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Ask Sir Syruss. Sir Syruss is a seasoned adventurer with over 10 years of experience slaughtering undead and charming the ladies, beating up bad guys, frustrating good guys, and grossing out the ladies. So if you have a question no matter how bizarre, weird or funny (the funnier the better then we can sell more issues of the View) consider asking the man who loves to tell you how to live your life……..even though no one tells you how to live your life.
(OOC- Questions for Sir Syruss should be sent to view staff at aearlegray@gmail.com
Dear Syruss King of the Swing
Should I split 8s when the dealer is showing a 10?
Anon
Huh an actual question I am qualified to answer. Well since you asked, I have learned a lot about Black Jack since my brother Nymbous and I opened the New Eden Casino an O’Leary Brothers venture and here is what you need to know.
First thing you should get in your head is: Aces and 8s should always be split. Always, always,always when you are at the Blackwood casino NEVER NEVER NEVER when you come to the New Eden Casino . When you split a pair of Aces, there's a stronger chance that you'll get something with a hand value of 10 (any face card and a 10) as your next card and that greatly increases the odds of you getting at least a 20. Eights should be split because 16 is a very weak hand when you stand on it, but the odds of busting if you opt to hit are over 60%.
What should you never split? Pairs of 4s, 5s or 10s. You'll never bust out if you hit on the first two and having a pair of 10s means you're already very close to winning. How you should react when you've got other pairs? It depends on what dealer has as a face-up card. Let's start with the highest-valued pair from the remainder and work our way down to the lowest. Again things work different at my joint so if you feel inclined to split 4s 5s or 10s do what you feel we wont tell you how to live your life. (With the exception of this advice colum in which I am doing just that)
Splitting a Pair of 9s
If you see that the dealer has a 7, Ace or any card valued a ten, you should hold your cards. Without those cards in play, though, the likelihood is greater that the dealer has 18 or less and you can split confidently.
Splitting a Pair of 7s
When it comes to 14, it’s a tricky number in Blackjack; there's an over-50% chance that you'll bust if you opt to hit on that, but on their own, 7s can be hard to build into something. You should split when you see that the dealer has an 8 or higher as their up-card. The reason for this is that they can win with any card valued at ten or an Ace, no matter what you get when you hit while holding 14.
Splitting a Pair of 6s
In general, you shouldn't choose to split when you're holding a pair of 6s. However, if you've had a good run and you see that the dealer's up-card is a 4, 5 or 6, you might well find it profitable. Otherwise, it's important to remember that if you hit while holding 12, you've only got a 30% chance of busting.
Splitting a Pair of 2s or 3s
In general, you can split 2s and 3s without much worry, especially if the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or 6. However, it's important to note that hitting on a hand valued a 4 or 6 isn't going to have any chance of busting, and you're probably better holding onto the hand and playing it as-is.
That's it! It's actually pretty simple to know when to split when you're playing Blackjack. Just applying some basic logic and understanding what the dealer might be holding. Remember no card counting we will break your legs, than heal them, than break them, than heal them, than break them, than heal them, than make us some peanut butter and jelly sammies than break your legs again.
Love
Sir Syruss O’Leary New Eden Casino COO and Hype Guy