You're dealt a pair of 3s. The dealer shows a 5. Split or play it as one hand? Basic strategy answers:
| Split ← | +0.1023 |
| Hit | -0.0349 |
| Stand | -0.1672 |
| Double | -0.3156 |
| You bust on the next card | 0.0% |
| Dealer 5 busts | 41.6% |
Split is worth 0.1372 more per unit than Hit. On a $10 bet that is $1.37 handed over every time you get it wrong. Across the 340 situations in this chart it ranks 135th by expected value — better than 205 of them, worse than 134. Expected value is per unit staked, computed for multi-deck, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed. The model and the code are published as data.
Against a dealer 5 (42% bust chance), splitting 3s turns one mediocre total into two playable hands while the dealer is vulnerable. With double-after-split allowed, you also keep the option to press each new hand — that's where the split profit comes from.