Splitting aces in blackjack

 

As we all know, the aim of blackjack is to obtain a hand as close to 21 as possible, but going over 21 results in an instant bust. In blackjack the ace card has a value of either one or eleven, depending on the call of the player at the time.

When being dealt two aces, this means the player has the choice of either counting both aces as ones, for a total hand of two, or counting one ace as one and the other as eleven to bring the hand to a soft twelve.

Neither of these hands are particularly lucrative and leave much to be desired. A soft twelve runs the high risk of receiving a ten or face card and going over 21, while a hand of two will require several hits and once again runs a high risk of busting.

As with other pairs in blackjack, players also have the choice of splitting aces in order to create two separate hands. The overall consensus by blackjack strategists is to always split a pair of aces, no matter what, as two hands with a value of 11 each extend much better opportunities of a win than one single hand valued at 12 or two. This gives players not only twice the chance to win, but the attractive possibility of receiving a card with the value of 10 to bring in a winning blackjack.

When learning basic blackjack strategy, ‘always split aces’ should be your golden rule. The same typically applies to splitting a pair of eights, but this will depend more on the dealer’s up facing card.

Rules when splitting aces

Splitting a pair of aces in blackjack is so desirable that most casinos apply certain rules regarding what a player can do in this scenario. The most common rule is that upon splitting a pair of aces, the player must work with the cards then dealt without the chance to double down, hit or re-split. This means your fate is determined by one card only. Some casinos will even enforce the frustrating rule that receiving a ten on split aces is not considered a ‘natural blackjack’ and does not constitute a bonus.

Even taking these rules into consideration, splitting a pair of aces is always recommended, but it’s always smart to check the rules of the game you’re playing to check whether there are certain restrictions to how you can play upon splitting two aces.

Where can I play blackjack online?

Unlike games of chance like roulette or pokes, blackjack requires a level of player strategy to be successful. Our favorite blackjack sites give punters the option to play games for free in demo mode, so if you’re a newbie to blackjack or not familiar with online play you can try it risk-free to get a feel for the game before moving on to place a real money bet.

We recommend these casinos to test out strategies of what to do when dealt a hand of two aces:

• All Slots – along with several blackjack variants there is also a huge range of live dealer blackjack games

• G’Day Casino – classic blackjack variations along with Pontoon, European Blackjack, Super 7 Blackjack, Blackjack Pro and several live dealer games.

• Guts Casino – over 30 blackjack variants on offer from various game developers including Micro-gaming, Ne-tent and Bet-soft

• Royal Vegas Casino – Atlantic City Blackjack, Classic Blackjack Gold, Vegas Downtown Blackjack, Double Exposure, Bonus Blackjack, Super Fun 21 and Playboy live dealer blackjack among many others.

The ace is the most valuable card in a blackjack game. It may be used as a 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous for a hand. It is also half of the hand that makes a blackjack, which pays 3-2 at most tables.

A pair of aces is the best start hand in Texas Hold’em. Blackjack is not much different. Split aces allow a player at least two chances to win. In some cases, there are up to four chances to win in a single hand, each containing the best card in the deck.

Re-split aces

Some Las Vegas casinos will allow players to re-split aces. This means that if a player receives another ace after splitting aces, the hand may be split again for another bet. Casinos that offer re-split aces will allow up to four hands if aces continue to come off the top of the deck. A blackjack game that allows aces to be re-split has a house edge that is .08% lower than one that does not, assuming that all of the other rules are otherwise the same.

Hitting Split Aces

All standard blackjack games do not allow hitting split aces. This is due to the fact that it would drop the house edge by .19%. Most blackjack games have a house edge of .5% or lower. The house must have an edge that covers its overhead.

Allowing split aces to be hit would also increase the variance. Imagine a hand where a player gets four aces in a row and split them into four hands while having the ability to hit and maybe even double down. That would be a blackjack dream hand.

There are two blackjack variations that allow split aces to be hit. They are Super Fun 21, known as Super 21 at Real Time Gaming online casinos, and World’s Most Liberal 21. These games also pay even money on most blackjacks and have a higher house edge than most blackjack games.

Doubling Split Aces

A house that allowed doubling after splitting may also have to include aces for consistency. Allowing a double down on split aces would take another .08% from the house edge. Super Fun 21 and World’s

Most Liberal 21 allow double down after splitting and re-splitting aces. As mentioned, these games short pay on a natural blackjack. Triple Attack Blackjack allows double down on split aces but does not allow players to hit them.

Getting 21 on Split Aces

Splitting aces and receiving a ten-value card will look identical to receiving a dealt blackjack off the top of the deck. This does not count as a natural blackjack. It simply counts as any other 21 would and does not automatically win. It would tie the dealer if the house also made a 21 hand.

Casino Rules on Splitting Aces

Splitting Aces is considered a very powerful move on behalf of players, so it is only natural for the house to try and do anything possible to prevent them from taking full advantage of this pair. In the majority of land-based and online blackjack variations, casinos prohibit players from hitting their Aces after a split. Instead, each Ace receives no more than one additional card, similarly to what happens after doubling down.

There are certain online variations of the game, like Micro-gaming's Super Fun 21, where players get to enjoy more liberal rules when splitting this particular pair, like doubling down on each Ace and re-splitting.

The ability to hit split Aces leads to a reduction of 0.19% in the casino’s advantage whereas that of re-splitting them decreases the house edge by 0.08%. That being said, the software developers have compensated for the advantage these moves give the player by changing some of the other rules with more unfavorable ones. Worse of all, you get even money for your blackjacks which gives the casino a monstrous advantage over you.

Another peculiarity of Ace splitting results from the payouts you receive when you are dealt a ten-value card next to a split Ace. You have a two-card total of 21 but this is not treated as a natural in this case because it is not based on your original two-card holding. Instead, it is treated as a multiple-card 21 which returns even money instead of the higher 3-to-2 payout awarded for blackjacks.블랙잭사이트

An Ace is a good card to start a hand with, which is why most casinos do not allow their players to re-split pairs of Aces. This naturally makes doubling on split Aces impossible which also takes away some of your edge. Now that you have read about all these restrictions, you are probably wondering if splitting pairs of Aces is a good idea at all. It is. In fact, splitting Aces is always a good idea from the perspective of a basic strategy player.