How to Play a Soft 17

On 01.27.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Being dealt a soft 17 can be a rather tricky hand to play with.

A good many players will play this hand as if it were a hard 17. And while a 17 has the potential to be a relatively strong blackjack hand, playing a soft hand like its hard counterpart is not always the most advantageous why to play it.

The Ace that makes a soft hand what it is creates a whole other way to play. This is why basic strategy has a different way to play soft hands.

But the first thing that you need to know is that a soft 17 is not the same as a hard 17. It gives you flexibility.

Let’s say that you have been dealt a soft 17. And we are going to assume, like a serious blackjack player should, that the dealer’s hole card is a 10—that is the worst case scenario. If the dealer’s up card is an 8, 9, 10 or Ace, you would normally be stuck if you had a hard 17. But a soft 17 allows you to switch to a more defensive strategy.

With the Ace’s ability to serve as a 1 or an 11, you can reduce a soft 17 to a hard 7 and hit. This is giving you another chance to build a stronger hand. You might be able to hit to a hard 18 or more, and give yourself a bit of a better leg to stand on. At any rate, it is better than simply playing a soft 17 like a hard 17.

In fact, hitting is what basic strategy advises. It also advises to take further advantage of a soft 17 by doubling down against a dealer’s up card of 3, 4, 5 or 6. That is when the dealer has the greatest chance of busting, and your strategy should put you in place to take advantage of it.

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The Next Best Hands to Blackjack and How to Play Them

On 01.20.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

While we would all like to be dealt a natural blackjack every time we play, we know that it does not happen every time. Or even half of the time. But there are two other strong hands to hope for. Unfortunately, many novice players tend to misplay these hands due to the nature of their make-up.

After a natural blackjack, being dealt a hand that totals 20 is the strongest hand to have. The only hands that a dealer can have to beat you is a natural blackjack or to hit to 21. But in order for these two hands to be worth their total they must be played correctly.

Ace-9
This is the first hand that we will look at. Because of the Ace this does count as a soft hand even though its total is 20. And that is where most novice players make their mistake. Many will reduce the Ace from 11 down to 1 and play this hand as a hard 10, often doubling down. While doubling down seems to be the most advantageous play to make it is not.

What most novice players are missing is the most basic aspect of this hand: that the total is 20. Forget the soft or hard part and focus on the hand total, and play this as a hard 20. The chances of reducing to 10 and hitting to a total that is as strong as your original 20 or 21 are slim. It is better to just play an Ace-9 as a 20.

10-10
Like an Ace-9, this hand is often misplayed due to novice players thinking that there is a more advantageous play to make. In this case, novice players see that this is a pair, and think that the most advantageous play is to split them.

This is similar to reducing the Ace and doubling down with an Ace-9; the chances of building, not one, but two hands to equal the original 20 or better is slim. It is better to play this hand as a hard 20 for the same reasons that you want to play an Ace-9 as a hard 20.

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What to Do When Dealt a Hard 12

On 01.13.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

Unfortunately the average blackjack player will be dealt a stiff hand around 43% of the time while playing. Stiff hands include hard 12 through hard 16. The reason it feels like we are dealt these hands more often is that they occur more often. There are more hard hands in blackjack than there are strong hands or low hands.

The best that you can do with a stiff hand is to play according to basic strategy. But if you are lucky enough to be playing in a game that allows for early or even late surrender, you can go with those plays and minimize your losses.

The frustrating aspect of hard hands is that it is difficult to make a winning hand with them and not bust while trying. But of the hard hands, hard 12 is the one that offers you the most opportunity.

According to basic strategy, it is best to hit a hard 12 against seven of the possible dealer up cards, whereas the other hard hands are only hitting on five of the dealer up cards.

With a hard 12 basic strategy recommends hitting against not only 7 and higher, but also hitting against a dealer’s up card of 2 or 3.

When hitting a hard 12 against a 2 or a 3, you have a 37% chance of winning the round. If you stand against a 2 or a 3 like you would with the other stiff hands, you only have a 35% chance at winning.

Blackjack strategy is about increasing our chances of winning and minimizing our losses. And while we have a greater chance of losing with a stiff hand, we have to do the best we can to keep our losses down. If there is a way to increase our chances of winning, we are likewise reducing our chances of losing.

In the case of a hard 12 against a 2 or 3, the best play to make to increase our chances is to hit. While we are only increasing our chances by 2%, it is 2% more than if we did nothing and stand.

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Know Which Hands to Double Down On

On 01.06.10, In Blackjack Strategy, Online Blackjack, By Vivi

In blackjack there come points in time during the game when the player can go on the offensive—when their hand is stronger than the dealer’s. But how do you know when to go on the offensive? When you are dealt a starting total of 9, 10 or 11 is when you take your blackjack strategy to the offensive side.

The best play to make when you find your starting hand total to be one of those three is to double down. Doubling down sends a message to the dealer that you are confident and that your hand is strong—that you have a better chance of out-drawing the dealer and that you are going to do so with one card.

Granted, we not always win when we double down, but it is a fun play to make.

Doubling down is when you double your original bet and only receive one more card. Many players are a bit intimidated by only receiving one more card, but when you consider that you are already starting with a 10 or 11, you already have half of what you need to total 21. And if you are starting with 9 you are already halfway to having 20—another strong hand.

And by having the potential of creating a strong hand and winning with that hand, you have the chance of doubling your winnings since your bet was doubled.

Having a starting total of 11 is the strongest of the three. It offers you the most opportunities to double down. If you have a starting total of 11 and the dealer’s up card is a 2 through 10, double down. The only time you do not double down is when the dealer’s up card is an Ace.

In regards to having a starting total of 10, you will want to double down when the dealer’s up card is a 2 through 9.

And when you have a starting total of 9, you need to double down when the dealer’s up card is a 3 through 6.

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