For example, you should double down on 11 if the dealer shows an ace and hits a soft 17. The changes are mainly regarding doubling down in certain situations. There are a few variables within the basic strategy, including number of decks played and the S17 rule.ĭepending on whether the S17 rule is in effect, you should adjust your basic strategy accordingly. In any case, most players are prone to making misplays, which can increase the house edge by up to 4% or even more. It’s mostly because they don’t know about it or they aren’t patient enough to see it through.

Only a small percentage of players can correctly apply basic strategy.

The basic strategy chart outlines the mathematically correct way to play each hand, taking into account both your and the dealer’s total. The only way to reach the optimal 0.5% edge in blackjack is by utilizing the basic blackjack strategy correctly. Hands that have an ace that counts as one are also classed as ‘ hard.’ For example, if you have a 10, a 4 and an ace, that would be ‘ a hard 15.’ For example, if you hold a 5 and a 7, you’d have a hard 12. Therefore, they provide less liquidity and fewer choices for the player.

If your third card is a nine, the ace in your hand will count as one so the total of your 3-card hand would be 18.Ĭonversely, hard hands are initial hands that lack an ace.

The value of your hand would be 19 or 9, depending on which total is more favorable to you.

Let’s say you’re dealt with an ace and an 8.

So, even if you draw a ten-card, you can’t bust with a one-card hit when you receive the third card. For instance: When you have a soft hand, you can’t go bust when hitting because you can change the value of the ace at any time. It can count as one or ten, depending on what favors your total more. Namely, when you’re holding an Ace, you can adjust your hand total, depending on the situation. This type of hand is considered more player-favorable due to its flexibility. The phrase soft and hard hands basically refers to the hand composition.Ī soft hand is a hand that contains an ace. The purpose of this article is to explain what hard hands and soft hands are, and how they affect the basic strategy. Hence, you need to understand the concept of hard and soft hands to maximize your blackjack sessions.

Pontoon vs blackjack house edge