Playing a Hand of 8 and 8 in a Game of Blackjack

Most blackjack players are only too familiar with the inward groan that accompanies two 8's. Being dealt this hand in a game of blackjack is just plain bad luck. A hard 16 is the worst blackjack hand you can hold, regardless of the dealer's cards. Luckily though, there are ways you can play this hand to improve upon it and to lower the likelihood of you losing your wager.

The best course of action when you receive two 8's in your blackjack hand is to split the hand. If you hit on a hard 16, you will get a negative return of -$0.41 to -$0.54 for each dollar you wager on the hand. Hitting on a hard 16 and achieving a favorable outcome as a result of your decision will only occur five times out of 13 hands. This is just 38.5 percent of the time. Definitely an alternative strategy is called for!

Therefore the recommended way to play a hand consisting of two 8's is to split them. Just look at how your chances improve. If you split two 8's when the dealer is showing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, you will get a positive return of $0.07 to $0.41 on each dollar you've spent. This positive return becomes negative if you split when the dealer has 8, 9, 10 or Ace (-$0.02 to -$0.48) but the odds of you winning the hand are still far greater than if you choose to hit on hard 16.

In short, you should remember the “split of 8's” rule. The best course of action no matter what the dealer has in his hand is to split your 8's and play them as two separate blackjack hands.