Blackjack Hands:
The Hard, The Soft, and The StiffNo matter what new and trendy blackjack variant you're considering, most games are based on standard blackjack. Most blackjack variations have rules for splitting, for doubling and for insurance. These rules are listed as if you know what they mean and, if you don't, you should dig a little deeper so that you know what's going on. The same is true for hard and soft hands.
You'll often see rules like "dealer must hit on a soft 17" or "dealer must stand on a soft 18 or higher." Your instinct may be to gloss over them, particularly since they seem to be rules for the dealer and not for you. The truth is, however, that when you play blackjack it's a good idea to understand all the rules of play, including those for hard and soft hands.
A Key Factor in Blackjack StrategyThe concept of soft and hard hands not only influences when a dealer must hit or stand, it is also a key factor in blackjack strategy. In blackjack, an ace can have a value of either 1 or 11. A "hard hand" is a hand without an ace or a hand that does have an at least one ace and where all the aces have a value of 1. So if you are holding an ace, a 7, and a 9, you have a hard 17. A soft hand is a hand in which there is an ace and it is counted as an 11 and not as a 1. So if you have an ace and a 7, you are holding a soft 18.
As long as you are holding a soft hand, it is always possible to draw one additional card without going bust. In fact, most blackjack experts advise hitting with soft hands until they turn hard, except under certain circumstances. A third kind of hand is a "stiff hand," which is a hard hand with a value of 12 through 16. Stiff hands are tough calls: they're usually too low to beat the dealer but they're high enough to easily bust if you draw another card.
The Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart Makes It Easy
| As mentioned, the concept of hard and soft hands is a key ingredient in the blackjack basic strategy. The blackjack basic strategy table advises playing your hard hands as follows. With a hard 11 or lower, you should hit or double down. With a hard 17 or higher, you should always stand. With a hard 12 through 16 (the stiff hands), you should hit, stand, or surrender, depending on what the dealer is showing as his up card. |
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Soft-hand strategy is somewhat easier to decipher. If a player has a soft 19 or 20 (an ace with an 8 or a 9), he should always stand, and when he has a soft 17 or less, he should always hit or double down. A soft 18 (an ace and a 7) is a bit dicier. Depending on what up card the dealer is showing, how many decks of cards are in play, and the rules of how the dealer will play his own cards, the basic blackjack strategy table can advise hitting, standing, or doubling.
All this may sound confusing but that's where the blackjack basic strategy chart comes into play. Study it, and follow it — it takes all the mystery out of hard and soft hands. And if you are playing blackjack in an online casino, you can keep a blackjack basic strategy table at your side and refer to it whenever necessary.
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