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How to Play Any Hand Against a Dealer’s Ace

Posted on October 19, 2020 | 12:57 pm
how-to-play-any-hand-against-a-dealers-ace-image1

Is there a worse feeling than when a blackjack dealer turns over an ace as their upcard?

That sinking feeling has a sound mathematical basis: indeed, when the dealer shows an ace, he or she has a mere 11.5% chance of busting, and an overwhelming 88.5% chance of a final hand of 17 or better. It doesn’t exactly inspire player confidence!

Fortunately, savvy players know that playing excellent blackjack isn’t about winning every hand. It’s about playing as well as possible, to minimize the house edge and give ourselves the best possible chances for success.

This is the essence of proper blackjack strategy.

As such, when the dealer holds an ace as their upcard, the advantage player should know ahead of time exactly what to do.

Making the best of this bad situation is part of what separates serious players from amateurs. As in life, we can’t change the cards we are dealt. We can, however, play them as well as possible.

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What does this look?

Simply put, winning players must adjust to a more aggressive (ie. hitting instead of standing) style of play against a dealer’s ace when playing hard hands (those that do not contain an ace), and to a less aggressive one when playing soft hands (those that do contain an ace).

When allowed, surrendering is sometimes the best choice.

On a more advanced level, some hands should be played differently depending on the cards that make them up! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…

…here is the most basic version of how to play any hand against a dealer’s ace:

(note: this guide assumes a multi-deck game in which dealers are required to stand on soft 17 (aka S17). There are certain changes for other gaming circumstances, which will be explored later.)

hard-hands-agains-dealers-ace-image2Hard Hands Against Dealer’s Ace (S17)

5-15: Hit!

16: Surrender if allowed… otherwise, hit!

17-21: Stand.

Soft Hands

A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7: Hit!

A-8, A-9: Stand.

A-10Blackjack, baby!

Pairs:

A-A: Split ‘em!

2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7: Hit!

8-8: Split ‘em!

9-9, 10-10: Stand.

Now, suppose the dealer is required to hit on soft 17 (aka H17). How does this change things?

Only a little bit. There are four adjustments: hard 15, hard 17, and a pair of 8’s will now surrender if allowed, while hard 11 will now double down. Here is the full chart:

Hard Hands Against Dealer’s Ace (H17)

5-10: Hit!

11: Double down if allowed… otherwise, hit.

11-14: Hit!

15, 16: Surrender if allowed… otherwise, hit!

17-21: Stand.

Soft Hands

A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7: Hit!

A-8, A-9: Stand.

A-10Blackjack, baby!

Pairs:

A-A: Split ‘em!

2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7: Hit!

8-8: Surrender if allowed… otherwise, hit!

9-9, 10-10: Stand.

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Answering Frequently Asked Questions

faq-shoul-i-play-differently-against-a-dealers-ace-at-higher-betting-levels-image3Should I play differently against a dealer’s ace at higher betting levels?

No. The math behind these recommendations does not change, regardless of whether the per hand limit is $1 or $1000.

With that said, it is very important for players to choose tables with betting limits within their limits.

Not only because it’s important not to wager money one can’t afford to lose!

Also, because players can hardly be expected to keep their cool and make smart decisions when the limits are too high for their comfort (or too low to hold their interest). Advantage players always rise above the gambler’s fallacy, no matter the stakes.

Can I always split cards with a value of 10, such as Jack-King?

As always in the game of blackjack, it comes down to the rules of the table and the house. Generally speaking, any two cards with a value of 10 can be split.

Why is it wrong to split 10s against a dealer’s ace?

Some players may feel an urge to split against a dealer’s ace. The thinking may go as follows: 20 is a pretty good hand… I’ll beat most final hands no matter what, even when the dealer shows an ace. Shouldn’t I double my chances to win?

In a word, no.

Without getting too much into the mathematical side, suffice to say that holding 20 against a dealer’s ace is among the best results a player can hope for even amidst this unenviable situation.

Splitting means giving up this fortunate end result (which may still well lose to dealer’s blackjack!), opening one’s self up to the possibility of two poor hands instead of one good one… with doubling one’s wager in extremely adverse circumstances thrown into the bargain!

Should I change my strategy in single- or double-deck games?

In a word, yes.

Single- and double-deck games offer more deck penetration, which is an advantage for card counters.

This means making slight alterations to the strategy outlined above. These most often consider mathematically complex hands like 8-8, which, depending on the table/house rules, should be split, surrendered, or hit to get the best possible advantage.

Similar adjustments might be made to hitting vs. doubling down on hard 11, depending on the makeup of the hand.

These are very small changes, but crucial ones once a player is ready to move from intermediate level of play up to a more sophisticated one. Such players will want to hit the books: advanced play is serious stuff, well beyond the scope of this article.

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