What is the best strategy when you have a pair of 5s?

[Jonah]

When you have a pair of 5s in Blackjack, the best strategy is to split the pair, but you should never split 5s. Instead, you should double down.
Here’s why:
1. Doubling down with a pair of 5s gives you a strong opportunity to improve your hand, because the total value of the pair (10) is already a solid starting point. By doubling down, you're betting more money on the chance of drawing a 10 or face card, which would give you a total of 20, a very strong hand.
2. If you split the 5s, you start two new hands, each with a 5, which puts you in a weaker position, as you'd be forced to play out each hand and may end up with low totals, like 15 or less, requiring you to hit against the dealer’s hand.
In general, doubling down on 10 (which is the value of the pair of 5s) is the recommended move because it maximizes your potential to win in favorable situations. The only exception would be if the dealer's up card is particularly strong (like a 10 or Ace), but even then, doubling down is still often the best option.

 

[CR7]

While doubling down on a pair of 5s in Blackjack is indeed a viable strategy, it's important to note that it's not commonly recommended or practiced in standard Blackjack play. The conventional wisdom among Blackjack players and experts is to always split a pair of 5s.

Here's why splitting is the preferred strategy for a pair of 5s:
1. By splitting the pair of 5s, you create the opportunity to potentially improve two separate hands. Starting with two hands of 5 gives you a chance to enhance your overall position by aiming for stronger totals.
2. When you split 5s, you effectively convert a weak hand into two stronger hands, which can increase your chances of winning against the dealer. Additionally, having two potential winning hands gives you more ways to benefit from favorable cards dealt from the shoe.

In Blackjack, the goal is to maximize your advantage against the dealer, and splitting a pair of 5s aligns more closely with this objective compared to doubling down. While doubling down on certain hands is definitely a strategic move in Blackjack, the general consensus favors splitting 5s as the best course of action for players in this specific scenario.