Start with four anchors
- Always split aces. Two new hands each begin with an ace.
- Always split 8s. Hard 16 is weak, while two hands beginning with 8 have more room to improve.
- Never split 5s. Play the pair as hard 10 and double against dealer 2 through 9.
- Never split 10s. Hard 20 is already one of the strongest totals.
The other pairs depend on the dealer upcard. For example, 2s and 3s split against 2 through 7, while 9s split against 2 through 6 and 8 or 9 but stand against 7, 10, or ace under this profile.
Pair strategy asks whether two new starting hands are better than the total you already have.
These decisions assume double after split is allowed. A table without DAS requires a different pair chart.