[Blackjack] I’ve been given the option to “split” in the middle of a hand. What does that mean?

[AARPHannah]

I’ve been given the option to “split” in the middle of a hand. What does that mean?

In blackjack, you’re given the opportunity to split your hand when you have two cards of the same number. If you split, each card becomes its own hand, and you can play each hand separately. You can hit or stand on each hand individually; after you’re done, the better hand becomes the one you play against the dealer.

Splitting is a great opportunity to give yourself an additional opportunity to win. It’s also an opportunity to consider betting more heavily, as you have more chances of victory!

From August 19 through September 12, you can play AARP's Blackjack even if you're not an AARP member!

[SusanS539863]

It means you have a pair with the same number. You can choose to split them and play two hands instead of one. If you split, you have to match the money you bet on the first hand in order to play both. Aces and eights are generally good split cards. Consider what you would have in the case if a dealer gave you a 10 on whatever card you have. For example, if you split sixes, and got a 10 on each one you’d have 16, which is the worst hand in my opinion! That’s a bust card. You generally don’t split bust cards. Never split 10s! Especially if you are playing in a casino, people will get up and walk away from your table! lol Why? Because 20 is a winning hand generally. The only thing that can beat you is a 21. Some people get greedy and it’s a dumb move. Those are very basic explanations but once you get the hang of it, you’ll understand when you can bend the rules and it makes sense. It all depends sometimes on what the dealer has. In my opinion, always split aces. That’s the only hundred percent I can give you! That means you have two hands with an ace showing and you would hope for the dealer to hit you with a 10 on both and win with 21 doubling your chances. Hope that makes sense!

[Karyn8]

 Odds in blackjack say always split 2 eights and split two aces. Other splits depend on the dealers showing card.

[AARPHannah]

Thanks @Karyn8! Have you had a chance to play Blackjack yet? Here's the link! https://games.aarp.org/games/blackjack 

[Karyn8]

 I play on cruises and once in a blue moon in Las Vegas. There are charts telling you what to do with any hand based on what the dealer is showing. It's printed on a card the size of a regular card from a deck of cards that I refer to.