Blackjack superficial splitting

I would like to suggest that the Wizard does a write up on this lessor known form of play and include it in the Blackjack appendices on the Wizard of Odds site. This method involves two or more players acting together in certain situations when pairs are split. The object is to gain an advantage over standard basic strategy by sacrificing the front bet in order to obtain a saving on the much larger back bet. There is a strategy for this which depends on good teamwork, a sufficient bankroll and the ratio of the front bet to the back bet. This technique can also be used in Spanish 21 and if done properly and combined with comps then the casino house edge can be reduced.

could you elaborate on how exactly this "sacrificing the front bet in order to obtain a saving on the much larger back bet" is done.

Quote: davethebuilder

I would like to suggest that the Wizard does a write up on this lessor known form of play and include it in the Blackjack appendices on the Wizard of Odds site. This method involves two or more players acting together in certain situations when pairs are split. The object is to gain an advantage over standard basic strategy by sacrificing the front bet in order to obtain a saving on the much larger back bet. There is a strategy for this which depends on good teamwork, a sufficient bankroll and the ratio of the front bet to the back bet. This technique can also be used in Spanish 21 and if done properly and combined with comps then the casino house edge can be reduced.

Blackjack Appendix 19 - Blackjack Splitting Strategy for the Back-Player

Quote: andysif

could you elaborate on how exactly this "sacrificing the front bet in order to obtain a saving on the much larger back bet" is done.

Would you rather one 8 vs. dealer 10, or would you rather have two 8s vs. dealer 10? Both of these are much better than 16 vs. 10, but of course you would only want one 8 vs. dealer 10. This is possible if you back bet someone (not available in the US). The small bettor sucks it up and doubles the bet so he can have two 8s instead of 16. The big bettor says that he doesn't want to split. Now he magically has an 8 instead of a 16 for no additional cost.

The purpose of the exercise is to obtain a better Expected Value(EV) by splitting rather than hitting. The point is the EV of any given split hand is different to the EV of a regular hand with the same total...for example, Aces and nines. This type of play is quite complex and I do not want to publish information that may not apply in the USA. I am Australian and our splitting and doubling rules are different however Miplet does provide a link to a page on the Wizard of Odds website which introduces the subject for American readers and I believe Michael Shackleford is the best person to fully address this issue.