What Is A Soft 17 In Blackjack?

How Does a Dealer’s Decision to Stand or Hit on a Soft 17 Affect You? By John Grochowski on Wednesday October 12, 2016 betting, betting-blackjack, blackjack, gaming, gaming-tips Not all blackjack games are created equal. There’s a set of mix-and-match rules, and you’ll find different combinations in different casinos. Sometimes you’ll even find different combinations at different tables within the same casino. One key variation comes on whether dealers hit or stand on soft 17.

A soft 17 includes an Ace being counted as 11. Ace-6 is a soft 17, as are Ace-2-4, Ace-3-3, Ace-Ace-5 and others. When the dealer hits soft 17, the house edge against a basic strategy player is about two-tenths of a percent higher than if he stands. That brought a question from a reader, who wondered why.

“Does the dealer bust more often if he stands on soft 17?” the reader wrote. “If not, then why does the house edge increase when the dealer hits soft 17? Dealers do not bust more often when standing on soft 17. After all, there is no risk of busting when they stand on the hand.

• When the dealer stands on all 17s, he busts about 29.1 percent of the time, and that increases to 29.6 if he hits soft 17.
• However, a dealer who stands on soft 17 can’t improve the hand.
• That’s important because if a player makes a hand of 17 or better, the best the dealer can do is push.
• Hitting soft 17 gives the dealer the chance to make the 18, 19, 20 and 21 hands that can win on their own against a player pat hand.

This comes into play most often when the dealer’s face up card is an Ace and basic strategy players hit until they have 17 or better. The house will win when players bust, regardless of the final dealer hand. But against players still in action at the end, a dealer who stands on soft 17 can’t win and a dealer who hits soft 17 can.

1. If the dealer’s up card is 6 – or lower in the case of a soft 17 consisting of three or more cards – some standing hands will be 16 or less.
2. A dealer who stands on soft 17 can beat them.
3. But against players with two-card totals of 17 or more, the situation is the same as above: A dealer who stands on soft 17 can’t win and a dealer who hits soft 17 can.

: How Does a Dealer’s Decision to Stand or Hit on a Soft 17 Affect You?

Should you hit on a soft 17 in blackjack?

If it’s good enough for the dealer, it’s the same for players hitting soft 17 is always better than standing. Therefore, one of the golden rules of smart play is this: No matter what blackjack game you are playing, never stand on soft 17.

What is a hard 17 and a soft 17?

What is Soft 17 in blackjack? – In literal terms, Soft 17 is another way of describing a blackjack hand worth 17 which includes an Ace, where the Ace counted either as 1 or 11. A Soft hand cannot bust if you take one card more. In contrast, a hard hand is simply one without an Ace, or which includes an Ace but it can bust if another card is taken. Examples include the Ace-3-3 hand and Ace-Ace-2-4. Blackjack hands like these are called ‘soft’ because you cannot bust, and you can still improve your hand value (or make it worse!) by taking more cards. Because of this, we play Soft 17 very differently to how we play Hard 17 (which you would always stand).

What is an example of a soft 17 in blackjack?

A soft hand is any hand that contains an ace that is counted as 11. For example, an ace-6 is a soft 17; so is ace-3-3 and 2-2-ace-2. The basic playing strategy for, say, an ace-6 is much different than it is for a 10-7 (known as a hard 17 because It doesn’t contain an ace counted as 11).

Do casinos hit on soft 17?

What is soft 17 in blackjack? – An ace is worth either one or 11 in blackjack. That means when you have two cards, and one is an ace, you have a choice of totals to work with. If, for example, you have an ace and a three, you have either a total of four or 14.

You can take a card and then decide which total to use after that. You become accustomed to how to play soft aces soon enough. But what about the dealer? He can play soft aces just the same as you. But there is one significant difference. In most casino blackjack games, a dealer must take a card if he hits 16 or below and stand at 17 or above.

Some tables, though, say the dealer must hit soft 17, meaning he has a chance to increase his score up to 21. If you’re looking for examples of soft 17 in blackjack, let’s consider this scenario: the dealer’s upcard is a 6, and you have a total of nine and double down, bagging a ten when you take a card.

• Now you have a good total of 19 and have twice the size of your initial bet on the table.
• But what if the dealer then turns over an ace, making his total a soft 17? If he was forced to stand at this point, you win the hand, and all is good in the world.
• But if he is allowed to play on, imagine that he turns a two, making 19 and achieving a push.

Or worse, he gets a three or four, making a winning total of 20 or 21. He might, of course, get a card like a five. His score is now 22, which he declines, of course, but he takes the lower total of 12 instead (his initial low score of seven, plus the five).

• He now takes another card or two and can feasibly top your score that way.
• All in all, the ability to play on with soft 17 can be the dealer’s get out of jail card.
• Smart mathematicians have worked out that this adds a 0.2% figure to the casino house edge.
• If you are a skilled player who has routinely got the house edge down to around 0.5%, then the 0.2% increase is not insignificant.

Therefore, the astute blackjack player will try to avoid blackjack tables where the dealer can hit on soft 17. The rules will be clear on each table at online and live casinos so that you can take your pick. At BetAmerica, for example, most of the tables do not allow the dealer to hit on soft 17.

Should you always hit 12 in blackjack?

When to hit or stand in blackjack? – When playing blackjack there are two options – to hit or to stand. To hit is an instruction given by players to the dealer to request an extra card and can be indicated in verbal form or by simply tapping the table.

• To stand is to hold your total and end your turn.
• You can do this by waving your hand horizontally.
• Whether you should hit or stand always depends on the dealer’s blackjack hand.
• One of the worst case scenarios is when the dealer has an ace.
• In this case you should try to get a good hand of 17 or above as the dealer is likely to have a strong hand considering they have a big chance of hitting a 10-value-card (10, Jack, Queen, King).

If the dealer’s card is a 10-value-card, you still need a strong hand. It is best to hit when holding a hand of 10 or 12-16, and stand on anything 17 and over. An ace gives you a good chance of making 21 with a hit. When a dealer has a seven, eight or nine card it is impossible for them to make a blackjack, so your chances increase.

However, they can still get a better hand of 17 or more so you will again need a strong hand to compete. When holding nine or less or 12-16 it’s best to hit, but stand on a total of 17 or more. If the dealer’s card is a four, five or six it is vital you do not bust. It is common practice to hit on eight or less, but stand on anything 12 or higher.

When the dealer has a three, you should hit on anything eight or below and 12, while standing on anything 13 or over. If the dealer has a two it is best to hit on nine or less and stand on anything 13 or over.

Do you double 11 against 10?

Should I Double Down on 11 in Blackjack? By John Grochowski on Tuesday October 9, 2018 betting, betting-blackjack, betting-strategy, blackjack, doubling-down, gambling, gaming, gaming-strategy, gaming-tips Blackjack ba sic strategy includes a number of decisions that can give a player second and third thoughts. One of those comes when you have a two-card 11 and the dealer has a 10-value card face up. Basic strategy calls for you to double down — you make a second bet equal to your first, then get just one more card on the draw.

• That second bet against a strong dealer card is what gives players pause.
• One reader emailed me to ask, “Why should I double down on 11 when the dealer has a 10 up? It seems to me the dealer is trending to a really good hand, with a 20 likely and possibly a blackjack.
• This seems like spitting into the wind.” The potential dealer blackjack is not a factor in your hit/stand decision.

At nearly all U.S. table s, the dealer will check for blackjack. If he has an Ace down, that stops the hand and you never get a chance to make your second bet. That leaves 12 other card denominations, four of which are 10 values that give the dealer a 20.

1. If the down card is 7, 8 or 9, the dealer has a lesser standing hand, and if its 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, the dealer must take a second hit and could bust.
2. When all that is taken into account, your average profit per hand is larger if double than if you stand.
3. Exact figures vary slightly depending on the composition of the hand.

If you stand in a six-deck game, average profits are 11.86 cents per dollar wagered if you have 6-5, 11.79 with 7-4, 17.79 with 8-3, or 11.70 with 9-2. If you double, average profits are 17.85 cents per dollar of your original wager if you have 6-5, 17.84 with 7-4, 17.69 with 8-3 or 17.39 with 9-2.

Do you hit a 13 against a 6?

14 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit.13 stands against dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit.12 stands against dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit.11 always doubles.

Do you ever split 10s?

Blackjack split rules – It’s always necessary to check the rules of the type of blackjack you’re playing and for any adaptations at the land-based or online casino at which you’re playing. Split rules aren’t immune to this uncertainty. Here are some to double check before playing:

1. Some casinos only allow splitting of ten-value cards if they’re the same rank. Splitting a 10-10 hand is fine, but not a jack-queen hand, for example.
2. After the first split, doubling down and further splitting of hands may be limited.
3. After the first split, an ace and a ten-card may be regarded as a non-blackjack 21.
4. After splitting aces you’re generally not allowed to hit more than once.

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Do you always stand on 17?

The Dealer’s Play – When the dealer has served every player, the dealers face-down card is turned up. If the total is 17 or more, it must stand. If the total is 16 or under, they must take a card. The dealer must continue to take cards until the total is 17 or more, at which point the dealer must stand.

Why is 16 bad in blackjack?

The reason you should surrender a hard 16 is when your chance of winning is less than one out of four hands, i.e., your expected loss is worse than 50%.

Do dealers stand on soft 17?

The Dealer must draw on 16 or under and must stand on 17 or over. The Dealer’s first ace counts as 11 unless it busts the hand. Subsequent aces count as one. If the player’s total is closer to 21 than the Dealer’s, the player wins even money (1 – 1).

Do casinos hit better at night?

Does the Day or Time Make a Difference in Your Chances of Winning? – It’s essential to know that there’s no magical time to play at the casino and win more money or earn payouts more frequently. Winnings result from chance, with probabilities remaining the same no matter the game or time of day you play.

Slot machines aren’t paying out more on certain days or times than others, and rigging the gaming systems would require casinos to physically change out the microchips that determine frequency and payout in every machine, which isn’t possible. However, day and time can still affect your chances of winning, depending on your personal inclinations.

For example, if you’d like a more relaxing space to concentrate on your games, choose a morning weekday time to visit the casino that would give you this opportunity. If you’d like a more upbeat environment, choose a weekend or evening time that suits you.

Why you never take a 90 degree turn in casinos?

Many casinos try to avoid making you ever have to turn at a 90° angle. As Natasha Dow Schüll explains in her fascinating book, Addiction By Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, a right-angle turn forces people to call upon the decision-making parts of their brain — to stop and reflect on what they’re doing.

Is blackjack more skill or luck?

Outsmarting the Casino at Blackjack A glance at the grandeur of a typical casino in, say, Las Vegas or Monte Carlo tells you that most people lose money when they gamble. There are sound. The mathematical underpinnings of blackjack are both interesting and not immediately obvious.

Let’s wonder a bit about the casino game of blackjack. A glance at the grandeur of a typical casino in, say, Las Vegas or Monte Carlo tells you that most people lose money when they gamble. There are sound mathematical reasons for a casino’s winning ways. Although there are many books and websites that purport to teach you how to sidestep the odds of almost every casino game, many are misguided at best and rubbish at worst.

Unlike in other casino games, as a blackjack player you can increase your bet in favorable situations When it comes to the card game blackjack, however, there are some solid bits of mathematics that can help a player turn the tables on the gambling establishment.

• Unlike in other casino games, as a blackjack player you can increase your bet in favorable situations.
• You can also make decisions based on information you gather as you play.
• Both can turn the odds in blackjack in your favor.
• First, a quick primer on blackjack, the game is played using one or more 52-card decks.

The value of each card is either the number on the card, or 10 for face cards, or one or 11 for an ace. The goal of the game is to accumulate cards that total as close to 21 as possible without going over. Players get dealt two cards and can choose to take more.

• The casino—the dealer—also gets two cards, and must stand (stop drawing cards) or draw (request more cards) based on a set of rules.
• Increasing Your Bet in Favorable Situations Which situations are favorable, or not, in blackjack? Consider getting dealt a hand that totals 16.
• If the dealer has a strong hand—say she has a face card showing—you’ll probably lose if you stand.

But drawing is hardly better. Only a 2, 3, 4, or 5 prevents you from going over 21 and losing immediately. Draw, and you’ll probably lose. A hand of 16 is unfavorable for you. What about a hand that totals, say, eight? More than half of the cards you might draw next are either aces or 10-valued, any of which would give you a strong hand.

A hand totaling eight is favorable for you. So let’s say you get dealt two 8s. With a value of 16, this hand is most unfavorable. However, when you have two cards that are the same—e.g., two 8s or two jacks—most casinos allow you to split them into two separate hands. In doing so, you also must double your wager.

And splitting the two 8s into two separate, eight-valued hands wow! Not only do you get to turn one bad hand into two good ones, you get to increase your bet. The Rules of Blackjack Enable You to Increase Your Wager in Favorable Situations In most casino games, roulette for example, every separate wager has the same probability of winning or losing.

• Not so in blackjack.
• If, for example, there are more 10-valued cards than small-valued cards left to be dealt, you’re more likely to get a winning hand.
• By keeping track of how many high-valued and how many low-valued cards have been played, you can predict the likelihood of the next hand being a winner.

This method, called “counting cards,” is far easier than you might guess. Counting can be as simple as tracking cards in three categories: those that are favorable for you, those that are unfavorable, and those that don’t have much effect on the likelihood that a hand will either win or lose.

• Aces and 10-valued cards are favorable for you because they get you quickly up to (or close to) 21.
• The more aces and 10-valued cards that remain in a deck, yet to be dealt, the more likely it is that you will win the next hand.
• Low-valued cards—2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s—are not favorable for you.
• Because there are so many 10-valued cards in the deck, if you get dealt a low-valued card, the likelihood is that your other card will bring your total into the low teens.

Which means your next card will take you over 21 and you’ll lose. The more low-valued cards that remain in a deck, yet to be dealt, the more likely it is that you will lose the next hand. Cards valued 7, 8, or 9 don’t have as much of an effect on winning or losing as low- and high-valued cards do.

In the simplest card-counting system, aces and 10-valued cards are assigned a value of negative-one, low-valued cards are assigned positive-one, and 7s, 8s, and 9s are assigned a value of zero. The total for all 52 cards in a deck is zero. So start with a “count” of zero and subtract or add one (or zero) as you see cards played.

A positive count means that more low-valued cards have been dealt—the rest of the deck is in your favor! A negative count means that fewer aces and 10-valued cards remain—not good for you. Increasing and decreasing your bets according to the count increases the chance that you will bring home some winnings from the blackjack table.

The role of mathematics in the game of blackjack means strategy—not luck—and can turn the tables in your favor.- Questions to ponder:

Purely based on statistics, some casino gamblers get lucky and win money. Blackjack, however, can be beaten based on skill—no luck involved. Are there other casino games that can be beaten in this way? (The answer is surprising.) A computer analysis of blackjack reveals that for every possible combination of a player’s hand and the dealer’s card there is exactly one play (hit, stand, split, and so on) that results in the highest probability of winning.

Do you always double down on 11?

Should you Always Double Down on 11? – As the player and dealer aim to get as close to 21 as possible in order to win the hand, the player is in a strong position when holding 11 after two cards are dealt. If the dealer is showing a lower card than a 10, it is good strategy to double down.

Should I stick on 15 at blackjack?

Ask Dr. Blackjack: Hitting on a Hard 15 and 16 With casino gaming being one of the most attractive recreational activities in the United States and over 500 casinos to choose from, AY About You Magazine would like to help you enjoy your gaming experience when playing blackjack by letting you ask professional player and author of “Ask Dr Blackjack”, Sam Barrington, your puzzling questions.

If you have a question about blackjack, please contact AY Magazine or Sam Barrington directly at [email protected]. Your question and the answer will be shared with our readers (anonymously, of course, if desired). For an autographed book just go to and find out my best tactics for playing. Follow AY About You Magazine to find out the dates and times of free blackjack seminars by Sam Barrington.

My last post with AY Magazine had me giving seminars at the Tunica casinos. I have since pulled out of there with the dying casino trend there. At one time they had ten casinos operating there at full capacity. Now, they have six casinos. Increased competition is killing them.

• So, let’s get to the questions:
• From George in Memphis, Tenn.:
• Question: “When should I hit on my 15?”
• Sam says: “Always hit a hard 15 when the dealer’s up-card is a 7 through an ace.

If you stand on that 15, you will win 25.36 percent of the time and lose 74.64 percent of the time. That makes a net loss of 49.28 percent. Now, by hitting that 15, you will win 29.02 percent of the time and lose 66.46 percent of the time and push 4.52 percent of the time.

1. All totaled up, you are 11.84 percent better off hitting the hard 15.
2. From Rufus in Little Rock: Question: “What are the rules on hitting a “hard 16?” Sam says: “This is a tricky play you have to watch out for or it can cost you a little money.
3. To sum it up, never do it.
4. Just sit there like a lump.
5. The “hard 16” is the worst hand you can get, so as the saying goes.

You work with what you got when facing the dealer’s up-card of 7 through an ace. If you hit the 16, you will win 25.23 percent of the time, bust out 69.31 percent of the time and push 5.46 percent of the time for a net loss of 44.08 percent of the time.

1. That’s the same as winning two more hands out of every 100 times you face that scenario.
2. That’s better than the annual return on a CD, and you can do this hundreds of times a year.

: Ask Dr. Blackjack: Hitting on a Hard 15 and 16

Should you split 8s against an ace?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Splitting aces and eights is part of blackjack basic strategy, Rules vary across gambling establishments regarding resplitting, doubling, multiple card draws, and the payout for blackjack, and there are conditional strategic responses that depend upon the number of decks used, the frequency of shuffling and dealer’s cards.

Do you split 8s against a 10?

Michael Shackleford, who calls himself ‘the Wizard of Odds,’ says splitting 8s against a dealer 10 has the ‘smallest expected loss’ (as opposed to staying, hitting or doubling) of all moves with a pair of 8s.

Should you split 9s against a 10?

The basic playing strategy for a pair of 9s is to: Split when the dealer’s upcard is 2 through 6 or 8, 9. Stand when the dealer’s upcard is 7, 10, or Ace.

Is it better if blackjack dealer hits or stands soft 17?

Newsletter Signup Stay informed with the NEW Casino City Times newsletter! Recent Articles Best of Alan Krigman G aming G uru Blackjack buffs are better off when dealers must stand on rather than hit “soft 17s” hands like ace-six or ace-four-two where ace is valued at 11. Many players find this hard to believe. Dealers are clearly more likely to bust when they must hit soft 17s than when they stand, a factor that seems to favor players.

• Moreover, solid citizens typically think of this question by picturing themselves stopping with totals of 16 or less against a six-up.
• They reason they’ll get beaten straight away if the dealer flips over an ace and can stand; they still have a shot, even with the ace in the hole, if the dealer must hit the 17.

This logic is, in fact, valid when a dealer shows a “stiff” and a player stands with under 17. The accompanying table highlights the effect for six-up. The data show the probabilities of various dealer final results for the alternate ways of handling soft 17.

final hand	stand on soft 17	hit soft 17
17	16.56%	11.50%
18	10.62%	11.46%
19	10.64%	11.50%
20	10.16%	11.02%
21	9.72%	10.58%
bust	42.29%	43.93%

The figures indicate that players with totals under 17 against sixes have 43.93 percent chance of winning when dealers hit soft 17, as opposed to 42.29 percent when they stand. The difference, 1.64 percent, is worth $1.64 for every $100 bet on this hand.

The distribution of the other dealer final results doesn’t matter because any of them will beat a player under these circumstances. The phenomenon is similar although less pronounced when players properly stop below 17 against upcards from two through five. For instance, pretend the dealer has a two-up.

The chances of dealers busting are 35.67 when they hit soft 17 and 35.35 percent when they stand. With five-up the probabilities are 41.91 percent hitting and 41.79 percent standing. The rule is irrelevant with upcards from seven through 10. In these situations, dealers have no way to arrive at soft 17.

The balance tips toward the higher desirability of dealers standing on, not hitting, soft 17 in all other situations. That is, when players stop at or over 17 against ace or two through six. Here, the increased chance of dealers busting by hitting is offset by the lesser likelihood of their besting players’ totals above 17 when they do.

Essentially because 17 is a weak dealer total, pushing a player’s 17 and beating nothing higher. To illustrate the impact, say a player has 17 against a dealer’s five. The player wins if the dealer busts, pushes if the dealer gets 17, and loses on a dealer’s 18 through 21.

If the dealer hits soft 17, the probabilities for players are 41.91 percent to win, 11.81 percent to push, and 46.28 percent to lose. The net of losses over wins is 4.37 percent, an average of $4.37 per $100 bet. When the dealers stand, the values for players are 41.79 percent to win, 12.20 percent to push, and 46.01 percent to lose.

The net is 4.22 percent losing, an average of $4.22 per $100 bet. Players are underdogs either way, but less so when dealers stand. Ace-up is more extreme. When dealers hit soft 17, their prospects of busting are 13.91 percent. Say a player has a 19 in this situation.

The chance of a dealer winning with a 20 or 21, including a blackjack, is 51.77 percent. The chance of the player winning against a dealer’s 17, 18, or bust is 33.93 percent. The net expected loss is 17.84 percent, $17.84 per $100 bet. When dealers stand, the figures are 37.64 percent for players to win and 49.29 percent to lose, yielding a net expected loss of 11.65 percent, $11.65 per $100 bet.

Again, not a joyous outlook but far less gloomy when the dealer must stand on than hit soft 17. All of which warrants the wisdom of the wily wordsmith, Sumner A Ingmark, in his troublesomely telling triplet: Reliance on your intuition, May sap your fortune by attrition, And leave you in a weak position. Alan Krigman was a weekly syndicated newspaper gaming columnist and Editor & Publisher of Winning Ways, a monthly newsletter for casino aficionados. His columns focused on gambling probability and statistics. He passed away in October, 2013. Alan Krigman was a weekly syndicated newspaper gaming columnist and Editor & Publisher of Winning Ways, a monthly newsletter for casino aficionados. His columns focused on gambling probability and statistics. He passed away in October, 2013.

Should I hit on soft 17 against 2?

Stand vs Hit vs Double Down on Soft 17 in Blackjack By John Grochowski on Wednesday April 25, 2018 betting-blackjack, betting-strategy, blackjack, doubling-down, gambling, gaming-strategy, gaming-tips Most blackjack players understand it’s best to hit soft 17 rather than stand. But many won’t go the next step and double down, as underlined by a recent email that said, “I can’t bring myself to double down on soft 17. Basic strategy cards tell me to double when the dealer shows 3, 4 5 or 6.

• I can’t pull the trigger.
• It just feels right to me to stand on 17.
• How much am I costing myself?” Seventeen is not as strong a starting hand as some players think it is.
• It’s a winning hand only if the dealer busts.
• If the dealer makes a standing hand, your 17 pushes a dealer 17 or loses to a dealer 18 through 21.

And with soft 17, you can’t bust with a one-card hit. You can always count that Ace as 1 instead of 11. As for the specifics of soft doubling, let’s look at average results in a six-deck game in which dealer hits soft 17 and you start with Ace-6. **Dealer up card is 3: If you double down, your average profit is 5.7 cents per $1 of your original bet.

If you hit, the profit is 2.9 cents. But if you stand, the hand is negative with an average loss of 11.6 cents per $1. **Dealer up card is 4: Double down, 12.3-cent average profit; hit, 6.2-cent profit; stand, 7.6-cent loss. **Dealer up card is 5: Double down, 19.7-cent average profit; hit, 9.9-cent profit; stand, 3.8-cent loss.

**Dealer up card is 6: Double down, 25.2-cent average profit; hit, 12.6-cent profit; stand, 0.5-cent loss. As the dealer up card increases in value, your average profit per $1 in original wager increases if you double or hit, and your average loss decreases if you stand.

Should I hit if I have 16 in blackjack?

Ask Dr. Blackjack: Hitting on a Hard 15 and 16 With casino gaming being one of the most attractive recreational activities in the United States and over 500 casinos to choose from, AY About You Magazine would like to help you enjoy your gaming experience when playing blackjack by letting you ask professional player and author of “Ask Dr Blackjack”, Sam Barrington, your puzzling questions.

If you have a question about blackjack, please contact AY Magazine or Sam Barrington directly at [email protected]. Your question and the answer will be shared with our readers (anonymously, of course, if desired). For an autographed book just go to and find out my best tactics for playing. Follow AY About You Magazine to find out the dates and times of free blackjack seminars by Sam Barrington.

My last post with AY Magazine had me giving seminars at the Tunica casinos. I have since pulled out of there with the dying casino trend there. At one time they had ten casinos operating there at full capacity. Now, they have six casinos. Increased competition is killing them.

• So, let’s get to the questions:
• From George in Memphis, Tenn.:
• Question: “When should I hit on my 15?”
• Sam says: “Always hit a hard 15 when the dealer’s up-card is a 7 through an ace.

If you stand on that 15, you will win 25.36 percent of the time and lose 74.64 percent of the time. That makes a net loss of 49.28 percent. Now, by hitting that 15, you will win 29.02 percent of the time and lose 66.46 percent of the time and push 4.52 percent of the time.

All totaled up, you are 11.84 percent better off hitting the hard 15. From Rufus in Little Rock: Question: “What are the rules on hitting a “hard 16?” Sam says: “This is a tricky play you have to watch out for or it can cost you a little money. To sum it up, never do it. Just sit there like a lump. The “hard 16” is the worst hand you can get, so as the saying goes.

You work with what you got when facing the dealer’s up-card of 7 through an ace. If you hit the 16, you will win 25.23 percent of the time, bust out 69.31 percent of the time and push 5.46 percent of the time for a net loss of 44.08 percent of the time.

1. That’s the same as winning two more hands out of every 100 times you face that scenario.
2. That’s better than the annual return on a CD, and you can do this hundreds of times a year.

: Ask Dr. Blackjack: Hitting on a Hard 15 and 16

Do you hit on soft 16 in blackjack?

Soft 14-15-16 Cases – Whenever players have a card combination which leaves them with any of the following hands – soft 14, 15 or 16, they should choose to make the same move as the strategy applies to all of them when one is playing with a single deck of cards only.

1. If the dealer’s upcard is a 4, 5, or 6, players need to double down,
2. The monetary sanction for doubling down according to a basic strategy chart intended for multiple-deck S17 games when playing single-deck blackjack is very small.
3. You will give up only 0.008% of your advantage.
4. Making the optimal playing moves is of greater importance at single-deck tables because of the more prominent effect of card removal.

The bad news is many single-deck variations of the game prohibit players from doubling on soft hands, restricting this move only to hard totals 9, 10, and 11. For the rest of the possibilities for the upcard of the dealer, players need to hit. It is observable that the only difference between the strategy for soft 13 and soft 14, 15, and 16 is when players are against 4 as the dealer’s upcard.

Let’s have a look at the following case where gamblers have soft 15 and the dealer’s upcard is 6 and what the possible outcomes of this situation will be, provided players will follow the strategy and double down, If gamblers get a 3, this leaves them with a total of 18 for their hand which is pretty good but still, we need to remember that the average winning hand is 18.5 and 18 doesn’t guarantee us winning.

If players get a 2, then their hand totals 17 and if they draw an ace, the total value of their hand will be 16. What players need to hope for is to get a 4, 5, or 6 as this will leave them with a hand totalling respectively 19, 20, and 21. The rest of the cards will form a hand totalling 15 or less, which is unfavourable for the players,

There are small deviations from the above-listed strategy when one is up against multiple decks of cards. To be specific, soft 14 calls for soft doubling only when the dealer’s face-up card is either a 5 or a 6. You hit against the 4 and all the other possible dealer upcards. As for doubling on soft 15 and soft 16, you should do it against 4, 5, and 6, and hit versus the rest of the dealer upcards.

In double-deck blackjack with a dealer who draws to soft 17, doubling is recommended with the soft 14 against the dealer’s 4 as well. This leads to a minuscule gain for the player, but still allows you to earn more from your soft 14. Holding soft 16 is one of the trickiest spots rookie players can find themselves in.

1. Some rookies approach this hand the same way they would play hard 16.
2. Standing on soft 16 is never recommended for the simple reason you cannot exceed 21 with a one-card draw.
3. So why not try and improve your situation by doubling or hitting on your soft 16? In reality, the only way for you to win by standing on soft 16 is if the dealer goes over 21.

The probability of winning with a hard total of 16 coincides with that of winning with 3-2 or A-A (soft 12). Player is dealt a Soft 15. Dealer’s Up card is a 6. Player should Double Down.