Splitting

If a player receives two cards with the same point value i.e.- double 2s they have the option to split them and create two separate hands. If a player chooses this they must slide an equal amount of chips beside the current wager in the betting area. This is done automatically in an online casino as soon as the split button is hit when lit.

The player is now playing two games at once. It is the dealer’s responsibility to then separate the two cards and place another card face up on top of the first split pair. Modern casino practice is to play out one hand until the player is satisfied or goes bust and then to proceed on to the second hand.

Some versions of blackjack allow the cards to be “resplit” if a third card of the same value is placed directly on to one of the split cards. This is optional and is not permitted in all variations of the game, though can lead to high progressive bonuses in some online versions of the game where 7’s are the card that occurs three times.

Where permitted, splitting and re-splitting can give the player up to four distinct hands, each of which must be paid for by a further bet equal to that of the original bet.

Most casinos allow players to split aces only once and Blackjacks that result from this type of play are deemed only to be 21s. As such these hands will be paid out only at even money as opposed to the 3 to 2 ratio that a true Blackjack is worth.