Splitting a Pair of Aces

Blackjack is a casino game that requires far more than mere luck, which is why it is popular with players all over the world. Even though most players are familiar with its basic rules, they are usually unaware of all the possible outcomes a particular move can lead to. Thus, they fail to make the right decision in tough situations and often lose a succession of hands.

To make matters worse, many players do not follow any strategy and decide how to proceed on the spur of the moment. Because they follow no pattern, their choices differ each time, which prevents them from spotting their mistakes, as there is no record of their decisions. This is why it is extremely important to follow a strategy and understand the possible outcomes of each move.

• Important Things To Consider
• Splitting Pairs of Aces
• 9, 10 or an Ace as the Dealer’s Up Card
• When To Avoid Splitting
• Re-splitting
• Conclusion

In this chapter, we will take a closer look at situations where players are dealt pairs of aces and whether they should split them every time. The ace in blackjack is the most powerful card, and, as such, whenever players receive it, they need to make the best possible move to benefit from it.

This is why it is really important to examine all cases in which they can receive not one but two such powerful cards. Players need to realise that a pair of aces gives them incredible power and places them in a very advantageous position.

Important Things To Consider

Just like on any other occasion, in order to make the best possible move, players need to take into account the total value of their hand and the dealer’s upcard. On the bright side, the basic strategy for a pair of aces is incredibly easy to commit to memory because it is not impacted by playing conditions such as the number of decks or the rules the dealer must follow.

There is only one correct playing decision for this hand according to basic strategy, and it is to split. Exceptions are made only for European-style blackjack variations where no hole cards are involved, but more on this later.

Players need to bear in mind that having two aces presents an opportunity to win only if they make the right move. Even such a beneficial hand can result in going bust if players misplay it. It is especially important for players to know how to proceed in such cases, as they have two of the most powerful cards in the game and making a bad decision is simply a missed opportunity to win more money.

But why are aces so important in the game of 21? The answer lies in the unique flexibility this card has in blackjack. Aces are the only cards in the game that can change their value depending on the player’s preferences and the cards drawn to their hand. You can count them as 1 or 11 at your discretion.

Aces are the real pillars of this game since they also enable you to form blackjacks, which produce a bonus payout of 3 to 2. A blackjack inevitably trumps any total a dealer might have unless the dealer also has a blackjack. Another benefit that stems from the ace’s flexibility is that it allows you to form soft hands.

These are impossible to break with a single-card draw. This translates into more opportunities for successful doubling down. In fact, nearly half of the basic strategy plays for double downs involve soft doubles.

The strength of the ace is two-fold, meaning that this card also helps the house. A dealer is at an advantage when they start a hand with an ace. When this happens, their probability of drawing to a pat 19 in a standard six-deck S17 game is rather decent at 18.89%, while that for reaching a pat 20 is even higher at 18.93%.

Splitting Pairs of Aces

Let’s look at the possibilities of the dealer’s upcard and how players should proceed in particular cases. If they find themselves in a situation where the dealer’s upcard is 2 through ace, their best move is to split. This is always the case across all American-style blackjack variations that use hole cards, regardless of the number of decks or the dealer rules.

Aces put players in a very favourable position that is worth exploiting in the best possible way. Whenever players split aces, they need to remember that they receive only one card for each ace and that the average winning hand is 18.5. A pair of aces results in a soft total with a flexible value of either 2 or 12. Neither of these starting totals is particularly strong for the player. Both common sense and basic strategy favour a split, as this move gives players the chance to start two promising hands with a strong total of 11 rather than a soft 2/12.

Unlike splitting 8s, which is a defensive move, splitting paired aces is an offensive approach because it enables the player to convert one mediocre total into two powerful hands that stand decent chances of beating the dealer. Regardless of the dealer’s upcard, splitting your aces immediately gives you positive expected value and allows you to capitalise on your advantageous position.

Some players have an aversion to splitting aces since a split requires them to put up an extra bet to cover the second hand. And sure enough, you will not always beat the dealer when you split this pair. Occasionally, you may catch another ace or a small card, leaving you stuck with a weak total.

Nevertheless, this is the most mathematically optimal move you can make, as it gives you the highest profits in the long term. No other playing decision is as powerful as the split when one is holding aces. One peculiarity about splitting this particular pair is that, generally, casinos prohibit you from hitting or resplitting them.

Instead, the dealer is instructed to give only one more card to each of the split aces. Such restrictions only confirm how powerful starting with an ace is for the player. Let’s see how splitting performs against the dealer’s 5 compared with other playing decisions like standing or hitting. The expectation values listed are accurate for shoe games where the dealer is forced to stand on soft 17.

As is plain to see, probability favours splitting since it leads to the highest long-term profits for the player. Splitting the aces earns you around 46 pence more per pound wagered compared with hitting, 45 pence more than standing, and 49 pence more than doubling. No matter how you look at it, this is the optimal play.

The above tendencies are observed against all dealer upcards in hole-card blackjack, not only against the weak 5. Where rules are concerned, there are always exceptions, though. The only case in which basic strategy favours hitting aces over splitting them is in European-style blackjack where no hole cards are in play.

When at an ENHC table, you should always split your aces versus dealer upcards deuce through 10, and hit your soft 12 against the dealer’s ace. Whether the dealer stands or draws to S17 is irrelevant in this instance.

Re-Splitting

If players receive another pair of aces after they have already split these powerful cards once, it is recommended that they treat them as they did the first pair and re-split. Players need to remember that they should apply their strategy every time they have a particular card combination – in this case, two aces. It is worth mentioning that if gamblers do so and re-split, they need to triple their initial bet, whereas the first time they split, it was only necessary to double it.

Also, players need to bear in mind that the game rules for splitting and re-splitting may vary. Thus, they should familiarise themselves with these rules beforehand. Some casinos allow only a certain number of splits, and others do not allow re-splitting at all.

Different Casino Rules for Splitting Paired Aces

Casinos know full well how vital aces are in blackjack, so the most logical thing for them to do is try to offset some of the advantage this powerful card gives to the player. Various restrictions are in place when players are dealt a pair of aces. Below, we describe some of the different casino rules that apply to playing pairs of aces.

• Resplitting aces is often disallowed in both land-based and online blackjack. This is not the case with other pairs, which usually can be resplit to form up to four hands. This makes perfect sense, considering resplitting aces adds roughly 0.08% to the players’ advantage.
• Hitting split aces is usually also prohibited, as it yields an advantage of 0.19% for the player in multiple-deck blackjack. Regrettably, most gambling venues and online casinos allow only a single card to be drawn next to each split ace. Very few would allow you to draw more cards under such circumstances.
• A ten-value card drawn to a split ace usually counts as a regular total of 21 and does not count as a blackjack. Therefore, the player receives even money in such cases rather than being paid at odds of 3 to 2. Had this been the case, the casino advantage would have decreased by 0.21%. Even the reduced payout of 6 to 5 would have caused a 0.11% drop in the house edge in such instances.
• Splitting aces is altogether disallowed at some blackjack tables, which increases the house edge by 0.18%. Our advice is to do your best to avoid such games whenever possible.
• Discarding split aces is a very rare rule, allowing you to give up one of your two hands following the split. A different approach is required under this rule, as the player also needs to learn the strategy for when to throw away their hand.
• Splitting aces you have drawn to is another rule you can find once in a blue moon. Needless to say, very few casinos would actually permit this. If applicable, the only condition is for the aces to be dealt directly next to each other, like A-A-3 or 3-A-A, rather than A-3-A. The splits are then played as normal.

9, 10 or an Ace as the Dealer’s Upcard

Some gambling authors, who shall remain unnamed, suggest that blackjack players should not split paired aces in certain cases. To be more specific, these authors recommend against splitting this pair when the dealer has high upcards 9, 10, or ace.

The “logic”, for lack of a better word, is that splitting aces against high upcards puts players in a disadvantageous position. They risk getting stuck with small cards (remember hitting split aces is normally disallowed) and being outdrawn by the dealer, who is in very good shape when showing 9 through ace. Hitting is recommended instead.

We regret to say this piece of advice is nothing but hogwash. The only exception to the “always split aces” rule is against the dealer’s ace in ENHC blackjack. Period. Experts and mathematicians alike have proven time and time again that aces should always be split against all upcards.

Recognised blackjack expert Michael Shackleford has estimated the exact expectation each move yields against these upcards. The figures are accurate for variations where the S17 rule applies. Nevertheless, splitting aces against everything is optimal across all hole-card variations of the game.

This move has been proven, by probability theory, to produce the highest expectation for the player. Computer simulations further confirm its accuracy and efficiency. Splitting is clearly optimal against these cards since it produces the highest long-term winnings. Our advice is to be careful when choosing blackjack literature, especially if you are completely new to the game and are just learning the basics.

Conclusion

The only way players can become consistent winners in blackjack is to know how to play every single hand they receive. There is no strategy that guarantees they will win every time. In fact, on many occasions two different moves are possible, and each would lead to a different outcome.

Gambling involves taking risks, and when money is involved, it is up to the players to decide whether they want to reduce their monetary losses to the minimum. This is possible when playing blackjack, as it is a game of skill and, as such, players can significantly influence the outcome if prepared beforehand. It is really important for players to follow a strategy that they themselves support and find reasonable.

Otherwise, they will not understand the reasoning behind it and will find it very difficult to apply. Having two aces in their hand is a great way to gain an advantage over the casino, but only if they know how to proceed in such a situation.