What is the soft 17 rule?

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 it better if dealer hits on soft 17?

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 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.

Is it better to hit soft 17 or stand soft 17?

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.

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.

Dealer Reaches 17 Rule in Blackjack

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.

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.

Do you hit on 15 or 16?

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.

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 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.

What numbers should you split in blackjack?

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.

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.

When should you stop hitting in blackjack?

With a soft hand, the general strategy is to keep hitting until a total of at least 18 is reached. Thus, with an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would not stop at 17, but would hit. The basic strategy for doubling down is as follows: With a total of 11, the player should always double down.

Do you hit 15 against a 3?

Regardless of the number of decks of cards or the mix of playing rules, the correct playing strategy for a soft 15 is: Hit against a dealer's 2, 3, and 7 through ace.

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.

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 double down on 11 against a 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.

Do you split 3s against a 9?

The pair of 3s should be split versus the dealer's 4 through 7. Hitting is optimal with 3s when the dealer starts their hand with 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, and ace. This is because hitting slightly overpowers the split where expected value is concerned.

What is the 5 card trick in blackjack?

Five Card Trick: In the event you draw 5 cards to a hand without exceeding 21, you automatically win and the Dealer will pay you even money. ANY PAIRS Any Pairs is an optional side wager offered on certain Blackjack Challenge tables.

What does monkey mean 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).

Is it better to play multiple 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.

Why do you never split 10s?

That's not too surprising because it's tough for the dealer to beat a strong hand of 20. 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.