Why hit soft 18?

REASON FOR STRATEGY

Notice that you will lose more hands than you win regardless of what strategy you invoke; however, you win 2% more hands and lose 2% fewer, for a net gain of 4%, by hitting soft 18 against a dealer's 10 upcard vs. standing, making hitting the better strategy.

Why should you hit on a soft 18?

The bottom line is that if the dealer's upcard is a power one and players have soft 18, then they are placed in a disadvantageous position. Hitting in this case is the gamblers' best choice. Even though it doesn't guarantee they will improve their hand, it will help them lose the least amount of money.

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”.

Does a blackjack dealer have to hit a soft 18?

"A player and the dealer can count an ace as 1 point or 11 points." Dealers always stand on everything greater than 17. Different tables have different rules on soft 17, but I have never seen or heard of a table where dealers hit on 18s and above (soft or not). Dealers always stand on everything greater than 17.

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 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.

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 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 I hit a soft 18 against a 10?

REASON FOR STRATEGY

Notice that you will lose more hands than you win regardless of what strategy you invoke; however, you win 2% more hands and lose 2% fewer, for a net gain of 4%, by hitting soft 18 against a dealer's 10 upcard vs. standing, making hitting the better strategy.

Should I hit 16 when the dealer has 7?

On all your two-card hard 16s, you gain by hitting whenever the dealer has 7 or higher, but the gain is biggest when the dealer has a 7 up. There are some hands of three or more cards where it's a better play to stand on 16 vs. 10, but that gets us into composition-dependent strategies — a topic for another time.

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.

Are you supposed to hit on 13?

It is common practice to hit on eight or less, but stand on anything 12 or higher. When the dealer has a three, you should hit on anything eight or below and 12, while standing on anything 13 or over. If the dealer has a two it is best to hit on nine or less and stand on anything 13 or over.

Should I hit when I have 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.

Should I hit on soft 13?

Soft 13 and soft 14 should be hit against all dealer cards except for 5 and 6. Soft 15 and soft 16 should be hit against all upcards of the dealer except for 5, 4, and 6. Soft 18 is hit when the dealer has 9 through ace.

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 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 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.

Should you split 8s against an ace?

A split pair of eights is expected to win against dealer upcards of 2 through 7 and to lose less against dealer upcards of 8 through ace. If a player hits on a pair of eights, he is expected to lose $52 for a $100 bet. If the player splits the eights, he is expected to lose only $43 for a $100 bet.

Why not double on ace 9?

When Not To Double Down. Here's a pretty obvious one: never double down when the dealer is showing an ace. Quite simply, the chances of them getting blackjack are just too high. Even if they check and don't have blackjack, there's a very good chance that they'll end up with a total close to 21.

Why do you split 8s against 10?

Michael Shackleford, who calls himself "the Wizard of Odds," says splitting 8s against a dealer 10 has the "smallest expected loss" (as opposed to staying, hitting or doubling) of all moves with a pair of 8s.

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).

Why do dealers win in blackjack?

How does the house edge work in blackjack? The key advantage for the dealer is that the player acts first. Often, the player will bust, losing his stake, without the dealer having to do a thing. If the player stands, the dealer still has a chance of winning the hand.