When to Split Your Pair of Two's

During your stay at a blackjack table, or while playing Blackjack on the Internet, you may, at some point be dealt a pair of two’s. Sometimes splitting the pair of two’s is a great idea, and sometimes it is not a mathematically smart thing to do. Allow me to give you some examples of both scenarios. It is very important to keep well in mind, each casino, each on line blackjack table has different rules and different policies the house enforces. Some casinos allow you to split multiple times, some allow you to double down after splitting a pair, some casinos do not, it is best to find out what the rules of the blackjack table are, before deciding to play at that table. Also, some casinos have the blackjack dealer stay on all seventeens, whereas some casinos hit soft seventeens. The examples in this article, are scenarios where the house stands on all seventeens.

Splitting is when you are dealt a pair of same valued cards, as your first two cards, you have the option of splitting the two cards, making them separate from each other. In order to split a hand, you have to place a second wager, equal in value to your original bet, you will then be given a new card to add to the first ‘two’, offered options of hitting, staying, doubling down in some casinos, as well as possibly the ability to re-split if your next card happens to be yet an other two. After you have completed play on the first ‘two’, then your second ‘two’ will be given a second card, and you will once again have the option to hit the hand, stand, possibly double down and possibly the option of re-splitting, if you get an other ‘two’.

If you are dealt a pair of twos, and the blackjack dealer is showing a two, then splitting is the advised step, based on a lot of blackjack basic strategy cards, which can be obtained in a lot of casino gift shops, or even on line as well.

It is also much advised, by basic strategy, to split a pair of two’s against the blackjack dealer’s up card of three, four, five, six and seven. Keep well in mind, this is what basic strategy advises, this strategy is based on the odds, calculated by a computer, instead of a “gut feeling” which is what a lot of blackjack players will base their strategy on, and pass it off as gospel.

It is also very important to remember, you will not always win every time you split your pair of two’s against a blackjack dealer’s two, three, four, five, six or seven as an up card. Statistically, you have a better chance of winning if you follow basic blackjack strategy, but that does not mean you will win on the big bets and lose on the small bets, that’s the big unknown as far as basic blackjack strategy goes, it may work more times than not, but not necessarily on the times where you have a big bet out there.

The basic blackjack strategy chart that I am following also suggests that if the blackjack dealer is showing an up card of an eight, nine, ten valued card or ace, that instead of splitting your hand, you should only hit. It also points out that, at tables where doubling down is not allowed after splitting, that you should not split your two’s against the blackjack dealer’s two or three as an up card, instead, you should only hit.

The ideal scenario would be split your two’s against the blackjack dealer’s up card of six, get an other two, split again, and get some eights and nines put on those two’s for great double downs. Splitting and doubling down is a good way to get more money out on the blackjack felt. Hearing the blackjack dealer say, “Dealer Breaks!” is a great sound when you have a big hand, with lots of splits and double downs.

Most blackjack players out there all have some sort of system of deciding when to split their pair of twos. Some decide based on odds, gut feelings or how the planets aligned the night before. It is best to find your system and stick to it. Regardless of how you base your blackjack decisions, there seems to always be a blackjack player that advises otherwise, so don’t feel too bad if someone tries to tell you that you should not have played those twos the way you did.