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On This Page
- Basic Strategy for 4 to 8-Deck Blackjack: Dealer Hits on Soft 17 Basic Strategy for Single Deck Blackjack: Dealer Stands on Soft 17 Wherever you do not find separate information for splitting a hand of 5-pair or 10-pair treat it as a hard hand (hard 10 and hard 20 respectively).
- Soft and Hard Hands in Blackjack In the simplest of terms, soft hands consist of two cards, one of which is an Ace, while hard hands do not include an Ace. But why is necessary to make this distinction? The key is the nature of the Ace in blackjack – this is the only card in the game that does not have a fixed value.
- Blackjack Soft Hands Simple Strategy; Your Hand Total Dealer’s Up Card 2-6 Dealer’s Up Card 7-A; 13-14: Hit but double down vs 5, 6: 15-17: Hit but double down vs 4, 5, 6: 18: Stand vs 2, 7, 8: Double vs 3-6: Hit vs 9-A: 19+ Stand.
Introduction
To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Other basic strategy rules.
- Never take insurance or 'even money.'
- If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
- If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total, except aces. In the extremely unlikely event you have a pair of aces you can't re-split and drawing to split aces is allowed, then double against a 6, otherwise hit.
If you play a mixture of six-deck games, some where the dealer hits a soft 17, and some where he stands, and you only wish to memorize one strategy, I would recommend you memorize the one where the dealer stands on soft 17. The cost in errors due to playing the wrong strategy is 2.3 times higher playing a stand on soft 17 game, with the hit on 17 strategy, than vise versa.
Basic Strategy in Text
For the benefit of my blind readers, here is the above strategy in text form, when the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is allowed. To use the strategy, start at the top, and follow the first rule that applies.
Surrender
- Surrender hard 16 (but not a pair of 8s) vs. dealer 9, 10, or A, and hard 15 vs. dealer 10.
Split
- Always split aces and 8s.
- Never split 5s and 10s.
- Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
- Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.
- Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.
Double
- Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.
- Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.
- Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.
- Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.
- Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.
- Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.
Hit or Stand
- Always hit hard 11 or less.
- Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
- Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
- Always stand on hard 17 or more.
- Always hit soft 17 or less.
- Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
- Always stand on soft 19 or more.
As I've said many times, the above strategy will be fine under any set of rules. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17.
- Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. dealer A.
- Double 11 vs. dealer A.
- Double soft 18 vs. dealer 2.
- Double soft 19 vs. dealer 6.
My thanks to Kelly for putting together the above text strategy.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
Basic Blackjack Strategy: Charts for Soft and Hard Hands
Modern world offers many kinds of entertainment nowadays. People are free to do many interesting and exciting things. It is sometimes even hard to fully understand our possibilities as there is so much to choose from. Nevertheless, casino attracts more and more visitors each year. Many of those who simply wanted to see what gambling is, become keen on it.
One of the most popular casino games is blackjack online casino games. This game is highly intellectual and requires lots of practicing to become successful. Players have to learn how to play blackjack by memorizing basic blackjack strategy as well as rules. Basic blackjack strategy is the crucial knowledge as it includes set of rules that helps in the understanding of how to read blackjack strategy chart and how to play soft and hard hands.
Soft 17 Meaning
What is Blackjack Strategy Chart?
In order to increase blackjack odds players are recommended to learn blackjack strategy chart by heart. It seems to be complicated but once you learn to read it, the chances for winning automatically increase. The chart is the possible and recommended ways of playing with the first two cards. The vertical column shows all possible combination of player's cards and the horizontal column are the combination of dealer's cards. The possible decision for players is where these columns cross.
The basic blackjack strategy online casino games is very helpful when players know not only this chart but also understand how to play when they have soft and hard hands. In this case it is advised to learn charts for playing soft hands or hard hands. Let's us figure out what it means.
What is Soft Hand?
Soft hand is the name of a hand with two cards one of which is an Ace. In this case, Ace is counted as 11. There are special rules and strategies when playing soft hand and they differ from basic blackjack strategy and rules for hard hand.
How To Play Blackjack And Win
What is Hard Hand?
Hard hand is the name of a hand where the first two cards do not have Ace or hand with Ace which is counted as 1. There exist a special strategy chart for hard hand and rules of playing.
In addition to that, sometimes the initial two cards are turn out to be pair. A special chart for pairs will help players to decide on splitting pairs or not.