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Poker Game Play – Splitting

Splitting is explained as being the action of dividing a pair dealt in the original hand and play it as two separate hands with two separate stakes. Most of the time this is advantageous however, not all pairs should be split and it is up to the player to decide whether to play the original hand or choose to split it. There are many different rulings about what can be split and what cannot according to where you may be playing.

There are some standard rules that most dealers will follow. You are allowed to split an original hand up to three times. This is advantageous, as they become independent hands that have the potential to win. This means potentially four hands can be created from the original pair. Most dealers allow all combinations of face cards and tens to be split as they all retain the same value.

However, some insist on the pair being identical so you need to clarify this ruling before starting to play.

Another ruling that you will require clarification on is the split any cards adding up to the value of sixteen. This is a very beneficial rule for the player if the dealer will allow it as it gets rid of what would be considered the worst possible hand.

The dealer sometimes also offers a discard split but this is more of a rarity and you will need to clarify this also before you play. There are statistical reasons around whether it is beneficial to split your pair. If you follow these rulings, you will undoubtedly improve your win rate. However, this does not take in account anomalies such as an unexplained losing or winning streak. Not everything can be measured or explained in this way.

If the player is dealt a pair, he can opt to split and play it as two hands doubling his stake. Statistically there are a number of rules that it is beneficial to follow regarding splitting due to the probabilities of the draw. Never split fives, tens or face cards. Always split aces and eights. Split any other pair except fours if the dealer is showing a six or lower.

Split twos, threes and sevens if the dealer is showing a seven. Split fours if the dealer is showing a five or a six. Split nines if the dealer is showing an eight or a nine. Don’t split anything except eights or nines if the dealer is showing an eight or higher. However, when splitting two aces the player will only receive one extra card to each ace. If you are then dealt another ace, some dealers will allow you to resplit. Do this if you have the option. If you are unable to remember what play was advised in any particular situation, the basic assumption is that the dealer is