Everywhere I read manuals it focuses my options as a player. I can't figure out if the dealer knows his hidden card or not? Of course, when dealer has 10 or Ace showing, he checks if he's got a blackjack, right?
What are the dealer's options?
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Sign up to join this communityEverywhere I read manuals it focuses my options as a player. I can't figure out if the dealer knows his hidden card or not? Of course, when dealer has 10 or Ace showing, he checks if he's got a blackjack, right?
What are the dealer's options?
Blackjack dealers have no options for the in-game decisions of whether to hit or stay; they follow a strict algorithm that will depend on the casino. The dealer waits until the players have exercised all their options, then the dealer reveals his hidden card and hits until he has at least 17 (most common).
The only variation I'm familiar with is a rule where the dealer will hit a soft 17 (any 17 with an Ace taking the value 11--denoted "H17" for Hit 17, as opposed to "S17" for Stand 17), but this is not the dealer's choice, it will be determined by the casino. According to Wikipedia, this rule will generally be printed on the table if it is being used, and it hurts players. Wikipedia phrases it the other direction: going from H17 to S17. 'Substituting an "H17" rule with an "S17" rule in a game benefits the player, decreasing the house edge by about 0.2%'
See @NiceVerAz's answer below for a nice explanation of "meta-game" options that the dealer does control.
The dealer has several options when exercising his duties.
His employer wants him to generate as much revenue as possible, which means:
Which gives several options:
All in all, the dealer has many options:
If dealers had no options, they'd have been replaced by robots a long time ago.
The dealer knows what both of his cards are.
In casino play, the dealer has no options. He always has to hit values below 16/17 (the exact number varies by casino), and has to stay when his cards are higher.
In non-casino play, often the dealer is just another player and has the same options as you. This is not really blackjack and will not use the same strategies as casino blackjack.
The dealer will know both cards. Many blackjack tables are built with a small mirror notch in the end, letting the dealer pull the face down card into it to see the value of the card. The dealer will immediately reveal a blackjack if the face up card has a value of 10 without any of the players taking actions if they have it, and to do so they must know they have it, if the face up card is the ace, players can pay for insurance against the dealer having blackjack.
The dealer in blackjack has no 'options' about what they do in the game, the dealer has a strict set of actions they perform based on what the cards they have are. As mentioned in the case of a face up ace insurance is offered to the players, in case of a blackjack it is revealed and the hand ends. If the hand has not ended in blackjack, the players have their turns and then the dealer reveals his second card. The dealer is required to hit on anything 16 and below, and must stand on anything 17 and up, no choices to do anything else like splitting or doubling down (they have no bet to double anyways). In some variations it matters if the 17 is hard or soft (a soft number is one where the amount includes an ace as 11, so an ace and a 6 would be a soft 17), the variation determines if the dealer must hit or stand on a soft 17.