Blackjack 101: Playing the Pairs

One inevitable question we will always encounter is that do we need to split every pair we get in blackjack? Doing a split is one option when we play blackjack and it can only be done if our hand is a pair. The truth is you don't split every hand that turns out to be a pair in blackjack.

Like every other blackjack hand out there, there is a strategy that we can employ when dealing with pairs in blackjack. If you play your pairs right, then you get to reduce the house advantage in blackjack and make some money in the process.

What action we take in blackjack depends on what kind of pair we have in our hand and what the dealer's up card is. So, check your hand then check out the dealer's up card.

Rule number one when playing the pairs in blackjack, you always split if your hand is a pair of Aces or a pair of Eights. There is no other course of action with pairs like these, you always split them.

Now, shifting gears, if your blackjack hand is a pair of Twos or a pair of Threes here's what you ought to do. Before anything else, check your dealer's up card. If the card is Two to Seven, the rule is to split, if not then hit.

If you have a pair of Fours in your initial hand here's what we do in our blackjack strategy. We'll split our cards if our dealer has a Four or a Five as an up card, if not then we must hit.

Now if your blackjack hand is a pair of Fives, remember that you don't split this hand. Here's what you do instead with this hand in blackjack. If your dealer's hand is within Two to Nine, what you do is to double down. If your dealer's up card turns out to be something otherwise, then you should hit.

If you have a pair of Sixes, you ought to split your cards if your dealer's up card turns out to be within Two to Six. You should hit if your dealer's up card isn't within that range.

Here's how to play a pair of Seven's in blackjack. If your dealer's up card shows Two to Seven, then you have to split, you hit otherwise.

You split a pair of Nines if your dealer shows Two to Six, an Eight, or a Nine. But if your dealer has a Seven, a Ten, or an Ace, then you stand.

Never split a pair of Tens, always stand if you get this hand in blackjack.

Here is the basic strategy we play pairs in blackjack. By playing the pairs right, we reduce the house edge and get a better game.