s against a 10 seems convincing. In fact, most players agree with Patrick and would never split. Unfortunately, that’s a big mistake, and here’s why.
There is no question that the dealer has the upper hand when you hold a pair of 8s against her 10. The math says she’ll make a pat (17-21) hand about 77 percent of the time (assuming she doesn’t have a blackjack), and she has only a 23 percent chance of busting. So, there is no argument here: you are the underdog, period. But, what Patrick and others fail to grasp is the following:
Even though you are the underdog when you are dealt a pair of 8s against a dealer 10, you are less of an underdog when you split the 8s and play two hands with an 8 on each hand.
So, the real question that you should ask yourself is this: If I’m going to lose money on this hand no matter how I play it (and you will), which strategy cuts my losses? Is it hitting, standing, splitting, or as Patrick suggests, throwing in the towel and surrendering?
The only way to know for sure which strategy is best is to calculate in dollars how much you can expect to lose using each strategy and then compare the results. Agreed? And the math to do this calculation is, surprisingly, quite simple. (For the following analysis, I assumed a standard game: 6-deck, s17, das, and resplitting allowed up to four hands.)
What we positively, absolutely, know about hitting or standing on 16 against a dealer 10 is this: on average you will win this hand only 23 times out of 100 (hey, I told you this was a bad hand). (Note: The actual win percent to two decimal places is 23.22 for hitting and 23.16 for standing, which is why basic strategy says to hit 16, when it is 10-6 or 9-7, against a 10). But when your 16 happens to be a pair of 8s, you have an escape: you can split and play each 8 against the 10. Why would you want to do this? Because when you play an 8 against a 10, you stand to win this hand more times .. 38 times, in fact, out of 100 (still a bad hand but better than playing a 16 against a 10). And here’s the key, and what Patrick and others fail to understand: Playing two hands of 8 against a 10 will lose less money than playing one hand of 16 against a 10. Can I repeat that again .. it’s cheaper to play an 8 against a 10 twice than to play the pair of 8s against a 10 once!
Wow, that was a bombshell I just dropped, and I’m sure you’re all saying, “Yeah, right Tamburin, now prove it!” So, let’s do it.
Let’s first look at hitting or standing on 16 against a 10. If you win 23 hands out of 100, this means you’ll lose 77 hands and have a net loss of 54 hands. So, if you were to bet $10 on each hand, you would wind up with a net loss of $540 after 100 hands. With me?
Now let’s look at the scenario of splitting the 8s and playing each 8 against a 10. Here you’ll win 38 hands and lose 62 hands resulting in a net loss of 24 hands. At $10 wagered per hand, your net loss is $240. Double that and your total loss is $480, which is $60 less than hitting or standing. Voilá, I told you so: playing an 8 against a 10 twice (which is what you do when you split 8s) is cheaper than playing a 16 against a 10 only once!
The fourth playing option that Patrick proposed is to surrender the hand. The arithmetic of surrender is pretty easy: you automatically lose half your bet on every hand. So, after 100 hands, your net loss if you surrendered the 8s all the time would be $500; therefore, Patrick’s option costs you $20 more than splitting.
So let’s summarize the losses after 100 hands for each playing option:
- If you hit, you’ll lose on average $540.
- If you stand, you’ll lose on average $540.
- If you surrender, you’ll lose exactly $500.
- If you split, you’ll lose on average only $480.
It’s clear that no matter what strategy you use, you are going to lose money when you hold 8s against a 10. But .. here’s the key .. you’ll save more money in the long run if you split.
I know that every once in a while you are going to lose both of your split hands and feel lousy about it (been there, done that). If it’s any consolation, keep this thought in mind when it occurs: You made the mathematically correct play holding a lousy hand, and in the long run, you’ll wind up with more money in your pocket compared to playing the hand any other way.
So now that you’ve read the math-based analysis on how to play a pair of 8s against a 10, are you still going to follow Patrick’s advice and surrender? Or have I convinced you to split? I’m waiting.
(Note: For the purists who are reading this, there are, in fact, a few rare games where surrendering 8s against a 10 is the mathematically correct play, and that’s in 2-, 4-, 6- and 8-deck games where the rules specify that the dealer must hit soft 17 and double-down after pair splitting is not allowed. But these are terrible games that you shouldn’t be playing in the first place. In all other games, splitting 8s against the 10 is the best strategy.)
Even players with little or no knowledge of basic strategy in blackjack understand one thing:
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
I don’t know a single blackjack player who gets excited about having a hard or soft total of 12. It’s a hand that’s going to bust a lot of the time when you hit it, because there are at least 16 cards worth 10 points in the deck. (That’s almost 1/3 of the cards in the deck.)
On the other hand, if the 1st card of a hand is worth 11 points, you stand a good chance (1/3 again) of winding up with a total of 21. Even if the game doesn’t pay off at 3 to 2 for blackjack after splitting, that’s still an excellent hand that the dealer probably won’t beat. The best the dealer can do is push.
The thing about splitting, though, is that you must put up another bet. Low rollers who are under-bankrolled sometimes don’t like this. They don’t WANT to risk additional money on a single hand, even if that hand becomes 2 new hands.
They’re making a mistake, and a big one. Not splitting aces does serious damage to the house edge for the game.
In fact, the house is so convinced of how strong a play this is that they have strict rules about what you can do after splitting. For example, you’re not allowed to take more than one additional card after splitting aces. And no one understands the math behind these casino games than the casinos themselves, trust me.
Casinos also usually restrict you from doubling down after splitting. You usually can’t resplit aces if you get another ace again, either.
None of those minor rules variations, matter, though. It’s still always the correct strategy to split a pair of aces at the blackjack table.
A Pair of 8s in Blackjack Is a Hard Total of 16
If you think blackjack players are unenthusiastic about a total of 12, watch them shift uncomfortably in their chairs when they have a hard total of 16. There’s no good way to play a hard total of 16. If you stand, the dealer will probably beat you with a higher total. If you hit, you’ll probably bust.
But when you have a pair of 8s, you get to start 2 new hands, both of which have an 8 as their starting hand. 1/3 of the time, you’ll get a 10, which will make your new total a hard 18, which is a respectable hand for any blackjack player in almost any situation.
Also, even if you don’t get a 10, you might get an ace, which gives you a total of 19—which is, of course, even better than a total of 18.
Even if you get a 9, your hand improves to a 17, which is respectable, if not ideal.
Most casinos don’t have the same restrictions that apply to your “after-splitting” hands, too.
When Do You Deviate from Basic Strategy When It Comes to Splitting Aces and 8s
If you’re not counting cards, you NEVER deviate from basic strategy when it comes to splitting aces and 8s. Most of the time, even if you ARE counting cards, you still always split aces and 8s.
But there are exceptions if you’re counting cards.
If your count is negative and the dealer has an 8, 9, or 10 showing, you just hit the aces instead of splitting them.
Why is this?
When the count is negative, it means that there aren’t as many 10s left in the deck. Part of what gives splitting aces its kick is the possibility of getting that total of 21.
You run the risk of turning a single likely loser into 2 likely losers with twice as much money in action.
If the count is positive, you will sometimes not split a pair of 9s. If the dealer has a 9 or 10 showing in this situation, he’s more likely to have a 10 in the hole. (That’s what the positive count means, after all.) This means you’re probably facing a 19 or 20.
When you split those 8s, yes, you’ll probably get a couple of hands that total 18.
But that does you little good against a 19 or 20.
And remember—those are only correct decisions if you’re counting cards and know what you’re doing.
An Argument against Splitting Aces in Certain Situations
Suppose the dealer is showing a 10, and you have 2 aces.
Most people assume that the dealer’s down card is also a 10, so you’re probably facing a dealer total of 20.
If you split those aces, the only way to win both those hands is by getting a 10 in each of them. The probability of that is less than 1/3 for each, or about 1/9 for both of them.
Why Should You Always Split 8's In Blackjack
What this argument misses is that a soft total of 12 is no fun to play in that situation, either. Sure, you don’t have to invest extra money to get those extra cards, but the trade-off just plain isn’t worth it.
Conclusion
When it comes to blackjack, you should always follow basic strategy—except when you shouldn’t.
Of course, the only time you shouldn’t is when you’re counting cards. In rare cases when you’re counting, you’ll deviate from basic strategy.
And one of the 1st rules of basic strategy is that you ALWAYS split aces and 8s.
Why Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack Card Game
That’s an easy one to remember.
Why Do You Always Split 8s In Blackjack Machine
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