The rule soft 17 means the dealers have to hit when they land a soft 17 hand. So when we are talking about whether a 17 is hard or soft, the Ace is integral to the hand.īasically, a hard 17 is when an Ace, seven, and nine occurs, with the Ace existing as one, as if the Ace was an 11 it would bust as it is amounts over 21.Ī soft 17 however, exists as a six and an Ace, so the Ace counts as an 11.

A soft hand is when the Ace exists as 11. A soft hand occurs with an Ace, while a hard hand can occur with an Ace but it has to equal one, not 11. What is a soft 17 in blackjack?Ī soft 17 not only affects the dealer, but it also effects the player. O for players who either avoid the game because they can’t understand the rule, or for those have have been using the wrong strategy chart, we offer some information on the rule which may come in handy, the different basic strategy charts involved, as well as the best variations that offer the rule to help players play 21 at their optimum.

doubling it (win 25.2 cents).Some players avoid blackjack because they don’t quite understand the ‘dealer must hit on soft 17’ rule on a blackjack table, but this rule can be quite favourable to a player provided they know how to play their hand.Īdditionally, players who have played blackjack with the soft 17 rule, may have been tricked into thinking the basic strategy chart is universal and there is only one applicable to every set of rules. The biggest swing though is standing on soft 17 vs. a 6 and the worst move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. Double, lose 54.9 cents.īased on those figures, the best move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. Here is the data on the odds/return via the Casino City Timesįigures given are average win or loss per $1 of your original wager. That's an important difference when deciding how to handle your soft 17.ĭoubling down on Soft 17 isn't just a move to get the best hand, but it's to increase your play when the dealer has a bust card. Soft 17 is a polarizing hand for the dealer because in some places dealers must hit on it, other places they stay on it. First, you've got to know the rules of your particular table and game.

Blackjack dealer hit on soft 17