Tips for Playing a Pair of Aces in Blackjack

Playing a pair of aces in blackjack can be confusing.  Questions like how to calculate the hand, or whether to hit or split might be doing laps in your head.  If you want to get your due rewards playing skill-based games at our online casino South Africa, it is a good time to brush up on strategy.

Aces Offer Extra Manoeuvrability

Aces are highly desirable playing cards in online casino games like poker.  They are also the stuff of legends…  When paired together with the 8 of spades and the 8 of clubs, two black aces are the key constituents in the dead man’s hand!

The role of the ace in online blackjack is a little different.  It can count as 1 or 11 – and that opens up all sorts of possibilities, both good and bad.

Manoeuvrability… with a Dash of Ambiguity

The flexibility of the ace in blackjack can give players plenty of manoeuvrability.  In the normal course of events, that is a good thing.  When players are dealt two aces however, the ambiguity of the hand as either 2 or 12 can prove to be especially challenging.

When you keep the hand intact, neither 2 nor 12 is even remotely considered a good hand in online blackjack – in the original casino game and the jazzed-up variations.  You would have to hit and continue hitting on 2 to get anywhere near a respectable total.  Unfortunately, when you do that, the risk of busting and losing your bet increases exponentially.

Now, 12 or soft 12, to be precise, is no better.  It takes just one unlucky draw to bust.  When you consider there are three times the number of 10-value cards in a standard deck, the odds of not busting are not in your favour.

Don’t Base Your Decision-Making on the Incorrect Strategy

A mistake many novice blackjack players make at Springbok Online Casino South Africa is to base their decisions on the incorrect strategy.  Rather than referring to the mathematically correct moves relating to a pair of aces, they use the best playing technique as it refers to a total of 12 instead.

What is the basic blackjack strategy for 12?  To hit and hit hard – with the exception of when the dealer shows 4, 5 or 6.  When it comes to a pair of aces, that is the incorrect strategy in two respects.

For one, the decisions refer to a hard 12 – a hand that totals 12 but does not contain an ace.  Secondly, the A-A strategy posted right at the bottom of the basic blackjack strategy chart, is the correct tactic to follow.

Playing Aces Like A Pro at Springbok Online Casino South Africa

How do you play a pair of aces at the number one online casino South Africa?  You split the pair into two separate hands.  It may cost an additional wager equal in value to that of the original bet, but it also gives you two shots at 21...  That’s double the chance of landing a 1:1 win.  So, when faced with this scenario, splitting is a no-brainer.

Top Tip – Be Aware of the Varying Rules in Blackjack

We have seen exactly how versatile a pair of aces can be.  They are the bedrock of two soft hands, both of which have a fair chance of beating the dealer.  In order to mitigate the potential payout power of split aces, there are rules limiting what players can and can’t do after the split.

What that means is that split aces are not always treated like other split pairs.  Unless you know the rules of the game, there is a strong chance you will make a decision based on the wrong generic information, and consequently blow your chances of a win.

Common Rules Relating to Split Aces in Online Blackjack

What are the rules in the context of split aces?  Before we get into the specifics, it is important to note that not all online casinos or software suppliers have the same set of rules.  In fact, the rules in blackjack online can vary quite markedly from one casino to the next.

Here are a few of the more common blackjack rules as they refer to split aces:

• Only one card can be drawn to split aces.
• A ten-value card on a split ace counts as 21 and not natural blackjack.  As a result, the payout is 1:1 rather than 3:2.
• After the initial split, doubling down is either limited or not permitted at all.
• Re-splitting aces is forbidden.
• At some casinos, the splitting of aces is off the table!

How Do the Rules Rate at the Best Online Casino South Africa?

Well, first and foremost, the splitting of aces is allowed.  That of course means there is a better than average chance of winning at least one of the hands… possibility even both.  The trick is to play each individual hand the best way you can – and that brings us full circle to the best blackjack strategy chart.

According to the rules posted on the Blackjack gaming interface right there at Springbok Casino, only one card is dealt to split aces.  Re-splitting of aces is not allowed – but you can double down after the split.  As can be expected, a split ace and a ten-value card is considered 21 and not blackjack.

When you break down what is and isn’t permitted in respect of split aces, our online casino South Africa offers blackjack rules that are more player-favourable than most!

How to Win More Hands of Blackjack Online

Do you want to play online blackjack and win more hands than you lose?  Play RTG powered blackjack by signing up at Springbok Online Casino South Africa!  You can opt to download the full software pack or bookmark our site for quick access to our instant play casino on your PC or mobile device’s browser.

Besides our impressive collection of blackjack games and player-friendly rules, there are hundreds of online casino games to pick and choose from… and a good few Springbok Casino bonuses too!