Splitting ten value card on a blackjack table

It sounds terrible however why some casinos allowed a split of a Queen with a king for example, and other ones you have to pair up Queen and Queen in order to split them, my questions here is what is the casino advantage on splitting cards of same face VS not an identical pair.

I believe the EV on that play is exactly the same, regardless of which face cards are involved. All face cards are mathematically equivalent for the purposes of playing out the hand.

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Now, if you are wondering what the casino should do if a player was planning to take every opportunity to split pairs of 10s or faces, then it would be in the casinos interest to let the player split every type of 10 or face, not just pairs (ignoring the advantage a counter can gain)

It is standard blackjack rules to allow splitting of any two 10-point cards. I don't know of any land casinos that forbid it, but then again, you almost never see anybody who wants to. The basic strategy player should never split tens. If there were no card counters, it could only increase the EV to allow splitting unlike tens.

Counters should sometimes split tens, in very good counts, against a bust card. In my younger card counting days I used to do it. However, it probably set of gigantic red flags.

In double exposure splitting unlike tens is quite powerful, which is why it is usually forbidden in that game, at least when casinos used to have it. It is a frequent mistake at online casinos to not allow splitting unlike tens in blackjack.

Its quite possible that splitting 10s in Blackjack was interpreted as indicating you didn't know what you were doing and therefore couldn't possibly be a card counter. Some people really like to hope for an Ace on each split hand ... and sometimes they do indeed get it.

The EV for 10,10 against a dealer 5 are (1 deck, dealer hits on soft 17):
0.67182 for standing and
0.125822 for splitting.
The fact that the EV is still positive for splitting 10's seems to convince some people that splitting is a good move. The logic seems to be that two hands with a better than even chance of winning are better than one hand.
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I've seen a grown men throw fits because a woman at the table insisted on splitting her 10's. The situation almost became violent, but he stormed off after he perceived that she was stealing his wins. I am of the theory that people's bad plays have no effect on you, and there is no reason to respond unless you are asked.
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However, the only hands with a higher EV than 10,10 against a 5 are
10,10 against a dealer 7-9 and
Ace,9 against a dealer 5-9.
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But casinos are always trying to get people to give up their 20's. There is even a patented blackjack rule call Casino Surrender invented by a dealer and a casino owner in Chicago where timid players are allowed to force the casino to surrender and pay 50% in this case.
The EV of player 10,10 against a dealer 10 or ace are 0.583154 and 0.593596 respectively. If the player takes an assured 0.50 then the table should make money. That may not seem like much of an improvement, but this situation come up 1 out of 35 hands which is pretty often at a full table. The savings for the casino are even more dramatic if the player forces the casino to surrender when they have a lower card then a ten.

Casino Surrender analyzed

It's definately worth sitting at a $1 table that pays even money for BJ, just for the response you get when you split tens. Then again, it's also fun to double down on a BJ!

On a more serious note, the only time splitting tens would be recommended is in a tournament, since this gives you an extra hand. And even then its a questionable move.

I did it at a tournament. I happened to be the last player in that hand, so I WAS taking the dealers cards. He had a 6, and both hands got high cards (8 & 9, I think). The cards WOULD have busted the dealer. Instead, his 15 hit a 2. Both of my hands won. Most people at the table lost.

Those were NOT happy people.

But, hey, it was a tournament!

Quote: Wizard

It is standard blackjack rules to allow splitting of any two 10-point cards. I don't know of any land casinos that forbid it, but then again, you almost never see anybody who wants to. The basic strategy player should never split tens. If there were no card counters, it could only increase the EV to allow splitting unlike tens.

Counters should sometimes split tens, in very good counts, against a bust card. In my younger card counting days I used to do it. However, it probably set of gigantic red flags.

In double exposure splitting unlike tens is quite powerful, which is why it is usually forbidden in that game, at least when casinos used to have it. It is a frequent mistake at online casinos to not allow splitting unlike tens in blackjack.

Seems you made a liar out of me. At a Monte Carlo Night a woman insisted you could do it and I said I never heard of that. However, she thought herself a "balckjack queen" but played like a village idiot. She said to her friend, "Aces are 1 or 11, but you ALWAYS want to count it as one." Later I had to tell her twice she was hitting a soft 20. Once I skipped her and she got upset and asked why. "You have 21 m'amm." "Oh."

Sometimes I wonder if I take an actual dealer job how long I will hold out before *needing* a drink or two after work.

I think you get used to all kinds of weird play, but I am told you get very tired of hearing the same comments over and over and pretending like they are original or clever. I talked to a girl who told me that after 20 years you would hear some comments 10,000 times.

Quote: pacomartin

I think you get used to all kinds of weird play, but I am told you get very tired of hearing the same comments over and over and pretending like they are original or clever. I talked to a girl who told me that after 20 years you would hear some comments 10,000 times.

You will get the same goofball comments in any customer service position. What gets me most at this level is people who can play over an hour and still not realize not to hit => hard 17 ever. I mean come on.

What I would wonder is are the people more likely to try a "clever" comment more likely to be "fun" people who toke more.

Quote: AZDuffman

What I would wonder is are the people more likely to try a "clever" comment more likely to be "fun" people who toke more.

Sometimes the reverse works.

As I was leaving a craps table, I tossed in $2 saying "I've been here about half an hour, and I'm not really 'feeling it', but I'm up $2, so give it to the crew."

One of the crew, who was very quick on the comeback, said "I'd recount. I think you're up $7."

It made me laugh enough to toss in the nickel.

Quote: AZDuffman

You will get the same goofball comments in any customer service position.

My friend who was phlebotomist said she would get the "Here comes Dracula" comment 5 or 6 times a day. People would laugh as if they were the only one in the world who ever thought of that comment.

But a blackjack dealer has to face people hour after hour. Most customer service positions involve quick rotations and people can't talk very long. You might get someone who says the same thing a dozen times.