NEW! Aces and Eights Blackjack Strategy

lesson about aces and eights blackjack strategy atgambling teachers
Aces and Eights Blackjack
by Frank Scoblete

This lesson is about Aces and Eights and strategic Blackjack.
There is one and only one way to play certain hands in the game ofblackjack for the basic strategy player.  Quick refresher:Basic strategy is the computer-derived rules for the playing of everyplayer hand against every possible dealer upcard.

In this lesson, several example hands and strategies about how to playaces and eights blackjack together or as pairs of 8s or aces aredetailed.
For example, take a hand of 16. No matter how you slice it, a hand of16 is a rotten hand. Hit it and you will bust over 60 percent of thetime; stand and the dealer will have to bust. You will be a big loserwhen you stand as well, around 70 percent of the time.
But a 16 composed of two 8s is an entirely different matter. In fact,very few players even think of two 8s as a 16; they merely think of itas an opportunity to split. It is an absolute truism in blackjack thatevery time you see those two 8s, you split them. Yes, you split themagainst aces and 10s and deuces and 3s. You split them against whateverthat dealer shows. That is a clear, concise, precise and ironclad rule!No exceptions. No debates.

Aces and Eightsblackjack: eight pairs strategy
Does this mean that a pair of 8s is a winning hand? Against some dealerupcards it is -- specifically 2 through 7, assuming you can doubleafter splits. You will win more money by splitting than you will bystanding or hitting.
But a pair of 8s is a losing hand against 8 through ace. So why do yousplit? Because you actually lose less money by splitting than you do bystanding or hitting. A starting hand of 8 is a stronger starting handthan 16. When you split, you give yourself a starting blackjack hand of8. Again, a starting hand of 8 against 8s through aces is a loser butit loses less.

Aces and Eightsblackjack: aces pairs strategy
It is also true that you always split aces against every dealer upcardand for essentially the same reasons. You will win more or lose lesswhen you do so.
A 2 or 12 composed of two aces is not a very strong hand to hit. But asingle ace is a very powerful card. It can be paired with a tenapproximately 32 percent of the time for a 21 depending on the dealerupcard and number of decks in play. It can be paired with a 9approximately eight percent of time for a total of 20 and it can bepaired with an 8 approximately eight percent of the time for a total of19. That means approximately 48 percent of the time; you have a strongpossibility of a winning hand, as the average winning hand in blackjackis approximately an 18.8. Splitting a pair of aces is a winning move inmost cases.

Of course, even though the rule for aces and eights blackjack isironclad, the results in the short term can be disheartening. Splityour 8s against a dealer upcard of ten and get a ten on each half ofthe split. If the dealer flips over a 20, you have just lost two betsinstead of one. Ugh! Some players, realizing that possibility, hesitateto split those 8s against a ten. Simple blackjack logic comes to youraid as those two tens land, bing! bong! on our split 8s. If the dealerhas a ten up, and you have two tens, the likelihood of another ten inthe hole is much less than it would be had you received any other cardson the split.
It is no different with those two aces. Split and get a two on one aceand a three on the other ace. Then look across the table at that big,fat dealer ten. You have four non-tens sitting right in front of you.It’s an air-gulping moment for sure as the dealer flipped over his holecard to reveal another big, fat 10--or even a 7, 8, or 9.
Okay, the rule is ironclad. Split aces and eights, period. But thedestiny of the hand after the split is not engraved in stone. You winsome; you lose some. However, in the long run--that glorious longrun--you will win more money or lose less money, guaranteed! if youfollow the rule.
That’s a fact. There’s no two sides to the story of splitting aces andeights.

Acesand eights is followed by Split Blackjack Strategies and Never Tips
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