Blackjack rules XVIII
A very important choice of action for he blackjack player is the decision to split pairs. It is a potentially very advantageous strategy of play for gamblers when their find their hands become clumsy for being dealt a pair of cards with matching value. The concept of splitting pairs means that the player can now split the two cards and form two separate hands of play and continue with the game independently. So, if a player gets a pair of 9 cards as his first two cards, his hand strength is equal to 18 which is most likely not a winning hand but stands the possibility of going busted if he draws again. So by splitting the pair, the player can turn the disadvantage to his favor and form to hands with a 9 card each and both the hands can be played against the dealer without reference to one another, as if not one but two players are playing.
The form of action a player has to follow if he decides to split the pair in his hand resembles double down to some extent. So, if a hand-held game is under progress, the player throws down his cards on the game table with their faces turned up. In both types of blackjack game, the player is required to place an additional wager in the betting circle, since he proposes to play two hands simultaneously instead of one. However, unlike doubling down where the payer can bet any amount with the maximum being equal to his original bet, in case of splitting pairs, the player must match his original bet. So, if the player had betted $25 originally, he must bet another $25 in the betting circle if he wants to split his pairs. Once this is done, the dealer formally splits the pair of cards and treats them as separate hands in the game.
