In blackjack, “EV” stands for “expected value.” EV is a statistic that shows how likely it is that a particular hand will result in a given payout (e.g.
, an ace with two cards totaling 11 would have an EV of 1, because it’s the most likely hand to result in a payout of 11).
One way to think of EV is as a measure of how good (or bad) a given hand is compared to the average hand. A hand with high EV values is usually better than the average hand, while a hand with low EV values is usually worse.
One reason why hands with high EV values are usually better than the average hand is because they’re more likely to result in payouts of higher denominations. For instance, an 11 with two cards totaling 10 would have an EV of 2, while an ace with two cards totaling 10 would have an EV of 1.
This means that the 11 with two cards totaling 10 is more likely to result in a payout of 20 or more than the ace with two cards totaling 10.
Another reason why hands with high EV values are usually better than the average hand is because they’re more likely to result in straight Flushes (a five-card combination including at least one card from each suit). For instance, an ace with two cards totaling 10 would have an EV of 2, while a ten with two cards totaling 10 would have an EV of 1.
This means that the ace with two cards totaling 10 is more likely to result in a Straight Flush than the ten with two cards totaling 10.
One downside to hands with high EV values is that they’re also more likely toresult in losses. For instance, an 11 with two cards totaling 10 would have an EV of 2, while an ace with two cards totaling 9 would have an EV of 0.
This means that the 11with two cardstotaling 10ismorelikelytotakealossthantheacewithtwocardstotalting 9.
