How Do Pairs Work in Blackjack?

In blackjack, pairs are two cards of the same rank. For example, two jacks or two aces.

Pairs can be played in a few different ways, depending on the casino rules.

Some casinos allow players to split pairs, meaning that each card can be played as its own hand. This is usually only allowed if the player’s initial two cards are a pair.

For example, if you’re dealt two jacks, you can split them into two separate hands and play each one for a bet equal to your original wager.

If you’re not allowed to split pairs, then you have a few other options. You can either play both cards as one hand, or you can choose to discard one of the cards and just play the other.

Playing both cards as one hand is usually the better option, since it gives you a chance to improve your hand with hits or doubles.

Discarding one of the cards is called “standing pat.” This leaves you with just one card and no chance to improve your hand.

It’s generally not a good idea to stand pat unless you have a very strong hand, like 20 or 21.

Once all players have made their decisions on how to play their pairs, the rest of the blackjack hand plays out as normal.