One of the most important things in blackjack is to have a solid knowledge of the game’s basic rules and strategy. If players aim at winning in the long run, it is essential to be familiar not only with the number of moves they can make but also with their possible outcomes.

• Basic Strategy Blackjack
• Blackjack Splitting Strategy

After splitting, you cannot get a natural Blackjack even if you have 10-Ace; it is valued as an ordinary 21. Some pairs cannot be split (Ace, 10, etc.). No double down after splitting allowed. Generally, you can split as many times as you want. For example, if you get a pair of 6’s, you can split. Then you get two hands with one 6 in each one. Based on a two-deck game, where you can not double after splitting, the expected value of splitting 8,s against a 10 is -0.480673, better than the -0.5 by surrendering. Contrary to their claim of having the 'World's Most Liberal Blackjack Rules' there are better single-deck games right across the street at the Horseshoe or the Golden Gate.

• You can hit split Aces: 0.19%; When to Split in Blackjack – Basic Strategy. We will try to make it simple to remember. Here we won’t explain the mathematics behind each decision, but you can find it in additional articles. Most crucial ones: Never Split 5s and 10 value cards. (Double on 5s as you would on any hard 10). Always split Aces and 8s.
• Splitting 10’s I know you’re never supposed to do it.but I had 10/10 against a 6 the other day. I was just there for fun and thought what the hell, I’ll split em.here’s where it gets better. First one gets an Ace, second one gets a 10.
• The option of “splitting” in blackjack only becomes available if your first two cards are a pair or you have two 10-value cards, such as a King and a Jack.

Even though players need to follow a particular strategy and know it by heart, it will be extremely beneficial for them if they understand the motives behind it. Before sitting at a table to play, they should make sure they are aware of the casino rules as well. Some places restrict certain moves such as surrendering and re-splitting, which can affect players’ performance significantly. In such cases, they should be prepared to act accordingly and have a strategy for every occasion in order to reduce their money loss to the minimum.

At some point during the game, players will face a situation where they will be dealt two cards of the same rank. Such cases shouldn’t be underestimated as they require a lot of preparation as well.

Basic Strategy Blackjack

Players should always act according to their chosen strategy and bear in mind that every pair should be treated differently. Therefore, splitting won’t be the best choice every time. For instance, when it comes to having a pair of 10s this move should be avoided for several reasons.

Moves to Avoid When Having a Pair of 10s

While for the rest of the pairs the best move was rather controversial and provoked lots of discussions, when it comes to having a pair of 10s, all knowledgeable players share the same opinion. The reason why is that having in mind the average winning hand is 18.5, getting a pair of 10s leaves players with a solid total of 20.

Improving such a hand is almost impossible as the odds for losing it are 92% providing that players decide to hit. Whenever their chances of going bust are higher than the dealer’s, this move should be always avoided.

The only card that won’t lead to this outcome is the ace. This powerful card gives players the needed flexibility as they can choose to count it as one and prevent themselves from surpassing twenty one. However, the chances that they will get lucky enough and draw this card are very low and it is simply not sensible to hit with a pair of 10’s.

Another move players should always avoid is the first one that comes to mind when they are dealt with a pair of the same rank – splitting. The reason why is that by splitting, they will simply separate one winning hand into most likely two losing ones. The chances that the outcome will be any different are very low and it is just not worth risking.

Best Move When Having a Pair of 10s

Just like a pair of 5s, players should view a pair of 10s as any other combination that totals 20. This hand is already strong enough as it is and should never be split. It is a great stroke of luck whenever players are dealt with a pair of 10s as their first two hands since this already places them in a very advantageous position. With such a pair, the best move they can make regardless of the dealer’s upcard is to stand as any other move will only place them in a more unfavourable position.

The chances that their hand will be a winning one are extremely high if they choose to stand. Having such great odds of beating the dealer is very rare in blackjack and players need to know how to make the most of it. What they should do is to stand as they already have an amazing total of 20 in their hands.

If they manage to misplay this pair, what is left for the really tough situations they are about to face at some point during the game? The odds that this hand will result in winning are around 90% which certainly makes it the best move players can make in such cases. This is one of the few moves that professional players agree on and approve.

When the Dealer’s Up Card Is Five or Six

Many players have witnessed situations when a pair of 10’s is split when the dealer’s up card is five or six. The reason why is that having a total of ten in both hands is considered to be a good start especially if the dealer is in such a weak position. However, in order to draw conclusion which move is the most reasonable one, let’s compare the odds of winning for both moves.

If players decide to split, the chances that they will win against a 6 as the dealer’s upcard are 64% whereas if they choose to stand – 85%. The bottom line is that splitting is not a bad move, however, every time players have the opportunity to gain a better advantage over the casino, they should do so. After all, blackjack is played with money and every wrong decision will surely cost you in the run.

Splitting 10s to Advantage

A pair of 10s can be split to advantage on two occasions only, the first one being when the shoe/deck is depleted of low cards. With an excess of ten-value cards and aces, the player stands better chances of pulling another 10 or an ace to make two solid hands with totals of 20 or 21. Of course, this is usually done on occasion the dealer starts their hand with a lousy upcard like a 5 or a 6.

However, the only way to determine the composition of the remaining shoe is to deploy a card counting system efficiently. Therefore, splitting is not a viable move for basic strategy players because basic strategy rests on the premise of a neutral deck. It does not take into account the changes in shoe composition as cards are dealt out.

Let us say in passing that even card counters avoid splitting this particular pair because this move would give rise to the pit bosses’ and casino management’s suspicion. Splitting 10s is basically equal to strolling around the casino floor with “I am an advantage player” written on your forehead.

Blackjack Splitting Strategy

Splitting a pair of 10s is also a good move in blackjack tournaments where your goal is not to beat the dealer on individual hands but to prevail over other players by finishing with more money on the final chip count. Skilled tournament players would sometimes split their 10s when trying to gain on the current chip leader during the final hand.

Conclusion

Having a pair of 10’s is probably one of the combinations players hope for throughout the game and whenever they get lucky to get such a combination, they need to make sure they know how to take advantage of it. The best move they can choose in such situations is to stand as this almost certainly guarantees them the desired win. It is crucial to know how to play every single hand as this way they will prevent themselves from losing more money.

It is worth mentioning that in some cases when players split a pair of 10s, they are not necessarily ignorant about the game. Splitting such a pair can be sometimes favourable for players who count cards. The reason why is that if the deck is rich in cards favouring them, they can take advantage of this knowledge and expect to get certain cards.

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.

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.