Blackjack

Splits are a relatively easy concept to understand procedurally. However; there are many people who seem to have a hard time understanding the reason for a split and why it happens.

If a player receives 2 same-value cards as their first 2 cards, they will have the option to split their one hand of 2 cards into 2 hands of 1 card each and make decisions on each one as if they were betting two separate bet spots.

Once the split has been requested, the player MUST place an extra bet equal in value to their original bet. Just as with double-downs, be certain to keep the player's original bet on the dealer's left hand side. Split bets must be separated by a decent amount of space so the cards on each hand of the split do not overlap each other. If we have cards of 2 separate hands overlap each other, this can become confusing to surveillance. Remember that everything you do on a table is for surveillance. They need to see everything you do.

If a player chooses to double-down after they chose to split, this is an advantageous decision by the player depending on the circumstances of their hand regarding basic strategy. Because of the potential for the player to win more money, some casinos don't like this mild advantage and will not allow players to double-down after a split. At the time of writing this, this is a common rule of Boyd casinos here in Las Vegas.

Be certain that before you deliver the first card after a player chooses to split, ensure that the player gives you the proper hand-sign of two fingers split apart. This hand-sign is especially important if the player decided to split 4's or 5's as many players also like to double-down on those hands even though it is generally not recommended by basic strategy. We don't want to confuse a double-down with a split. If you do mistake one for the other, they will sometimes call surveillance to confirm what the player actually intended. This is why hand-signs are so important especially when dealing with larger sums of money.

Anytime a player splits, they can receive as many cards as they want on each hand as long as they did not split Aces. Splitting Aces is statistically a great move for players due to the odds in terms of basic strategy so this is very common for players to do. When players split Aces, they are usually restricted to only one card each at a 45 degree angle and they cannot take anymore cards on those Aces. However; if one of the player's split Aces receive another Ace, some casinos will allow that player to split the Aces again and still only give 1 card for each Ace at a 45 degree angle.

Just remember: Split Aces: 1 Card each
Split anything else: as many cards as the player wants

0:00 Intro to Splits
1:24 Split Rules
5:08 Double After Split
6:40 Split Aces