What is soft 17 in blackjack?

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 is the difference between a 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.

Should you hit on a soft 17 in blackjack?

If it's good enough for the dealer, it's the same for players … hitting soft 17 is always better than standing. Therefore, one of the golden rules of smart play is this: No matter what blackjack game you are playing, never stand on soft 17.

What is an example of a soft 17 in blackjack?

A soft hand is any hand that contains an ace that is counted as 11. For example, an ace-6 is a soft 17; so is ace-3-3 and 2-2-ace-2.

Does dealer have to stay on soft 17?

Players are not allowed to draw or double on any hand that is 21. 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.

Blackjack Strategy: How to play Soft 17 in Blackjack

Do most casinos hit soft 17?

The best blackjack rules include the dealer standing on soft 17, but it seems most casinos hit that total.

When should you not hit 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. It is common practice to hit on eight or less, but stand on anything 12 or higher.

Is it better if dealer hits on soft 17?

Hitting soft 17 gives the dealer the chance to make the 18, 19, 20 and 21 hands that can win on their own against a player pat hand. This comes into play most often when the dealer's face up card is an Ace and basic strategy players hit until they have 17 or better.

Why do you split 8s in blackjack?

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.

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. That makes a net loss of 49.28 percent.

Should you 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 you hit soft 17 against a 7?

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. The reason for it is that if players have a soft 17 and get a 10 or any of the face cards, this will leave them with a hard 17.

Do you hit 13 against a 2?

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

What is a monkey in blackjack?

Blackjack Monkey Meaning

When a player calls for a monkey, he is begging the blackjack dealer to give him a ten or a face card (so, a ten, jack, queen, or king).

What are the odds of 3 2 in blackjack?

For every $2 you wager, 3:2 pays a 1.5:1 odds, giving you $3 for every blackjack hand you win.

What are the best odds for blackjack?

Blackjack pays 2:1 is the best, but 3:2 is standard and not bad. Single deck (the fewer the decks, the better the odds) Early surrender (meaning you can forfeit with half your wager intact before the dealer checks their down card, so you can win even if they have a blackjack)

Do you split 10s against a 6?

As for the arithmetic, the statistical data on how often you will win when you split a pair of 10s against a dealer showing a 6 is 64% of the time. Your profit expectations for every $100 you bet while splitting those 10s will be, on average, a $56 profit.

Why do you never split 10s in blackjack?

If you split the 10s one time, you stand to win 63% and lose 37% on each split hand. That's a significant decrease in the number of hands won simply because if you split, you will often end up with less than 20 on both hands.

What happens if dealer gets 2 aces?

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.

Is it better to play 1 or 2 hands in blackjack?

The answer is, yes, for several reasons. Playing two hands is an excellent way of increasing your bet spread when the count is in your favor. You can also bet 50% of what you would have bet on one hand, on each of two hands, with less risk and variance.

What is the 21 3 rule in blackjack?

The “21 + 3” blackjack side bet is based on examining the player's two cards and the dealer's up-card. If the three cards form a flush, straight, three-of-a-kind or straight flush, the player wins. In the original version, the payout for each of these was 9-to-1.

Should you hit or stay on 16?

Never hit your 16.

And you'll lose nearly 70% of the time when you hit your 16. Here's the statistics. If you hit on your 16, you'll win 25.23% of the time, push 5.46% of the time, and you will lose 69.31% of the time. That's a net loss of 44.08% when you hit your 16.

What is the loosest casino on the Strip?

Circus Circus Has the Loosest Slots on the Strip

It's the casino's win percentage depending on the likelihood that a player will win at their slot machines—a statistic that all casinos are required to report to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.