What is a hard 17 or soft 18?

In literal terms, Soft 17 is another way of describing a blackjack hand worth 17 which includes an Ace, where the Ace counted either as 1 or 11. A Soft hand cannot bust if you take one card more. In contrast, a hard hand is simply one without an Ace, or which includes an Ace but it can bust if another card is taken.

What does soft 17 mean?

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.

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.

What is a hard 17?

For example, an ace-5 is a soft 16 and a 3-ace-5 is a soft 19. The basic playing strategy for, say, ace-6 is much different than it is for, say, a 10-7. The latter is known as a hard 17 because it doesn't contain an ace counted as 11.

What is a soft 18?

One of the hands that blackjack players often misplay is soft 18. This is a hand that totals 18 and contains an ace counted as 11. Examples of soft 18 hands are: A-7 or A-3-4.

Dealer Reaches 17 Rule in Blackjack

What is a soft or hard 17?

In literal terms, Soft 17 is another way of describing a blackjack hand worth 17 which includes an Ace, where the Ace counted either as 1 or 11. A Soft hand cannot bust if you take one card more. In contrast, a hard hand is simply one without an Ace, or which includes an Ace but it can bust if another card is taken.

Is soft 17 better?

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.

Do you ever hit on hard 17?

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.

Should you hit or stand on a 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. Hitting soft 17 increases the house edge by 0.22%.

What is a hard 16?

A hard 16 is a blackjack hand that contains either no Aces, or if an Ace is present, it counts as one. Some examples of hard 16 are: 10-6. 7-9.

Does dealer draw on soft 17?

The Dealer must draw on 16 or under and must stand on 17 or over. The Dealer's first ace counts as 11 unless it busts the hand. Subsequent aces count as one. If the player's total is closer to 21 than the Dealer's, the player wins even money (1 – 1).

Do you hit a 13 against a 6?

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 on 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.

Should you always hit 16 in blackjack?

According to basic computations, a dealer with 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace showing, is going to end with a total between 17 and 21, anywhere from 74% to 83% of the time. Therefore, a blackjack basic strategy will correctly dictate that hitting the 16 gives the player the best chance of beating the dealer.

What numbers should you split in blackjack?

Should you hit or stand on a 15 vs 7?

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.

Does Vegas blackjack hit on soft 17?

Beware: Some Blackjack tables are designated as "must hit soft 17". At such a blackjack table, the dealer must draw on all soft 17 hands until he or she obtains a point total of a hard 17 or higher. All Las Vegas blackjack tables will clearly state the soft 17 rule.

Do you hit on 15 against a 10?

In a double- or multi-deck game, if your 15 consists of an 8-7, hit against a dealer 10 upcard (rather than surrender). In all games, if your 16 is multi-card or the result of a pair split, stand against a dealer's 10 upcard instead of hit.

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).

What is the chance of busting with a 17?

Hit on 17 = 69% chance of busting.

Do you double down on soft 17?

Player is dealt a Soft 17. Dealer's Up card is a 6. Player should Double Down.

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).

When should I double in blackjack?

Remember, your double down bet must always match your initial bet amount. 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. Typically, you will not be allowed to double down after splitting.

What is hard number vs soft number?

Let's say that you receive a soft hand, meaning that you got an Ace as your first card and 8 as your second card. With Ace in hand, your hand can be treated as either 9 or 19. Alternatively, if you are dealt a hand where there is no Ace, then the hand is considered hard.