Do you ever split 9s in blackjack?
The basic playing strategy for a pair of 9s is to: Split when the dealer's upcard is 2 through 6 or 8, 9. Stand when the dealer's upcard is 7, 10, or Ace.
You should either split or stand on your 9s. Splitting your 9s is a good move versus weaker dealer upcards such as 2 through 6 and 8. The split of this pair enables players to start two brand new hands with a solid total of 9 each when the dealer is in a bad position.
When it comes to splitting 10s in the game of blackjack, the bottom line should be: Average players should never split and should always stand on 20. Card counters will sometimes split in ten-rich decks. Smart tournament players will sometimes split when they need to bet more chips, especially if it's the last hand.
If the dealer has a 9, you lose, 18 vs 19. So in the latter cases you split to improve your chance of winning. In the first case (two 9's against 7) you already have a winning hand so you don't want to mess with it. The same reason you shouldn't split tens.
One of the absolutes in blackjack is that you should never split 5s. Most players aren't even tempted, because they recognize they have a much stronger building block for a hand when they start with 10 than starting each of two hands with 5s.
If you hit the 16, you will win 25.23 percent of the time, bust out 69.31 percent of the time and push 5.46 percent of the time for a net loss of 44.08 percent of the time. By standing on the “hard 16” you will win 29.01 percent of the time and lose 70.99 percent of the time for a loss of 41.98 percent of the time.
In multi-deck games, always split 7s against a dealer's 2 through 7, otherwise hit. In double-deck games, split 7s against dealer's 2-8 if DAS or 2-7 if NDAS; otherwise hit.
Other experts advise against splitting 8s against anything but a 7, or unless the dealer shows a bust card of 3, 4, 5 or 6. (In the latter case, you likely would split anything short of 9s or 10s.)
Traditional basic strategy (also known as “total-dependent strategy”) says to stand on hard 12 against a dealer's 4, 5, and 6 up card, and hit against a dealer's 2, 3, and 7 though Ace up card. The biggest mistake that players make when they are dealt a hard 12 occurs when the dealer's up card is a 2 or 3.
For most people, particularly those who are newer to blackjack, it's almost always a good idea to double down when you are showing an 11.
Should you split on 2 aces?
Regardless of the payout for blackjack, the rules for resplitting, the rules for doubling, the rules for multiple card draws and the dealer's cards, one should always split aces.
The basic playing strategy for a double- or multi-deck game where doubling down after pair splitting is not allowed (NDAS) is to: split 2s against a dealer's 4, 5, 6 or 7; otherwise hit.
According to basic strategy, you should split 9s against every numeric card a dealer holds, except for a 7.
If the dealer is likely to have a stronger hand, your best bet is to hit and improve your hand — you'll only bust out if you get a 10 or face card. Split nines against two through six, eight, and nine. If the dealer has a seven, ten, or ace showing, don't hit — instead, stand.
In shoe-dealt blackjack and double-deck variations, you must always hit your soft 18 when the dealer's exposed card is a 10 or an ace. Here the dealer is in a particularly beneficial position and stands good chances of outdrawing you and beating your 18.
If you stand on a pair of 8s vs. a 10, you win only if the dealer busts, and the dealer busts only a bit more than 21 percent of the time when starting with a 10-value card. If you hit, you lose any time you draw a 6 or higher to bust, and even if you draw a low card, you can lose to a better dealer's hand.
Purely based on statistics, some casino gamblers get lucky and win money. Blackjack, however, can be beaten based on skill—no luck involved.
When the dealer has a three, you should hit on anything eight or below and 12, while standing on anything 13 or over. If the dealer has a two it is best to hit on nine or less and stand on anything 13 or over.
15 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 14 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 13 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 12 stands against dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit.
Card counters will sometimes stand on 16 against a dealer's 10, but go right on hitting 16 vs. 7. Now, the dealer will bust slightly more often starting with 7 than starting with 10 — 26 percent of the time on 7 as opposed to 23 percent of the time starting with 10.
Should I hit 16 when the dealer has 7?
On all your two-card hard 16s, you gain by hitting whenever the dealer has 7 or higher, but the gain is biggest when the dealer has a 7 up. There are some hands of three or more cards where it's a better play to stand on 16 vs. 10, but that gets us into composition-dependent strategies — a topic for another time.
If you split a pair of 10s against the dealer 6 you are going to win 64 percent of the times and lose only 36 percent (net gain of 28 percent). You are overwhelmingly the favorite and stand to win money when you split.
Splitting a 10-10 hand is fine, but not a jack-queen hand, for example. After the first split, doubling down and further splitting of hands may be limited. After the first split, an ace and a ten-card may be regarded as a non-blackjack 21. After splitting aces you're generally not allowed to hit more than once.
Single-deck Blackjack offers the best odds of any online casino game in the US. The house edge stands at just 0.13%. Using just one deck instead of six or eight makes the biggest difference. The house edge is also brought down by the dealer standing on soft 17.
There are two good reasons why casinos tend to prefer using six to eight decks of cards at a blackjack table. Firstly, with a single deck game, the dealer must shuffle the deck after every round, and that takes time. And as you will appreciate, that's the time when the casino isn't making any money.
In a double- or multi-deck game, if your 15 consists of an 8-7, hit against a dealer 10 upcard (rather than surrender). In all games, if your 16 is multi-card or the result of a pair split, stand against a dealer's 10 upcard instead of hit.
When you double down, you risk losing double your original bet, but with 11 vs. 10, you win double your bet more often, giving you a higher average profit.
The correct basic strategy for hitting a soft 17 is as follows: For a single-deck game, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is 7 through ace. For double- and multi-deck games, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is a 2 or 7 through ace.
Other experts advise against splitting 8s against anything but a 7, or unless the dealer shows a bust card of 3, 4, 5 or 6. (In the latter case, you likely would split anything short of 9s or 10s.)
However, regardless of the various situations, the common strategic wisdom in the blackjack community is to "Always split aces and eights" when dealt either pair as initial cards. This is generally the first rule of any splitting strategy.