Pair of 9s vs dealer ace: hit, stand, or split?
Stand. Pair of 9s against a dealer ace is played the same way whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
- Dealer hits soft 17Stand
- Dealer stands on soft 17Stand
- Stand: take no more cards.
- Split: separate a pair into two hands and play each one on its own.
Why
Nines are the exception-heavy pair. Against most cards two fresh hands beat one 18, but against a dealer 7, 10, or ace the 18 is already good enough to keep.
A pair is two cards of the same value, and any two 10-value cards count as a pair of 10s. Played as one hand, this pair is a hard 18: see Hard 18 vs dealer ace.
The numbers
- A dealer ace busts about 20% of the time when the dealer hits soft 17 and 17% when the dealer stands on soft 17, counted after the dealer has checked for blackjack.
- Kept as one hand, this pair is a hard 18, and one hit busts it about 77% of the time.
| Dealer rule | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Bust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer hits soft 17 | 8% | 21% | 21% | 21% | 10% | 20% |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 8% | 17% |
| Play | Dealer hits soft 17 | Dealer stands on soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Stand | -0.22best | -0.09best |
| Split | -0.24 | -0.12 |
| Surrender (where offered) | -0.50 | -0.50 |
| Hit | -0.64 | -0.63 |
| Double down | -1.28 | -1.25 |
Scoring: a win scores +1, a loss -1, a tie 0, and a doubled hand counts twice. Surrender scores -0.50. Hit means take a card, then play on as well as possible. These are averages over many hands from the strategy audit behind the app, rounded and approximate. Any single hand can go either way. Close call: the best play leads the next best by only 0.020 when the dealer hits soft 17 and 0.029 when the dealer stands on soft 17, so the next best play gives up very little.
Rules assumed
- 4, 6, or 8 decks (the chart is the same for all three)
- The dealer checks for blackjack when showing a 10 or an ace, before you act
- Double down is allowed on any first two cards
- Double after split is allowed
- Late surrender is offered, as your first decision only
- Split up to four hands; split aces get one card each and cannot be resplit
One-deck and two-deck games, tables without surrender, and dealers who do not check for blackjack change some plays. Check your table's rules before relying on any chart.
Both soft 17 rules are shown. The two charts differ on only 6 of 360 hands: see the dealer hits and dealer stands charts. The plays come from the verified 4 to 8 deck tables behind the Blackjack Trainer app (bs_4to8_h17_peek and bs_4to8_s17_peek).
Common questions: Pair of 9s vs dealer ace
What is the correct play for a pair of 9s against a dealer ace?
Stand. This is basic strategy for 4 to 8 decks, and it is the same whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Does the soft 17 rule change a pair of 9s against a dealer ace?
No. The play is the same whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Only a handful of hands on the chart change with that rule, and this is not one of them.
Should I split 9s against a dealer ace?
No. Stand. Nines are the exception-heavy pair. Against most cards two fresh hands beat one 18, but against a dealer 7, 10, or ace the 18 is already good enough to keep.
Does this assume the dealer has already checked for blackjack?
Yes. In US-style games the dealer checks for blackjack when showing an ace before you act, so this play applies once the dealer is known not to have one. In games where the dealer does not check, some plays change.
Should I take insurance when the dealer shows an ace?
No. Basic strategy always declines insurance: insurance is a bad bet.
Does basic strategy guarantee a win?
No. It picks the play with the best average result, but any single hand can go either way, and the house keeps a small edge. This site and the Blackjack Trainer app are for practice only.