Splitting hands is a blackjack strategy that requires the player to split a single hand into two hands. When the player elects to split, they must also double the original hand’s bet. Casinos commonly dictate the specific hand combinations that allow a player to split. Additionally, players should consider basic blackjack strategy when deciding to split a hand.
A player can only split hands when initially dealt two cards of the same suit. For example, players could elect to split aces or 5s. Basic blackjack strategy dictates that a player should always split aces and 8s, regardless of the dealer’s displayed card. Additionally, according to basic blackjack strategy, players should never split 10s, two face cards or 5s.
A player should split 9s in cases where the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9. Additionally, they should split 7s when the dealer displays a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. Players should also split 6s when the dealer shows a 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. Basic strategy also dictates players split 4s when the dealer displays a 5 or 6. Finally, players should split 2s or 3s in cases where the dealer displays a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.
Many on and offline casino also limit a player’s ability to split cards. For example, a casino may only allow a player to split 7s or 8s.