Hate the eights

I should write a blackjack book called “I hate eights.” See, it’s got the rhyming down and everything. I’m sure the blackjack world over could co-author it with me, as seeing this pair of bastards turned up in your hand is one of the worst feelings I get at the table.

Especially if the dealer shows a 10 value card, eights creates the worst scenario for an uncertain player, even one who know what he or she should be doing. Our first instinct, of course, is to split. Even before you see what the dealer has, you’re holding yourself back from reaching for your chip stack to split the hand. The current value of 16 against a 7 or higher forces you into one of 2 decisions, really. You’re either splitting or hitting. Anything under a 7 and you’re either standing or splitting.

But is there a third option against a 10? What about the surrender? This afford you the opportunity to halve your losses, keeping in mind you’re going to be the underdog on both hands even if you do split them. So what’s a player to do?

Assuming we’re not counting (otherwise the true count plays a role in what you should do), surrender is the correct move if you have the option. Since some casinos don’t offer this on all their games (find out before you sit down), my choice in this situation is to split. Many will disagree with me and call for a stand, even against the 10 or a 9, but I disagree. Although, I admit the pitfall of splitting your hand more than once with the strongest current value you’re going on is an 8, it’s very realistic to think you’ll end up dumping 4 hands to the dealer’s 20 in the blink of an eye. Which is exactly why I hate the 8’s.

Turn it around, though, and face a dealer’s 7 or lower, and splitting the 8’s is the correct move. Still, it’s a slipperly slope there, as one can easily find themselves with 2 hands valued lower than your starting 16 and with fewer options after the split. You’re be in twice as deep with your back against the wall. Granted, it’s just one hand, but you want to play every hand as if your entire bank account were riding on it. Otherwise, if you’re there to make money, what’s the point in playing?