Blackjack Strategies

2's and 3's

You split a hand for the same reason you double down: When the dealer is in trouble, you want to get as much money bet against him as the law allows. One way to increase your original bet is by splitting .

Knowing when to split is vital to Blackjack strategy. I see people split 6's against a 10, and 5's against an 8, and an assortment of other totally illogical moves. The most illogical thing of all is for someone to play Blackjack who is not perfect at the game.

To begin with, a great many casinos allow splitting any two cards of equal value if they are dealt to you as your first two cards.
If you learn how to take advantage of this rule, it can be tremendously profitable!

I start by explaining when you should split 2's and 3's. This move is made whenever the dealer shows as his up card anything from a 2 through a 7.

Remember, the weak cards of the dealer are those from the 2 through the 7. If, for instance, you are dealt two 3's against the dealer's 7, look on the next page to see what could happen if you don't split 3's, and instead called for a hit.

You have two 3's for a total of 6 ...

YOU DRAW	YOUR NEW TOTAL
Ace	soft seventeen
2	eight
3	nine
4	ten
5	eleven
6	twelve
7	thirteen
8	fourteen
9	fifteen
10	sixteen
Jack	sixteen
Queen	sixteen
King	sixteen

Only three times do you get a decent hand of nine, ten, or eleven, to allow you an additional hit and another attempt at getting nineteen or better.