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.

Can a dealer hit on a soft 18?

If the dealer has a soft 18, soft 19 or a soft 20, then the dealer must stay. The dealer has no choice on how to play their hands. But not every house will display those words. Since every casino is different, there'll be some blackjack tables where you'll see the words “Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17's”.

What is a hard 18 vs soft 18?

The 18 could be “hard,” meaning the hand either doesn't contain an ace, or if it does, the ace is counted as one. (Examples are 10-8, 8-5-5 and ace-4-10-3.) Or you can get a “soft 18,” meaning a hand containing an ace that is counted as 11. (Examples are ace-7, and 5-2-ace.)

What is a hard 17 or soft 18?

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 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.

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

Do casinos hit on 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.

Do you hit a soft 17 against a 7?

The correct basic strategy for hitting a soft 17 is as follows: For a single-deck game, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is 7 through ace. For double- and multi-deck games, hit soft 17 when the dealer's upcard is a 2 or 7 through ace.

When should you stay 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.

Can you double on soft 18?

When you are dealt a soft 18 containing three or more cards, doubling down is not allowed. For example, suppose you were dealt a 3 plus 4 and the dealer's upcard is a 6. You hit and draw an ace giving you a soft 18.

Do I hit soft 19?

MULTI-CARD SOFT 19

You hit and draw an Ace giving you a 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 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.

What constitutes a soft 17?

The combination of an ace with a card other than a ten-card is known as a "soft hand," because the player can count the ace as a 1 or 11, and either draw cards or not. For example with a "soft 17" (an ace and a 6), the total is 7 or 17. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total.

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.

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.

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 a 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).

Should you always hit 16 in blackjack?

When holding nine or less or 12-16 it's best to hit, but stand on a total of 17 or more. If the dealer's card is a four, five or six it is vital you do not bust.

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 hit on 12 in blackjack?

Blackjack: When to hit

Ultimately, the game's main aim is to beat the dealer's hand. While it's not advised, some players choose to hit when they have a hand total of 12 or 13 and the dealer has a lower card. That hand is very unlikely to win but it just might, depending on what card you'll draw next.

Does dealer hit on soft totals?

The rule of thumb in most games of casino blackjack is that the dealer always hits a total of 16 or fewer. This means that they always stand on a total of 17 or more. This is the best possible situation for the player regarding the soft 17 rule. And this rule doesn't consider whether the total is soft or hard.

What is soft 16 in blackjack?

The reason for it is that any other card in the deck will either be equal to or less than 21 and there is no chance for players to go over this total. For instance, a hand containing A-2 is soft 13 while one consisting of A-2-3 is a soft 16.

What is a soft 20 in blackjack?

This is when you have an ace valued as 11 and an 8 in your hand. Other examples of soft 19 include 2-6-A, 5-3-A, and A-7-A. With soft 20, you are dealt an ace assigned a value of 11 next to a 9 in your hand. This soft total can also result from the following card combinations: 5-4-A, A-3-6, and 7-2-A.

Do you split 7s against a 2?

You may find the following five rules an easy way to remember how to play your 7s: 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 7?

Without regard to the S17 and H17 rules, single-deck blackjack players are advised to split their 4s versus the dealer's 4, 5, and 6 and hit versus the rest of the possible exposed cards (2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, and ace) but only on condition they can double after they split.