A stupid Blackjack question
Let's say I have a pair of 10s or face cards, 2 kings, 2 Queens, etc.
would it be better to stand or split? If I split, I have pretty good chances of getting a Blackjack, or another 20 count.
My intuition tells me I should STAND, but a friend says NO, to go ahead and split
But if you want more details, check out the awesome Wizard of Odds companion site:
https://wizardofodds.com/
Your chance of getting an ace on a split 10 is about 7.7%, hardly a pretty good chance. Assuming regular blackjack rules, the chance of you getting a blackjack on a split 10 is zero. The hand is treated like any other 21. The dealer's chance of breaking with his worst so called break card is in the 43% range. Hope this helps.
Quote: TammyI am a novice BlackJack player, so please forgive my Naivete'.
Let's say I have a pair of 10s or face cards, 2 kings, 2 Queens, etc.
would it be better to stand or split? If I split, I have pretty good chances of getting a Blackjack, or another 20 count.
My intuition tells me I should STAND, but a friend says NO, to go ahead and split
It depends, what does the dealer have in the hole?
Quote: DJTeddyBearIf you're in a tournament, where there is a limit on the number of hands, THEN you MIGHT wanna split. Otherwise stand.
A prime example of when you'd split in a tournament would be if it was the final hand and you needed to raise your bet to have a chance at winning. (If you had a hard 19 instead in that case your only option would be to double and hope for the slim odds!)
If you are playing in a regular game, you should follow basic strategy: https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/calculator/
If you can't (or don't want to) memorize basic strategy (which is totally understandable -- you're there not have fun, not do homework), the Wizard provides a pretty good "simplified" strategy here: https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack
So, no, don't split 10's. Also, don't listen to the advice of other players at the table, or dealers -- the fact that they will tell you not to split 10's is purely coincidental; they are wrong about pretty much everything else. Even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut. In particular, when people start talking about taking cards to save the table, tune them out and order another drink.
Other advice:
When the dealer asks you if you want insurance, say no. Other players will tell you to insure your good hands; ignore them.
When the dealer asks you if you want even money for your blackjack, say no. Other players will criticize this; ignore them.
When the table has a sign that says "blackjacks pay 6:5", go find another table to play at.
Quote: TammyI am a novice BlackJack player, so please forgive my Naivete'.
Let's say I have a pair of 10s or face cards, 2 kings, 2 Queens, etc.
would it be better to stand or split? If I split, I have pretty good chances of getting a Blackjack, or another 20 count.
My intuition tells me I should STAND, but a friend says NO, to go ahead and split
Get a new friend.
Quote: TammyI am a novice BlackJack player, so please forgive my Naivete'.
Let's say I have a pair of 10s or face cards, 2 kings, 2 Queens, etc.
would it be better to stand or split? If I split, I have pretty good chances of getting a Blackjack, or another 20 count.
My intuition tells me I should STAND, but a friend says NO, to go ahead and split
It depends on your bet and what the dealer has.
If your bet is $5.00 you lose little even if you lose both hands.
If the dealer has a 3-8 showing and you have 10s and split it's basically the same a DD with a 7,3 on those cards. I split them with a small bet.
Quote: BiggreddIt depends on your bet and what the dealer has.
If your bet is $5.00 you lose little even if you lose both hands.
If the dealer has a 3-8 showing and you have 10s and split it's basically the same a DD with a 7,3 on those cards. I split them with a small bet.
I've heard some whoppers but this one may take the cake. Everyone ignore this.
Quote: 1BBI've heard some whoppers but this one may take the cake. Everyone ignore this.
I think he should stick to betting the biggredd, whatever that may be :)
16.67% of his post makes a tiny little bit of sense, the rest is absolute hogwash LOL
Quote: onenickelmiracleOnly if you want to do an Austin Powers impression and want to say, "I too like to live dangerously", then hit the twenties.
I might cover their bet if they actually said this and followed through!
Quote: 1BBI've heard some whoppers but this one may take the cake. Everyone ignore this.
Play the way you wish to play, I'm sure you make millions playing the way you do!
Quote: BiggreddPlay the way you wish to play, I'm sure you make millions playing the way you do!
I've done quite nicely thank you. You play as you wish as well and I would welcome you to my table anytime. When you join a site like this and post false information, expect to be challenged. I won't ridicule you or insult you, which often happens to new members, but I can't take the chance that someone may read this and think that it's a viable way to play. It is not and the size of your bet has nothing to do with it.
If you want to be successful at blackjack, stop being defensive and put in the time required to learn the game. In the meantime, please stop giving advice. Good luck to you, Biggred.
Quote: 1BBI've done quite nicely thank you. You play as you wish as well and I would welcome you to my table anytime. When you join a site like this and post false information, expect to be challenged. I won't ridicule you or insult you, which often happens to new members, but I can't take the chance that someone may read this and think that it's a viable way to play. It is not and the size of your bet has nothing to do with it.
If you want to be successful at blackjack, stop being defensive and put in the time required to learn the game. In the meantime, please stop giving advice. Good luck to you, Biggred.
Who's says I'm not successful at blackjack.
Not being defensive, just telling it like it is. You gamble the way you wish and I'll play the way I wish.
BTW: I'm a regular on a site that the motto is The Weak Will Be Killed And Eaten. I think I can handle anything anyone who posts here can dish out so save the posting advise!
Quote: BiggreddWho's says I'm not successful at blackjack.
Not being defensive, just telling it like it is. You gamble the way you wish and I'll play the way I wish.
BTW: I'm a regular on a site that the motto is The Weak Will Be Killed And Eaten. I think I can handle anything anyone who posts here can dish out so save the posting advise!
Thank you for the response and the advice, Biggred. I look forward to you future posts.
Quote: 1BBThank you for the response and the advice, Biggred. I look forward to you future posts.
Lol! Free entertainment, hun, 1BB?
Quote: IbeatyouracesProfessionals are there to make money, not have fun. That said, even I don't think splitting tens once in a blue moon for table minimum or near the beginning of a shoe is a BR killer. Even I do it as a bit of cover and use it to chase ploppies away.
In my opinion, cover play is overrated but that's not to say that there aren't times to use it. No one mentioned splitting 10s as a cover play here.
Here's the claim: "If the dealer has a 3-8 and you have 10s and split it's basically the same as DD with a 7,3 on those cards." Does anyone agree with that statement? Heck, does anyone understand it?
Quote: kewljLol! Free entertainment, hun, 1BB?
To a point. I guess I should be happy that someone wants to talk about blackjack with everything else that's been going on here.
Quote: BiggreddIt depends on your bet and what the dealer has.
If your bet is $5.00 you lose little even if you lose both hands.
If the dealer has a 3-8 showing and you have 10s and split it's basically the same a DD with a 7,3 on those cards. I split them with a small bet.
Just to point out why you are wrong in case some people are confused...
The reason that it is not that same as a DD with a 7,3 is that when you double down with a 7,3, you aren't required to throw away an incredibly valuable 20.
Quote: BiggreddThere is nothing wrong with it as long as you are not betting big money. Your there to have fun. Fun IMO is watching a pair of 10s, beat 3-8 twice in one hand at worst you lose $10.00 a lot of time the outcome will be a overall push.
So, you turn a 20 vs a 6 into a push, and you are happy with that result? Snatching a tie from the jaws of victory...
Why not just stand on the 20, and then when you win and the dealer tries to pay you, refuse the chips?
Quote: AxiomOfChoiceJust to point out why you are wrong in case some people are confused...
The reason that it is not that same as a DD with a 7,3 is that when you double down with a 7,3, you aren't required to throw away an incredibly valuable 20.
I'm not worried about losing $5.00 or the $10.00 if both hands lose. The original hand is not the hand I want to win anyway. BTW a 10 can be dealt to both of the new hands.
Quote: BiggreddI'm not worried about losing $5.00 or the $10.00 if both hands lose. The original hand is not the hand I want to win anyway. BTW a 10 can be dealt to both of the new hands.
If you don't want to win the hand then why are you playing?
Anyway, given this new information about your goals, I'd suggest doubling down.
Quote: AxiomOfChoiceI suspect we are making things more confusing than needed...
If you are playing in a regular game, you should follow basic strategy: https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/strategy/calculator/
If you can't (or don't want to) memorize basic strategy (which is totally understandable -- you're there not have fun, not do homework), the Wizard provides a pretty good "simplified" strategy here: https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack
So, no, don't split 10's. Also, don't listen to the advice of other players at the table, or dealers -- the fact that they will tell you not to split 10's is purely coincidental; they are wrong about pretty much everything else. Even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut. In particular, when people start talking about taking cards to save the table, tune them out and order another drink.
Other advice:
When the dealer asks you if you want insurance, say no. Other players will tell you to insure your good hands; ignore them.
When the dealer asks you if you want even money for your blackjack, say no. Other players will criticize this; ignore them.
When the table has a sign that says "blackjacks pay 6:5", go find another table to play at.
This is the best advice.. I'm a dealer and on the rare occasions I get the chance I'll tell players not to take advice from ANYONE, or at least take it with a grain of salt.. For the most part they're wrong. My favorite, is the seasoned blackjack player giving advice to the young buck.. "Never take insurance" .. Twenty minutes later,gets a blackjack against my Ace.. "EVEN MONEY!!"...*facepalm*
I don't blame you for asking the question - I even once split a pair of fives once (btw you should never do this).Quote: TammyI am a novice BlackJack player.
As has been said there is a right way to play (and if you want you can either learn the complicated right way or just a few of the key things that matter). Probably the best two rules to learn are (i) try to get to 17 vs dealer's 7 or more and (ii) stand on 12 or more vs dealer's 6 or less - this isn't 100% correct as you should hit 12 vs 2 or 3, all soft 17s and some 18s. See how you have the basic rule and some exceptions. There's a similar idea for pairs, but one basic rule is never split 10s or 5s - there are no exceptions to this in normal Blackjack.
On the other hand you should ensure you enjoy the game; thus you may prefer it's just for fun or alternatively you'd like to find out more about the game and learn some of the strategies. It's rather like photography: are you happy with your holiday snaps or do you want to understand aperture, depth of field, lighting etc. hopefully leading to the reward of taking better pictures. Personally I have learnt quite a bit so find it difficult to take snaps, but as an example we were walking through Stockholm at night, there was someone with an iPhone who pointed and clicked and took an amazing photo of the harbour, it had taken me quite a while to set the light balance, the aperture/shutter speed/ISO and they still got the better photo.
The same can happen at Blackjack - sometimes it's the players doing all the things wrong who are winning. But remember, they're having real fun doing it!
Quote: IbeatyouracesPloppies don't know that even money IS insurance.
OMG i hate ploppies and their stupid ploppyisms. I saw a ploppy take "the dealer always wins the first hand' to a whole new level by always refusing to play the first hand. I wondered whether that tactic would have any application for wong out/cover purposes, but rejected it when I saw how much negative attention he got.
Quote: AxiomOfChoiceIf you don't want to win the hand then why are you playing?
Anyway, given this new information about your goals, I'd suggest doubling down.
LOL. But wait. In my opinion, not splitting 10s is not an easy concept to grasp for someone who is not a follower. I had trouble with this. As a novice ploppy, I would always split 10s against a 2-6, based on the idea that I am splitting one winning hand into two sure winners. I would double my 10 if I could AND the dealer is probably going to bust (according to the table), right? Groans from the table would ensue. I would ask for an explanation for why this is wrong. Do you honestly believe ANY ploppy at any table I ever played could legitimately explain why this was a bad idea? They'd say it's the second best hand. I'd say, yeah but I have two of the 3rd best hands with twice as much money against a weak dealer, isn't that better than half the money with the second best hand? It became clear that know one actually knew what they were talking about, they just believed something someone told them. If anyone had known anything at all, they would have at least pointed out an 11 and 19 are better hands than 10!
Basically, in my opinion, not grasping the proper way to handle this play is one of the natural paths to becoming a good player. So how can you show no support here, but support someone's fairly complex and ridiculous strategy, that seems rather unnatural and regressive? People having fun do not make laborious calculations to purposely increase the likelihood they will lose (this actually sounds like a gambling problem when I put it that way), but we see people splitting 10s all the time.
Additionally, Biggredd, your ideas are so wrong it is funny. You seem to imply a deuce is stronger than an eight. You imply you are successful at blackjack, when this is bordering on impossible, with the main possibility being that you are kidding about how you play. And your strategy may involve attempting to lose small bets, making you due to win the large ones.
Quote: AxiomOfChoiceIf you don't want to win the hand then why are you playing?
Anyway, given this new information about your goals, I'd suggest doubling down.
If I lose either hand I'm fine with it, I also fine with winning one and losing one or winning both. But I would much rather lose $5.00 or $10 vs. $250.00. That's why it depends on how much you have bet. I've never been approached by management and asked to leave or flat bet. I also rarely play one table for more then 30 minutes.
Quote: BiggreddIf I lose either hand I'm fine with it, I also fine with winning one and losing one or winning both. But I would much rather lose $5.00 or $10 vs. $250.00. That's why it depends on how much you have bet. I've never been approached by management and asked to leave or flat bet. I also rarely play one table for more then 30 minutes.
If you are talking about splitting 10s for cover play, that's one thing, but it's probably not the correct answer for the OP. She is clearly not counting cards; she is not going to be asked to leave or flat-bet no matter what.
And if your act can let you get away with spreading $5 to $250, I would like to see it.
Quote: BiggreddIf I lose either hand I'm fine with it, I also fine with winning one and losing one or winning both. But I would much rather lose $5.00 or $10 vs. $250.00. That's why it depends on how much you have bet. I've never been approached by management and asked to leave or flat bet. I also rarely play one table for more then 30 minutes.
Why would they ask you to leave? It sounds like youre a money management player.
