Should you hit a soft 18?

In shoe-dealt blackjack and double-deck variations, you must always hit your soft 18 when the dealer's exposed card is a 10 or an ace. Here the dealer is in a particularly beneficial position and stands good chances of outdrawing you and beating your 18.

Do you hit or stay a soft 18?

Notice that you will lose more hands than you win regardless of what strategy you invoke; however, you win 2% more hands and lose 2% fewer, for a net gain of 4%, by hitting soft 18 against a dealer's 10 upcard vs. standing, making hitting the better strategy.

Should you hit soft 19?

The playing rules in most land-based and online casinos prohibit you from doubling down on a hand once you draw a third card; therefore, if you hold a multi-card soft 19, you should always stand.

Is it better to hit soft 17 or stand?

When the casino rules specify that dealer's must hit their soft 17 (rather than stand), the house edge increases, meaning hitting a soft 17 is better for the dealer than standing. It's the same for players … hitting soft 17 is always better than standing.

Are you supposed to hit a soft 17?

But there is one significant difference. In most casino blackjack games, a dealer must take a card if he hits 16 or below and stand at 17 or above. Some tables, though, say the dealer must hit soft 17, meaning he has a chance to increase his score up to 21.

Blackjack Strategy: How to play a Soft 18 at Blackjack - 888casino

Is soft 17 or hard 17 better?

Dealers do not bust more often when standing on soft 17. After all, there is no risk of busting when they stand on the hand. When the dealer stands on all 17s, he busts about 29.1 percent of the time, and that increases to 29.6 if he hits soft 17. However, a dealer who stands on soft 17 can't improve the hand.

Is it better to hit or stay at 17 in blackjack?

It is best to hit when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over. An ace gives you a good chance of making 21 with a hit. When a dealer has a seven, eight or nine card it is impossible for them to make a blackjack, so your chances increase.

Why hit soft 17 against 7?

Doubling yields optimal value in all single-deck games no matter what the standing rules for the dealer are. Given that a single-deck table disallows soft doubling altogether, you should hit your soft 17 instead. Hitting on soft 17 is advisable against dealer upcards 7 through ace as well.

Should I hit on 15?

Question: “When should I hit on my 15?” Sam says: “Always hit a hard 15 when the dealer's up-card is a 7 through an ace. If you stand on that 15, you will win 25.36 percent of the time and lose 74.64 percent of the time.

Why hit on soft 16?

Hit, and your soft 16 is nearly a breakeven hand with an average loss of only eight-tenths of a percent. By standing on soft 16, the player at my table turned a nearly neutral hand into a just another awful 16. **Ace-5 vs. 10: The average loss is 54.0 cents if you stand, and that's reduced to 21.0 cents if you hit.

Is 19 good in blackjack?

The soft 19 total is a strong hand for the player. In fact it is such a strong hand that it is profitable against every dealer's up card. It is so profitable that even when the player makes the wrong basic strategy decision the long term expectation is still positive.

Do I hit a soft 20?

As for soft 20, the hand is always a stand since this is the move that produces the greatest expected value for the player. While there is still no risk of busting on the next hit, hitting or doubling on this soft hand are not optimal since very few cards can help you improve to the coveted total of 21.

When should you hit on 18?

The correct playing strategy for a multi-card soft 18 is to always stand when the dealer shows a 2 though 8 upcard, and hit when he shows a 9, 10 or ace. The correct basic strategy for a pair of 9s is to split when the dealer shows a 2 through 6, 8 and 9, and stand when he shows a 7, 10 or ace.

Do I hit on hard 15?

You should stand on hard 15 if the dealer's upcard is a 2 through 6, and. Hit if it is 7 through ace.

Do you hit 13 against a 2?

14 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 13 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit. 12 stands against dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit. 11 always doubles.

Do you hit 12 against a 3?

That may be true for most stiff hands (meaning, a hard 12 through 16) but it's not the case when you are holding a 12 against a 3. There are only four cards that could bust your 12 — a ten, jack, queen, or king. On the other hand, five cards will get you to 17–21 (a five, six, seven, eight, or nine).

Do you hit 16 against a 7?

You actually gain more by hitting 16 vs. 7 than you do by hitting 16 vs. 10 or Ace. That's because if you improve your 16, you win more often when the dealer starts with a lower card.

Do you split 7s against a 9?

SINGLE-DECK PLAYING STRATEGY

You should split against a dealer's upcard of 2-8. Hit against a dealer 9 and Ace upcard. Surrender against a dealer 10 if allowed, otherwise stand.

Should I hit 12 against a 4?

Traditional basic strategy (also known as “total-dependent strategy”) says to stand on hard 12 against a dealer's 4, 5, and 6 up card, and hit against a dealer's 2, 3, and 7 though Ace up card. The biggest mistake that players make when they are dealt a hard 12 occurs when the dealer's up card is a 2 or 3.

Should I always double down on 11?

For most people, particularly those who are newer to blackjack, it's almost always a good idea to double down when you are showing an 11.

Do dealers hit hard 17?

The Soft 17 rule explained. As a player, you can do virtually whatever you like with your hand, but the dealer must act according to a simple rule. In every blackjack game, the dealer either stands on Soft 17 or higher, or hits Soft 17, which means they can only stand on Hard 17, plus any 18 or more.

Is it bad to get 21 in blackjack?

A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is called a "blackjack" or a "natural", and is an automatic winner.

Do most casinos hit on soft 17?

These days you almost have to play in games where the dealer hits soft 17, as most casinos have adopted this policy. But if you have a choice, playing where they stand is better.

Can you make a living playing blackjack?

It's definitely possible to play blackjack for a living. It takes hard work, determination, and self control, but we are living proof that you can make a living counting cards at blackjack (not to mention the 100 people we hang out with at the blackjack ball, half of which are millionaires thanks to the casinos).