SpillpratBordspillBlackjackShould you split 8s vs a 10?
Should you split 8s vs a 10?
Got 8-8 vs a 10 three times in a row last night, split once and lost both hands. The charts say split but it feels like handing money to the dealer. I'm a casual player, mostly for fun. Is splitting actually right here, or am I missing a better move for this spot?
Splitting 8s against a 10 is the mathematically correct basic strategy play, and it's not close. 16 is the worst hand in the game, you bust it on any card above a 5, and the dealer's 10 is already strong. Splitting gives you two hands that each start at 8, so you can draw to make 19 or 20, instead of sitting on a 16 that you have to hit and hope the dealer busts. You're not doing it to win this hand. You're doing it to lose less over thousands of hands. You will still lose more often than you win against a 10, but if you hit the 16 you lose even more, and if you stand you lose roughly the same as hitting, but with less chance at a decent total.
That said, the biggest thing that catches people out here is surrender. If the casino offers late surrender, and most Norwegian tables and online sites do, then the optimal move against a 10 and ace is to surrender the 8-8 instead of splitting. You give up half the bet and walk away, and over time that saves you more than splitting. Check the table before you play: if the dealer hits soft 17, that also changes a few things. Ask the dealer or pit boss if you're not sure, they'll tell you. Casually you never play this by feel. The golden rule is simple: basic strategy every hand, no exceptions, no gut feelings. That's the only way to cut the house edge close to zero. When it's 12 on a 5, you stand, that's a different rule. When you have 15 or 16, you always hit against a 10 because the dealer is likely to be fronting anyway. And never split 10s, no matter what. Split 7s against a 10 only if your rules say it's right, but against a 10 it's usually a no-go. The charmer is that you will lose this hand more often than you win it. You've gotta come to terms with that before you sit down. Split it for the long run.
Counted cards in Vegas before the casinos banned me from three of them. Still count groceries.
Yes, split 8s against a 10 is correct, that is the textbook move. You're turning the worst hand in the game into two decent starts. And you're not playing to win each split, you're playing to lose less. Lose over time, that's basic strategy. Remember it this way: never split 10s, never take insurance, and don't stand on 16 when the dealer shows a 10.
20 winters of dealing in the north. The cold keeps the cards still, but the players don't.
One point from a real table: at most Norwegian casinos, late surrender is on the table. I was in Oslo last month, dealer confirmed it, and I surrendered 8-8 vs a 10, lost just half the bet instead of pushing the whole thing. If they let you, take it.
Played every table from Tromso to the Caribbean. Still expect the worst.
You hit 16 on a 10, same with 15. The dealer's got a card that makes him strong, so standing is a slow death. I tracked my 16-10s at a Tromsø table for two hundred hands and hitting lost me less, even though it felt backwards. Fear of busting kills more bankrolls than the busts do.