Should you be splitting tens? You know that there are certain ways you can tell who a real beginner, or an unskilled player, really is, and I suppose that it is appropriate for us to point out, as part of any online tips for blackjack, to show you what NOT to do and therefore avoid being one of those players.
Have you ever been sitting at a table with somebody, and you can just see their mouth water when being dealt a certain hand? Maybe it’s one that they are “pat” with (in a situation where they would stand with a good hand), or better yet, thought they could double on. Sometimes they don’t understand what they’ve got.
Sometimes people get particularly excited when they are dealt a pair of tens. Of course, this is a great hand; in fact, the second best two-card deal you can have (right behind a two-card 21), but you will find players who don’t really want to think about how good a hand they have, but instead, how they can turn it into two hands.
It’s not the point of our online tip for blackjack to illustrate that it’s a little greedy, because there are times when greed is not a bad virtue at the blackjack table. You will come across situations where it behooves you to make as much money as you possibly can, since you’re not going to encounter those situations all that often. We just want to show you that it’s not that wise.
You know what it is to get a pair of tens dealt to you. And remember that when we talk about “tens,” for purposes of this online tip for blackjack, we are referring to cards with a ten as their numerical value, and that means any card that counts for ten for the purpose of filling out your hand. In poker you’ll see a Jack and a Queen, which are of different ranks, which therefore gives them different values. They are used to make up straights and full houses, and if you really get lucky, a Royal Flush. In blackjack it is obviously quite different, as they both count for a value of 10 as you try to make the best hand you possibly can.
Well, the lead character in “Rain Man” might have been able to double on a two-card 20 and get away with it, but of course, that’s a movie. From there, the train of thought (though not in this online tip for blackjack) is that perhaps the option of splitting them is worth considering. There are some land-based casinos that are going to allow you to split any two cards that have a ten value, while you may be restricted to splitting only exact pairs by other casinos. When it comes to online casinos, and even some of the games within those casinos, you may find some variance on the rules as well.
Regardless of the rules, you are faced with the prospect of splitting up a hand that has a value of 20, and the only thing that can beat you is if the house has a 21. And in case you have never noticed, getting a 21 isn’t a common occurrence.
The lesson to be learned with this online tip for blackjack is that splitting tens, or ten-value cards, is an idea that won’t be a long-term winner. You don’t really want to take a hand of 20, which is going to win or at least tie in all but a very small percentage of situations, and you’re breaking it up.
Sure, you can have two hands that can start with 10, but then you are having to construct two winning hands in order to come out ahead. This is not the spot where you want to give money away, and you will certainly be giving some money away in the long-run if you split tens. If you follow this online tip for blackjack, you’re going to be happy as you move forward.
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