Hole card in blackjack

What the hole card is

In standard blackjack, the dealer takes two cards: one face up, called the up card, and one face down, the hole card. You make every decision knowing only the up card. It is turned over once all players have finished, and the dealer then hits or stands by fixed rules.

Poker uses the same phrase differently. In Casino Hold’em, your two private cards are your hole cards, seen before the three-card flop. Both meanings appear in our casino glossary, next to peek and no hole card.

Hole card peek vs no hole card

The Wizard of Odds blackjack basics (opens in a new tab) describe the American procedure: the dealer checks for blackjack when showing a ten or an ace, and if it is there, all player bets lose except a player blackjack, which pushes. In most European casinos the dealer does not take a second card until all players have finished.

The two 0.62% figures are for different rule sets, so treat each as its own example. Because doubling and splitting against a ten or ace risks more without a peek, the European strategy (opens in a new tab) is more cautious in those spots. Each game sets its own rule here, so read the help screen. See European blackjack for the full rules.

Hole card odds and the insurance bet

When the dealer shows an ace you may be offered insurance: a side bet of up to half your stake that pays 2 to 1 if the hole card is a 10-value card. Four of the 13 ranks count as ten, so in a large shoe the chance is about 4 in 13.

• Insure £5 on a £10 hand. About 4 times in 13 you win £10; about 9 times in 13 you lose £5.
• Average over 13 hands: (4 × £10 − 9 × £5) ÷ 13 = −£5 ÷ 13, about −38p per insurance bet.
• That is about 7.7% of the insurance stake, which is why basic strategy says never take it.

With a ten showing, the dealer has blackjack only if the hole card is an ace, about 1 time in 13 (7.7%). Our answer to whether the dealer can have blackjack when showing a 10 explains more.

The hole card in online and live blackjack

RNG blackjack decides cards by software and reshuffles every hand, so the hole card is simply the next card from a random shuffle. At live tables, the help screen says whether the dealer takes a hole card and peeks. Game rules differ between providers and tables, so there is no single UK rule. Double Exposure blackjack removes the hole card idea entirely by dealing both dealer cards face up, with other rules changed to pay for it.

1. Open the game’s help screen before your first hand.
2. Look for ‘peek’, ‘hole card’ or ‘no hole card’ in the rules.
3. If there is no peek, check what happens to doubled and split bets when the dealer has blackjack.
4. Adjust: be more careful doubling or splitting against a ten or ace at no-peek tables.

Hole card myths

• ‘Insurance protects a good hand.’ It is a separate side bet at 2 to 1 and loses about 7.7% of what you put on it over time, whatever your own cards are.
• ‘The hole card is more likely to be a 10.’ About 4 in 13 cards are 10-valued, no more; it has no memory of previous hands.
• ‘Online tables cheat with the hole card.’ UK-licensed RNG games must use tested random outcomes; see is blackjack rigged online.

Blackjack tables and our partner offers

Our partner offers are aimed at slots, so none is a blackjack bonus. Look in each casino’s table and live game lobby for blackjack, and read the terms, since table and live games are often excluded or count for less towards wagering. 18+ and terms apply.

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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.