Are you cheating yourself by Splitting Aces in Blackjack?

Should you?

All serious blackjack players know the basic strategy and card-counting decisions for splitting pairs, and it’s pretty hard to go against them.

Many say impossible.

 But I disagree in two cases, and both are among the strongest pair-splitting cases etched in stone:

 Always split Aces.

 Always split 8s.

 Is my reluctance to always do so based on odds?

 Absolutely not!

It’s based solely on what seems to happen each time I make either of those plays.

Splitting Aces:

If you’ve got a pair of Aces against a dealer’s stiff up-card, then splitting them is of course a no-brainer. But when you’ve got them against a dealer’s up-card of 7,8,9,10 or Ace, you need two successful hits for a chance to win both hands if the dealer already has a made hand, quite difficult when you’re permitted just one card on each split-Ace.

I prefer just hitting Aces with the opportunity to hit again…and again. With each Ace counting as 1 or 11, I like my chances of making a pat hand.

Splitting 8s:

Basic strategy says always split them. I sure as hell don’t like the looks of that when I see the dealer’s up-card is 9, 10, or Ace. If he’s got any ten-value card in the hole, my goose is cooked—twice!

But what the heck do I know?