- Blackjack what does split mean watching what other more seasoned players do at the table.The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
- Jul 10, 2013 Why Splitting Tens is a Bad Move Posted July 10, 2013 by Ken Smith. Among my recent emails from players, I have several on the topic of splitting tens. One player mentioned that he seems to win more often than not when splitting tens against a dealer 5 or 6.
- In blackjack, the standard rule is that if the player is dealt a pair of identically ranked initial cards, known as a pair, the player is allowed to split them into separate hands and ask for a new second card for each while placing a full initial bet identical to the original wager with each.
- In terms of odds, all roulette versions are the same, only what does double and split mean in blackjack some have a bigger advantage to the player.That way, they will achieve much greater excitement, and continue playing a lot more while at the same time becoming familiar with each of the gambling hall games.
- This can be one of the more profitable options in blackjack, but don't let overconfidence get the best of you. If you are initially dealt two cards of equal value, you can split them.
What does late surrender mean in Blackjack? Late Surrender - This rule allows you to surrender your hand and give up the half of our bet on your first 2 cards after the dealer checks for a. In a single or double-deck game, a non-intuitive play is to split 7s against a dealer 8 upcard when the rules are DAS, and hit when the rule is NDAS. With the favorable option of DAS, when you split 7s and draw, say, a 4 to one or both 7s, you have a favorable total of 11 to double.
by Among my recent emails from players, I have several on the topic of splitting tens. One player mentioned that he seems to win more often than not when splitting tens against a dealer 5 or 6, so he was wondering if the play could be justified. Actually, his basic assertion is correct. You will win more often than not when splitting tens in those situations. But, winning more than 50% of the time is only part of the story.
When the dealer has a 5 or 6 up, he will bust more than 40% of the time. That’s why basic strategy against those dealer upcards becomes quite a bit more aggressive. You should double 9, 10, and 11. Among soft totals, you should double A2 through A7. So, if you are dealt a pat 20, why not split the pair and get more money on the table while the dealer is weak?
Like all of basic strategy, this decision comes down to which action makes you the most money in the long run. Your single hand of a pat 20 is worth more than double what a single hand starting with a ten is worth.
Splitting Tens costs you money.
Assume we are playing a 6 deck, H17 game and we are dealt a pair of 10s against a dealer 6. Our initial bet is $10.
If we stand with 20, we’ll win our $10 bet 78% of the time. We’ll push with a dealer 20 about 11% of the time, and lose to a dealer 21 another 11% of the time. On average, we’ll win $6.77 by standing.
If we instead split the tens (only once) and put a $10 bet on each hand, what happens? On average, each of these hands is still a winner, but the average win on each hand is only $2.78. Our total expected win on both hands combined is just $5.56, which is more than $1 less than the value if we had just stood on the 20. Despite having twice as much money bet in a favorable situation, we are now expected to win less overall.
If it’s bad to split tens just once, it is of course worse to resplit them. If your strategy is to split tens and resplit up to the usual three times allowed, your total bet will be either $20, $30 or $40. Over all of these possibilities, your expected profit drops further yet to a grand total of only $4.51, more than $2 less than the value of your initial single $10 bet on a pat 20.
What about card counters?
Despite the risk of confusing basic strategy players, I can’t talk about splitting tens without addressing what happens if you count cards. Because card counters have extra information about the remaining cards to be dealt, they are able to identify occasions when splitting tens does become the mathematically correct play. In our example game, the Hi-Lo index number for splitting tens against a dealer 6 is +4. (For indexes for other specific games, see our Advanced Blackjack Strategy cards.) When the true count is at +4 or higher, the value of multiple hands surpasses the value of the pat 20.
Having said that, even if the true count indicates that the play is warranted it may still be a bad idea to split tens. Because the act of splitting tens draws so much attention, most card counters choose to ignore the index for splitting tens, and just keep the pat 20 regardless of the count. In some casinos, the dealer is required to announce to the pit when a player splits tens. Pit bosses know that only two kinds of players split tens… Those that don’t know any better, and those that know full-well what they are doing. If you are a card counter, you had better be sure the pit thinks you are completely harmless before you split tens. If they already view you with any suspicion, this move will confirm it.
Blackjack Strategy Chart
In any case, I want to be perfectly clear about one point…
Basic strategy players shouldn’t split tens. Period.
Just don’t do it. It may seem fun, and it may be exciting. But splitting tens is just giving the casino extra money. They don’t need any extra. Stand with your 20.
To find the hand values for this article, I used MGP’s free Blackjack Combinatorial Analyzer software for Windows, available at this site. If you want to explore alternative strategies and research the expected value, it is a powerful tool.
A blackjack dealer is an individual who works in a casino and who deals the cards for blackjack. Blackjack is a table game in which players aim to reach as close to 21 as possible without going over. The object for players is to either have a higher number than the dealer and/or for the dealer to go over 21 so the players will win their hands.
Generally, blackjack is played in locations where gambling is legal. This occurs within the United States in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Las Vegas Nevada, and on Indian reservations. Some casinos are also on riverboats off-shore. Other countries also have various rules on the legality of gambling; in Monte Carlo for example, gambling is legal as well as in some parts of Canada and in certain clubs and areas in England. Many cruise ships and Caribbean islands also offer blackjack play.
A blackjack dealer may work in any of these environments in which gambling is legal and in which people come to play table games. A dealer generally must be licensed or authorized to deal blackjack. This is usually done by a gaming commission or some other related body, or by the casino who hires him. The certification usually requires a background check in which the dealer is fingerprinted and it is determined whether the dealer has any criminal convictions that would preclude him from being trustworthy as a blackjack dealer.