Blackjack Dealer’s Vulnerability with 5s or 6s up

If you’re playing online blackjack and the dealer turns up a 5 or a 6 you normally breathe a sign of relief, or at least you should do as these are statistically the worst hands for a dealer to show. In fact with a five up a dealer is 41.8% to bust and with a six up it is even more likely at 42.3%. Taking this into account what should we do in these situations?

Most serious online blackjack players will tell you that you should stand on any non-paired hand of 12 or above and this makes a lot of sense given the expected value of your hand going bust if you hit again compared to the value of making a 20 or 19 to put the pressure on the dealer.

When a dealer has the five or six up it is normal to expect to win the hand thinking that they are likely to turn a 15 or 16 when they hit. This though only happens one third of the time so it is worth noting the percentage probabilities below for their expected results.

Five Up

End Point:   17            18            19            20             21         Bust

Probability: 12.2%    12.2%      11.8%        11.2%      10.8%     41.8%

Six Up

End Point:   17            18            19            20             21         Bust

Probability: 16.6%    10.6%      10.6%        10.2%        9.7%     42.3%

The key to winning in blackjack is to take advantage of every situation where you have the advantage against the dealer and if you have the chance to double down when there is a five or six on board you should bite the dealer’s hand off for it.