Ace: meaning in casino games

What an ace means at the casino table

The ace is the one card in a standard deck whose worth depends on the rules of the game in front of you. Most card games treat it as either the lowest or the highest card, and a few let it be both. That flexibility is why the ace sits at the centre of so many casino decisions, from whether to split a pair to how a poker hand ranking is settled.

This entry in our casino glossary explains the ace meaning in blackjack, baccarat, poker and video poker, gives the real odds of being dealt one, and shows where the card changes what a hand is worth in pounds.

The ace in blackjack: 1 or 11

Under the standard rules set out by Wizard of Odds' blackjack basics (opens in a new tab), an ace counts as 1 or 11, cards 2 to 9 count their face value and tens and picture cards count 10. The ace takes the value of 11 unless that would push the total past 21, in which case it drops to 1. A hand where the ace is still counted as 11 is a soft hand; once it can only be 1, the hand is hard.

Take ace-6. It is soft 17, because it could be 7 or 17. Draw a 9 and the ace switches to 1, giving hard 16 rather than a bust on 26. This is why a soft total can never bust on the next card, and why soft hands in blackjack are played more aggressively than hard ones.

Ace plus ten: the natural

An ace with any ten-value card as your first two cards is a natural, the hand that gives the game its name. It normally pays 3 to 2, so a £10 bet wins £15. At a 6 to 5 table the same hand wins only £12, and the blackjack rule variations table (opens in a new tab) puts that change at 1.39% of every pound you bet. An ace and ten that arrive after a split count as 21, not as a blackjack.

Splitting aces and the dealer's ace

Basic strategy for four to eight decks says always split a pair of aces. Split aces usually get one card each and no more. When the dealer's face-up card is an ace you will be offered insurance, a side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. Standard basic strategy says never take it.

Ace value in baccarat, poker and video poker

Outside blackjack the ace has a fixed job. The table below shows the value it carries in the games you will meet at UK casinos.

In baccarat the ace is worth a single point, according to Wizard of Odds' baccarat rules (opens in a new tab), so ace-8 makes 9, the best possible total. In poker games such as Three Card Poker and Casino Hold'em the ace ranks above the king, though it can also play low to complete a five-high straight. Some video poker pay tables reward aces on their own: on 8/5 Bonus Poker four aces pay 80 per coin, compared with 25 for four of a kind from fives to kings.

Ace odds: how often you are dealt one

A standard deck has four aces in 52 cards, so the chance that any single card is an ace is 4/52, or 1 in 13 (7.69%). Adding decks does not change that ratio: an eight-deck shoe holds 32 aces in 416 cards, still 1 in 13.

The chance of a blackjack is a little more involved, because you need an ace and a ten-value card in either order. With one deck it is 2 × (4/52) × (16/51), about 4.83%, or roughly once in 21 hands. With eight decks it is 2 × (32/416) × (128/415), about 4.75%. That small drop is part of why fewer decks favour the player, a point covered in how many decks blackjack uses.

The card has no memory. If three aces came out in the last few hands of an online RNG game, the next hand starts from a fresh shuffle, so the odds are back to 1 in 13. Thinking an ace is "due" is the gambler's fallacy.

Worked example: what an ace is worth in pounds

Say you bet £10 a hand on blackjack for 100 hands. At a 3 to 2 table, each blackjack wins £15; at 6 to 5, £12. If you are dealt about five blackjacks in those 100 hands, the 6 to 5 rule takes roughly 5 × £3 = £15 out of your pocket. That is the same story as the 1.39% figure: 1.39% of £1,000 wagered is £13.90.

1. Check the table's payout for blackjack in the game's rules or help screen.
2. Count an ace as 11 first, then switch it to 1 if the total would go over 21.
3. Split a pair of aces, and expect only one card on each.
4. Turn down insurance when the dealer shows an ace.

Related casino terms

• Soft hand: a blackjack hand with an ace counted as 11.
• Face card: jack, queen or king, each worth 10 in blackjack and 0 in baccarat.
• Blackjack: the term for ace plus ten on the first two cards.
• Royal flush: the ace-high straight flush, the top poker hand.

Where to play blackjack and other ace games in the UK

The offers shown here are welcome deals rather than blackjack deals, and table games are often excluded or count for less towards wagering, so read the terms before you assume a bonus will work on a card game. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo gives new customers who opt in a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, to be wagered 10x within 7 days with a £5 maximum bet. 10bet matches a first deposit 100% up to £25, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with bonus winnings capped at £1,000 and Skrill and Neteller deposits excluded. Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots when you deposit and bet £10 on slots, with no wagering on spin winnings. For card games, look at each casino's table game lobby.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.