What is a soft 17?

A soft 17 includes an Ace being counted as 11. Ace-6 is a soft 17, as are Ace-2-4, Ace-3-3, Ace-Ace-5 and others. When the dealer hits soft 17, the house edge against a basic strategy player is about two-tenths of a percent higher than if he stands. That brought a question from a reader, who wondered why.

What does stand on soft 17 mean?

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.

What is the difference between hard and soft 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.

What defines a soft 17 in blackjack?

Suppose you are playing live blackjack and the dealer gives you a 2 and 4 and she shows a 6 upcard. You ask the dealer for a hit, she obliges, and your draw card is an ace. Now you've got a 2-4-ace or a soft 17 hand.

Do you hit on a soft 17?

You hit and draw an ace giving you a soft 17 (2-4-A). 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 17, you should hit.

Dealer Reaches 17 Rule in Blackjack

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.

What is an example of a soft 17?

A soft 17 includes an Ace being counted as 11. Ace-6 is a soft 17, as are Ace-2-4, Ace-3-3, Ace-Ace-5 and others.

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.

Do you hit 13 against 3?

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.

Should you double on 13?

As for those of you who are into playing single-deck blackjack variations, you must double on your soft 13 when the dealer shows 4, 5, or 6. Hit the soft 13 against all the other dealer upcards, namely 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, and ace. If players follow this strategy, their chances of going bust are significantly decreased.

What does hard soft difference mean?

If you use “hard” to mean “solid” or “firm”, then the opposite of hard is “soft”. The word “soft” is little changed from the Old English word sōfte, which meant agreeable, calm, or gentle.

What is the difference between hard and soft numbers?

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.

What is a soft blackjack hand?

In blackjack, whenever you have an ace in your hand that can be counted as eleven, you have a soft hand.

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).

Do you hit a 12 against a 3?

No, you should hit a hard 12 against a dealer 3. The decision is close but does favor hitting statistically. If you're counting then you should stand if the true count is 2 or higher.

Do you always double down on 11?

If the dealer is showing a lower card than a 10, it is good strategy to double down. If the casino rules dictate the dealer must hit soft 17, you should always double down on 11 no matter what the dealers up card.

Do you double 11 against 10?

When you double down, you risk losing double your original bet, but with 11 vs. 10, you win double your bet more often, giving you a higher average profit.

Why do you always split 8s?

Splitting eights limits one's losses and improves one's hand. Probabilistic research of expected value scenarios shows that by splitting eights one can convert a hand that presents an expected loss to two hands that may present an expected profit or a reduced loss, depending on what the dealer is showing.

Do you split 7s against a 3?

In multi-deck games, always split 7s against a dealer's 2 through 7, otherwise hit. In double-deck games, split 7s against dealer's 2-8 if DAS or 2-7 if NDAS; otherwise hit.

Do you split 4s against a 5?

For example, if you were dealt a pair of 4s against a dealer's 5 upcard with DAS, you should split. Suppose on the first 4, you are dealt another 4 on the draw. You should resplit to form a third hand. If the casino allows resplits up to a total of four hands, then you should resplit again if you are dealt another 4.

How often does 20 win in blackjack?

But players win with 20 a lot more often than they lose, with about 70.2 percent of player 20s winning, 12.2 percent losing and 17.6 percent pushing. Twenty is a profitable hand for players against every dealer face up card. Let's look at player 10-10 vs.

What can you do with soft 18?

Players who are dealt a soft total of 18 have a choice from several viable playing decisions, namely doubling, standing, and hitting. Their choice of a move is based on the exposed card of the dealer.

Should I stick on 15 at blackjack?

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. That makes a net loss of 49.28 percent.

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.