Ace Tracking and Ace Side Counts are not black jack card counting methods on their own, but are actually extra counts that you can track along side your running count in order to improve the accuracy of your favorite system.

• Two Aces In Blackjack
• Blackjack Dealer Ace
• Blackjack Ace Rules
• What Happens When You Get Two Aces In Blackjack

The more aces remain, the higher your chances of getting a blackjack. Ace side counts for non-balanced counting systems (like Zen Count or KO Count ) are calculated in a different way. Required to form a natural two-card blackjack in all variants of the game (and thus a higher pay-out), the Ace is the pillar of the game of 21. A natural blackjack will always trump the dealer’s hand, or possibly force a push (otherwise known as a tie) if the dealer also draws to blackjack.

Ace Side Count

This is done in one of two ways, depending on what card counting method you are using. For balanced counting systems like Hi-Lo Count and Hi-Opt I the correct way to perform an ace side count is to take the number of aces dealt divided by the number of decks remaining, similar to how you would convert a running count to the true count. The more aces remain, the higher your chances of getting a blackjack.

Ace side counts for non-balanced counting systems (like Zen Count or KO Count) are calculated in a different way and are used to increase the accuracy of playing strategy, particularly as to whether a player should take insurance.

Ace Tracking

Ace tracking (also called “Shuffle Tracking”) is the approximate art of trying to determine when and where the ace will appear by paying attention to the cards directly underneath the ace, so that when the cards are picked up and shuffled the player can recognize the neighbor cards and bet that the ace will be next.

Players interested in ace tracking should check out Arnold Snyder’s The Blackjack Shuffle Tracker’s Cookbook.

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.

Two Aces In Blackjack

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.

Blackjack Dealer Ace

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

Blackjack Ace Rules

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.

What Happens When You Get Two Aces In Blackjack

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.