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There are certain circumstances that arise in
Blackjack that can catch a player by surprise and
present them with a crucial choice of what to do
next. Making the right or wrong decision is not
always obvious so here is a guide to some of the
more unusual plays you might have to make.
You drew a pair and split and now you've drawn
another card that completes a pair again! Should you
split? Yes, why not? If it was a good idea to split
in the first place then do it again.
Some casinos let you double-down after a split. You
should apply the usual doubling-down strategies if
you can especially if after a split you take a hit
that brings one of your hands to 11. This is a very
strong hand to be on and well worth the chance of
doubling down on. If you can do it, then play it!
Surrendering is a course of action that can pull you
out of trouble if you know when to use it.
Surrendering means you turn in your cards before you
have taken a hit and when the dealer doesn't have
blackjack. You will lose half you bet by doing this
but it is better to lose half a bet than all of it.
So when to surrender? If you have a weak hand that
will most likely bust and the dealer is showing a
strong upcard.
The classic weak hands are 14-16 as these have the
greatest chance of taking you over 21 if you take a
hit.If you have 16 you surrender if the dealer's
upcard is 6 to Ace. The dealer is likely to finish
on 19-21 and you will lose your bet anyway or bust
if you take a hit.When holding 15 you should
surrender only if the dealer is showing an upcard
with a value of 10. However, if the upcard is an ace
then play the hand. Look at it like this. The dealer
is showing an ace but hasn't declared Blackjack
which the dealer must do, then it means he/she
doesn't have a ten-card with the ace. You have a
good chance of beating a dealer's ace when it is
paired with something other than a 10. Finally, if
you have 14 then keep going and play the hand.
Although there is a chance you might bust there are
plenty of cards that will take you up to 21 rather
than over it so try your luck.
One last bit of advice concerning buying insurance
against a dealer's blackjack. When the dealer is
showing an ace upcard he/she must ask the players if
they want to buy insurance against Blackjack. This
costs half your original bet and pays off 2:1. The
dealer then checks for Blackjack which beats all
other hands. Generally, unless you suspect that
there are a very lot of ten-value cards remaining in
the pack insurance is not worth the bet.
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