1. Hard Vs Soft Hand Blackjack 2
2. Hard Vs Soft Hand Blackjack Free

NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles, each focused on a particular blackjack hand. These articles are written for both intermediate and advanced players. The counting system used throughout this series is Hi-Opt I unless otherwise indicated (3, 4, 5, 6 value +1; 10’s value -1; Ace, 2, 7, 8, 9 neutral).

The distinction between hard and soft hands in blackjack stems from the fact that the latter, contain an Ace which is assigned a value of 11 or 1. It is important to note that the value the Ace will be assigned will hinge upon your preferences. Blackjack lovers should be aware that depending on the situation, if at the beginning, you have had a soft hand, and you have drawn several additional cards, your hand can. One of the most misplayed hands in blackjack is a soft eighteen hand, in particular, when the dealer shows a nine, a ten or an ace.In such cases, many players tend to believe that a total of eighteen is sufficient to beat the dealer and as a result, they choose to stand. Blackjack hard vs soft hand Other casinos check blackjack hard vs soft hand under both 10 and Ace dealer upcards, and would therefore pay the blackjack immediately.Blackjack Table LimitsThe table limits in blackjack vary from one casino to the nextboth in land-based and online gambling casinos. The biggest difference between a soft hand and a hard hand is that one cannot go bust when a soft hand is dealt to them. One of the basic rules of Blackjack is that exceeding 21 results in a bust and when you are dealt a hand consisting of any card and an ace, you cannot go above 21.

Hard 16 vs. Dealer 10

This bad boy is either the first or second worst hand in blackjack, depending on whether the dealer hits soft 17 or not. To make matters worse, it is a fairly common hand. You will be dealt a 2-card 16 vs. dealer 10 about once every 54 hands, not including those occasions where the dealer has the blackjack. This is the hand that built Las Vegas. If you play simple Basic Strategy and could somehow avoid this hand forever, the house edge would actually be reversed in your favor. But dream on. To start the analysis of this hand, let’s first take a look at the special case of a pair of 8’s vs. dealer 10. Here are the HIT, STAND, and SPLIT curves vs. running count (Hi-Opt 1) with one deck remaining (exactly 52 cards). To keep it simpler, let’s assume Double After Split (DAS) is allowed, which is fairly standard in Las Vegas today.

First of all, notice that as the count increases, your expected return is diminishing for all your options (except Surrender). If the count is +4 or higher, Surrender is the best option if allowed. Second, it is clear that splitting the 8’s is a much better option than hitting or standing, within the normal radar range on the count. To be clear, the EV calculation for pair splitting is based on the original bet only. For example, let’s suppose you were faced with this scenario 100 times:

• No Surrender
• DAS Allowed
• Count = -1 (neutral before the deal)
• Starting Bankroll $1,000
• $10 Constant Bet

Here would be your final bankroll expectation after 100 hands:

STAND $481.71 ($1,000.00 - $518.29)

HIT $488.25 ($1,000.00 - $511.76)

SPLIT $551.84 ($1,000.00 - $448.16 [not 2x448.16])

Clearly, the best long term decision is to split your 8’s vs. the dealer 10. Now, if you were to plot a bell curve on the actual returns, you would see much more volatility (wider range) when you split. For this reason, there is a notable blackjack “expert” who claims it is better not to split the 8’s vs. 10. I agree with the Wizard of Odds on this one and you should avoid that bad advice. Yes, it sucks when the dealer exposes another 10 underneath and you lose both hands, but that happens only about 31% of the time (it only feels like 90% of the time).

So here is the correct play for the pair of 8’s vs. dealer 10 if Surrender is allowed:

And here is the correct play for the pair of 8’s vs. dealer 10 if Surrender is not allowed:

Since we will be splitting (or surrendering) the 8+8 vs. 10, we will not consider that variant when we calculate the HIT/STAND decision for hard 16 vs. dealer 10. Here are the EV curves for the combined probabilities including 10+6 vs. 10 and 9+7 vs. 10.

If Surrender is allowed, hard 16 vs. 10 should be HIT for negative counts up to -2, then Surrender if the count is -1 or higher. However, a game allowing Surrender is the exception rather than the rule, so normally you will need to make the HIT or STAND decision. Per Basic Strategy, with a neutral deck the proper play is HIT. However as the deck gets richer in 10’s, there is a flipping point where the better play flips from HIT to STAND. As seen in the graph, the flipping point for hard 16 vs. 10 is +2.

So here is the correct play for hard 16 vs. dealer 10 if Surrender is allowed:

Hard Vs Soft Hand Blackjack 2

And here is the correct play for hard 16 vs. dealer 10 if Surrender is not allowed:

Now, we could end this here. However, for those who want to chip away at the house edge just a tiny bit more, this is a hand where composition dependent strategy is not all that difficult to remember. So here’s the deal. The graph above is a combined result of the two variants 10+6 vs. 10 and 9+7 vs. 10, based on their frequency of occurring. As it turns out, the 10+6 vs. 10 is a significantly stronger HIT than the 9+7 vs. 10. For those who want to try composition dependent strategy, here are the correct plays assuming Surrender is not allowed:

Note that if the deck was neutral before the deal, then the count for both of these variants is now -1 and both are a HIT as in Basic Strategy. The difference is that the 9+7 vs. 10 flips to a STAND right away as the count moves positive, but the 10+6 vs. 10 remains a HIT until the count is +3 or higher.

One final note. Most Blackjack players realize that 16 vs. 10 is a very close call. There is a common myth at the tables that you should pick your poison. Either always HIT or always STAND, but do not vary. Obviously, advanced play will betray that notion as nonsense. When you get accused of not sticking with one or the other, don’t let it bother you. Just smile and say, “Yep, that’s what they say.”

So for now, have fun, tip well, and may your variances be mostly positive.

Next up: 3-Card 16 vs. 10

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Two terms you need to learn if you want to improve your Blackjack playing skills are so-called soft and hard hands. This is very important as these two terms are often used in Blackjack literature and strategy articles. Basically, the concept is quite simple with soft hands being all hands that contain an ace while hard hands being hands with no aces included.

If you have ever joined a Blackjack table and haven’t understood the rule reading “the dealer must hit soft 17”, you have landed on the right page. Let’s learn how you can make use of soft and hard hands while playing Blackjack and get as close to 21 as possible.

Differences between Soft Hands and Hard Hands

Hard Vs Soft Hand Blackjack Free

The biggest difference between a soft hand and a hard hand is that one cannot go bust when a soft hand is dealt to them. One of the basic rules of Blackjack is that exceeding 21 results in a bust and when you are dealt a hand consisting of any card and an ace, you cannot go above 21. This is due to the fact that an ace in a hand in Blackjack can be counted as 1 or 11. When you have a soft hand, you can hit until you create a winning hand. Let’s say that you have been dealt a 7 and an ace. Such a hand can be worth 8 or 18. You can hit and get a card that will complete a hand closer or equal to 21.

On the other hand, hard hands consist of cards with a set value. Because of that, this hand can exceed 21 when hitting and result in a bust. When you are dealt a hard hand, it is important to know which move is advisable to make according to the proper strategy. In this case, you will have to make moves (hitting, standing, doubling down or splitting) according to the dealer’s face-up card. Although this won’t guarantee a winning hand, you can improve your chances of winning. The hard hand strategy combined with card counting can help you get an advantage over the casino.

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Soft 17 Rule

You have probably stumbled upon Blackjack variants in which the dealer has to hit on a soft 17. This rule increases the house edge which may not be most favourable for a player. Yet, this should not turn you off as other rules may decrease the house edge giving you even chances to beat the game. However, when playing a Blackjack variant with this rule in play, you have to pay attention to a few things. If the game allows doubling down and the Soft 17 rule is used, you should go for it if you have a hand of 11 and the dealer has an Ace. Doubling down is also recommended when you have a soft 19 or 18 and the dealer shows a 6 or 2 respectively.

If you opt for a Blackjack game with the Soft 17 rule, you will have to be ready to adjust your playing strategy to decrease the house advantage which is evident in this case. On the other hand, when the dealer has to stand on all 17 hands, both soft and hard, players will have the advantage. This is the general rule that is stated on the betting layout just like the Soft 17 rule. If you are looking for general advice about the Soft 17 rule, we can say that single deck games are more favourable to players when this rule is applied while with 2 and 6-deck games, it is better if the dealer must stand on soft 17.