Hard 16: 8-8, 10-6, 9-7, 6-4-6, and 10-2-3-A. Rating 9. Always split aces and eights. A fair amount of blackjack players will stand on a soft 18. Double down soft 18 and soft 19 if the dealer has 2 and 6, respectively. The basic strategy here is to get the dealer to go bust. Playing 18 in blackjack. Learn the rules and Wizard's Simple Strategy in this introductory video. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as "twenty-one". Such is the case whenever the player gets a starting hand of 6-2 for a hard 8 against the dealer’s 5. Take your non-ace card (lets say its A6, so 6) then sum that number with dealer upcard (lets say 3), if it equals 9 or more. a 6 and the worst move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. DEALER'S 2 UPCARD. In a S17 game, stand against a 2. 3 cents) vs. This is not a strong enough hand to stand on because if we do, the dealer ends up outdrawing us by arriving at their standing total of 17 or above. Blackjack X-Change is based on standard blackjack rules, which I assume that the reader is already familiar with. This is how you can learn how to play online blackjack in just seven steps: Step 1: place your bet. The most valuable starting hands in blackjack in order of ascending value to the player is: Traditional 21 - Blackjack. koda: hitting on a soft 18And a soft 18 is one of those misplayed blackjack hands. Atlantic City Blackjack. As with any blackjack game, soft aces change how you play many hands. Release date 07. If you have a soft 18 against a dealer's 10 and stand, you lose more money than you win. Pairs. This Blackjack side bet comes with a house edge of 10. A hand that contains an Ace is called a "soft" hand if the Ace can be counted as 1 or 11 without the total going over 21. Alasannya adalah karena hand paling total 18, bagaimanapun, harus berisi ACE dan 7 atau 5 , dan 2 kartu. A hard 12 can be made up of 7-5, 8-4, 9-3, or 10-2. The chance of the player winning against a dealer's 17, 18, or bust is 33. Casinos which offer Spanish 21 pay royalties to Masque Publishing Inc. The basic strategy suggests standing on a soft 18 against a dealer’s 2 or 7 but hitting against a 9, 10, or Ace. For example, you should double down on 11 if the dealer shows an ace and hits a soft 17. For example, playing 10-8 is a hard 18. Double soft 18 vs. If you use the double down bet, you have the option to use the ace as a one or an 11, and you could then. If one of the cards is an Ace counted as 11 – the hand is soft. The house edge is the mathematical probability the casino will gain over time. If you have a soft 18 against a dealer's 10 and stand, you lose more money than you win. 22–23, 51–56. Players should stand with soft 18s against 2s, 7s, and 8s; Players should stand with all soft 19s unless they want to take the double down option against a 5 or 6; Players should stand with all soft 20s; Doubling Down Soft Hands in Blackjack. If your total is soft 17 or less, you should always hit in compliance with the blackjack strategy chart. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called "soft", meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; the value of the ace will become 1 to. Knowing what a soft hand is, perhaps makes it easy to understand what a hard hand is. Official Basic Strategy chart for Blackjack. So double an Ace/7 against 3 thru 6 and hit it against 9, 10 or Ace. Nevertheless, learning to play properly can be a little arduous at times because of the complexities of adopting a stratagem. Double Down: When the dealer upcard is 4, 5 or 6. These are the two key elements in the soft blackjack hand – the presence of the ace and its attached value. The player takes a hit and receives an ace for a soft 18. Joined: Jul 26, 2010. We explain what it means to double down, & the hands on which such a move should be performed. 4%. The reason behind this is that your chances of getting a high-value card in Blackjack are pretty good. pp. Ace - 2 Ace - 2 - 2 hand. Simple. Blackjack Chart for When the Dealer Hits on Soft 17 (4. Most of these tables pay 6 to 5, but some even. This is part of the decision hands group where players are usually dealt soft hands and can make decisions without going bust. Never take insurance or "even money. 85% of an average bet unit, which makes this variant much more favourable for the players than any multi-deck version of the game. The soft 17 hand is created whenever an Ace is used in the hand. Double down when the dealer has a 3, 4, 5, or 6. As for shoe-dealt blackjack where the dealer hits soft 17, the instances that call for surrender include a player 15 against the dealer’s 10 and ace, a hard 16 against 9, 10, and ace, hard 17 against an ace, and 8-8 versus an ace. One thing to consider is whether your blackjack hand are soft or hard. ♠️ Soft 19-20: Soft 19 and soft 20 hands consist of an Ace and 8, and an Ace and 9, respectively. Ace-nine or soft 20 = Stand. dealer's 4, 5, or 6. The correct playing strategy for all these hands differs. When insurance is offered, there's a great temptation to call for even money. Meanwhile, hard hands will likely go bust if you hit with a hand of 14 or more. Double Down/Doubling - You can place an additional bet equal to your original one, and you will receive one extra card. Why can't he count the Ace as 1 and continue drawing? Isn't this how the Ace works the best in this case? Quoting from Wikipedia: "A player and the dealer can count an ace as 1 point or 11 points. the 18 means we are not in good shape but really looking for a push, to get out of the hand with as little damage as possible. 19, 18, and 17 are all considered great blackjack hands, with good winning odds for standing. Hi all, I'm interested in anyone's opinion on playing soft 18 vs. You can double after split, but I think it's only one card for a. The logic behind this adjustment is the following: the dealer cannot peek under their Ace for a blackjack after offering insurance – they get their second card only after you have completed your hand. 1. Worse, it's a hand on which weak decisions may strongly. How Does Casino Work, Blackjack Soft 18, Agen 1s Casino, Slot Machines For Iphone, Situs Judi Slot Online Bonus New Member Tanpa Deposit, Roulette Odds Red Black Payout, Slot Machine Locations Borderlands 2Below are several examples for hard totals 14 through 16: Hard 14: 7-7, 10-4, 6-8, 9-5, 10-3-A, and 9-3-A-A. If it doesn’t, the hand is hard; if it does, the hand is soft. Double on soft 15 and soft 16 against a dealer 4, 5, or 6, otherwise hit; Double on soft 17 against a dealer 3, 4, 5 or 6, otherwise hit; Double on soft 18 against a dealer 3, 4, 5 or 6, otherwise stand; Let’s now examine an example with a soft 17 against a dealer with a 4 to see the exact differences in the net profits when you hit and double. Perfect Pairs: Get paid up to 30:1 when you are dealt a pair. Why to stand on soft 18. It pays 6/5. 25%)) Chance of push is 11. Hard and soft totals can be the same, but with a soft blackjack hand, you have some more options. The probability of a blackjack in a single deck game is 4*16/combin (52,2) = 64/1326. When a player gets a soft 17, they face a fork in the road. The biggest mistake that. Another way to look at it is that you are guaranteed not to bust if you hit on your soft hand because the ace can always. If he or she is holding a 4, 5 or 6 upcard, there is likelihood that a ten will be hit and then another ten because of the higher density of ten cards being played in. Step 2: receive. Blackjack is a fairly uncomplicated but very compelling card game to play, and its popularity isn’t all that surprising. The final category of hands consists of those in which the first two cards. Together, they combine into a powerful basic double deck blackjack strategy which will significantly lower the house edge and increase your winning chances. Playing a total hand of 18 doesn’t always count as a soft 18. Soft Hands. Or they might have an ace that is worth 1 only. See more Get bonus. 2 cents). bjplayer123. You are unlikely to get a stronger hand than this. Appendix 7 :Effect of card removal. Beware Short Pays on a Blackjack. Ace-10 = Blackjack! Stand. Basic strategy calls for hitting that soft 18 vs. The basic strategy for playing Blackjack Soft 18 in online casinos, it must. Blackjack variants for standing on soft 17 are more common and most of the blackjack cheat sheet 2022 examples are based on this. You get blackjack strategy charts for the different blackjack games. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. The dealer must stand on all 17. Games Played. For example, a hand consisting of an Ace and a 6 is referred to as a ‘soft 17’ because the Ace is valued as 11 points (11 + 6 = 17). 17%) Chance of losing is 56. If the total exceeds 21, the ace will be valued at one to prevent the hand from busting. Soft 17 hands give us a chance to add an extra playing card without a bust risk. After the. Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. Unlike a hard 17 where the best strategy is usually to stand, a soft 17 offers the player a chance to improve their. Only players above the age of 18 are permitted to play our games. Miami dice casino mobile and download app they have agreed on one thing so far: wiping out the triangl. Blackjackinfo's blackjack strategy cardsBlackjack chart soft 17 dealer hits strategy play basic decks hit deck list optimal perfect charts total when Blackjack soft strategy dealer hits chart basic cleveland casino kasino rahaa voita pelaa ja lähtöBlackjack strategy chart. 888casino. Since the ace can either be 1 or 11, this means that the hand containing the ace can either be one of two numbers and usually it’s the number that is most beneficial to the player. Whether you’re looking to win big or just have some fun, Elements Casino Victoria offers exciting choices for all! Play the latest of our 770 Slots from $0. Standing on Soft 18 when Dealer shows 9. Soft totals: A soft total is any hand that has an Ace as one of the first two cards, the ace counts as 11 to start. If you do opt to double with a soft 17/18,. Always stand on hard 17 and up. Players should stay on their hard 18 if the dealer is stronger with upcards 7, 10 (10, K, Q, J), and Ace; These moves are considered optimal for this pair when one plays single-deck blackjack variations where the dealers must stand on soft totals of 17. Blackjack vs. 100359. 12. Stand if the dealer has. Soft 18 is classified that way because it differs from other blackjack strategies of playing. 93%. 3-Deck Soft Totals Blackjack Chart 6-Deck Blackjack Chart/ Late Surrender/ Dealer Peek. A “Soft Hand” only happens if there is an ace in the hand. 2:1 is a better payout. However the actual probability is much less, because as the player gets each blackjack the ratio of aces to cards left in the deck decreases. 9K subscribers. . The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. Whether or not to hit, double down, or stand with a hard thirteen for your hand total. You’re right about standing against the 7 and 8 as well, but that isn’t the. . Some hard hands may be better than others. Blackjack Soft Hand 18 Blackjack Soft Hand 19 or 20. So hitting soft 18 against a dealer's 10 upcard is the correct play (even when your soft 18 hand consists of three or more cards, such as Ace-2-Ace-4). Statistically, when you hit a soft 18, you’ll improve your hand with the first hit only 23 out of 100 times. Here are some examples: 10 – 2 = Hard 12. In a single-deck game, you. 7,7 – split if the dealer’s upcard is 2 – 7, hit otherwise. For many blackjack players, this rather innocuous rule doesn't seem like a big deal, but the fact of the matter it is. After all players have acted, the dealer shall hit to a hard or soft 16. [4]This is more important with soft blackjack hands than any other kind of hand, but those are also some of the harder hands to make decisions about. But did you know if you play an entire lifetime of blackjack and are dealt a pat 18 on every single hand, you’d die a small loser! (that is because your overall expectation is negative when you stand on 18). Aces may be counted as 1 or 11 points, 2 to 9 according to pip value, and tens and face cards count as ten points. When you have a soft 18 and the dealer shows a two. 2 for a 6 deck shoe, S17 and double any two cards, hi-lo count. When dealers hit soft 17, their prospects of busting are 13. Dealer peeks at hole card for blackjack. Always hit a hard 8 or less. For example, an ace-5 is a soft 16 and a 3-ace-5 is a soft 19. Soft 17: Double down: Split 2s through 10s: Split aces: Draw to split aces: Double after split:. Stand on hard 12 vs dealer 4-6. He replied that a soft 18 against a dealer ace, in a double-deck game, where the dealer stands on soft 17, was such a play. Soft 19 and soft 20 are hands that many experienced players hope for when playing blackjack. 7,8,9) in an equal number, a player would have a substantial advantage (~18%) as long as he played correct strategy. Blackjack Chart Hit Soft 17. One of the dealer’s cards is placed face up. (I’ll ignore 6-6 for the moment and come back to it shortly. HIT OR STAND. This is regardless if it was one of the initial cards or if it was subsequently hit. Trending Article. When you have soft 18 any A,2,3,T,J,Q,orK on the next card will make your hand no worse. Use our blackjack calculator tool to check your answer. The double-down Blackjack bet is when you double your bet during the middle of a hand. Note, if the game does not allow players to double on a soft 18 total, players should therefor stand. Soft 19 is an excellent in blackjack soft hand, as it positions players close to the coveted total of 21. OK, you have your soft 18 and the dealer is showing a power card and the chart says hit!The same goes for some soft doubling decisions, particularly the soft 18 (A-7) and soft 19 (A-8). Another way to look at it is that you are guaranteed not to bust if you hit on your soft hand because the ace can always. Conversely, hard hands are initial hands that lack an ace. Ante up the excitement with over 750 slot machines, plus poker, blackjack, baccarat and roulette tables. Blackjack pays 3 to 2, and and insurance pays 2 to 1. Blackjack is also known as twenty-one when played with a single deck. Stand with soft 18 or more, except hit soft 18 when the dealer is showing 9, 10 or Ace. 08. With a soft 18, you’ll double against a dealer 3, 4, 5, or 6. With a soft total of 17, you’ll double against any dealer 6 or less. Stand on soft 19 (A8) or more. With a hand totalling 14, the chance you’ll bust if hitting is at 46%. A soft hand in blackjack is any hand containing an ace counted at 11. When any hand contains an ace, it’s called a soft hand since aces in blackjack can count as both 1 and 11. Soft 19 (A,8) doubles against dealer 6, otherwise stand. They know that this can have a significant impact on their bankroll. Blackjack Chart Hit Soft 17. 29. Crown Blackjack (Normal Black Jack): Dealer must hit on soft 17 and stand on a hard 17 Blackjack (traditional) Dealer stands on soft or hard 17 Source: Ama Blackjack dealer at Crown. You hit if it is between 9 and Ace. Soft hands offer a relaxed gameplay that favors you. The logic behind this is that 17 is a good hand, but not a great hand. If the table doesn’t allow surrendering, then hit. Do dealers hit on a soft 17? A dealer who hits soft 17 cans can’t win against a dealer who stands on soft 17 cans. ). Soft 13s and 14s should be doubled down against 5s and 6s Always stand on soft 19 or 20 ; Stand when you have soft 18 against the dealer’s 2–8 ; If the dealer shows 9–ace, you should hit on a soft 17 or less; Blackjack Hit or Stand Charts. Appendix 5 :Infinite deck expected return according to player hand and dealer up card. such as a soft 17, 18, or 19. ♣️ Soft 18: If you hold an Ace and 7, you will have a soft 18 hand. Basic strategy calls for hitting that soft 18 vs. On top of the blackjack strategy charts above, here are a few additional rules to remember: Surrender if you have a 16 and the dealer is showing a 10. Another Soft total Example: Say you're dealt 3 + 6 = 9. The number of expected rounds to reach a quit point was 481 and finally, the expected win per day for Johnson was an impressive $125,000, on average. Offer: 50 No-Deposit Spins. While hitting isn't +EV either, it's greater than -17. When facing down a dealer’s 2 or 7 standing is a decent play to make. Soft 18. A soft hand is any hand that counts an ace as 11 rather than 1. Based on those figures, the best move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. ) Traditional basic strategy (also known as “total-dependent strategy”) says to stand on hard 12 against a dealer’s 4, 5, and 6 up card, and hit against a dealer’s 2, 3, and 7 though Ace up card. This family also includes European games suchGet to know the game of Double Deck Blackjack, learning more about the rules, including doubling, splitting and more. Blackjack Strategy Additional Rules. Blackjack may be played with one to eight decks of 52-card decks. 22%. And yes, if the dealer must hit all hard and soft 17s, the player. Each card is worth only what it says it is and that limits the options that a player will have. The rules I have found about this blackjack game are as follows: 1 deck, S17 (dealer stands on soft 17), DAS (double after split), No Surrender, Peek for Blackjack (on ace only), when dealer has ace under a 10 card it counts as 21 NOT blackjack, meaning. And yes, if the dealer must hit all hard and soft 17s, the player. the other 46. Seven Card Charlie available at BetMGM has a house edge 0. dealer's 2-8 (except when doubling vs. Double down on soft 18 (ace, seven) against a dealer showing two to six, hit against a dealer showing nine, 10 or. Say a player has a 19 in this situation. 18% Player isn’t allowed to re-split aces +0. Paving. But a soft 18 against a dealer 9 should be hit. What they should really worry about is people who double Soft 19. 5% over time and gets more consistent wins. Basic strategy advises players to stand whenever the dealer’s upcard is a 2, a 7 or an 8. In all likelihood, and considering the number of 10s in play, the dealer will have to hit and probably get 15 or 16. 8. Based on those figures, the best move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. Player soft 18 vs. These rules include:. Soft 18 is classified that way because it differs from other blackjack strategies of playing. Playing a Total of Soft 17. Soft hands: Soft 13 - 14 - Soft 15 - 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21. If players have an ace and a 7, then they have a soft 18 hand. Stand on Soft 18 against at 7 or 8. Rules differ slightly depending on whether or not the dealer stands on soft 17 (standard for the Vegas Strip Blackjack), soft 18, or hard 16. a hard 18 is a ten and eight, a soft 18 is an ace and a seven. Blackjacket paving has the crew, experience, leadership, and equipment to get any paving work done successfully while exceeding customer expectations on all fronts. Playing a total hand of 18 doesn’t always count as a soft 18. The basic playing strategy for doubling down in blackjack. Last Name. This means if you can’t double down because your either not allowed or, more likely, you’ve got a 3 or 4 card soft 18, then you should stand. Another draw of Lincoln Casino includes player-friend wagering requirements, but they could improve their software client. then hit, except stand on soft 18. Please note that the hands shown on the pictures below stand for the examples of hands you can get. Basic strategy recommends standing on hard 13 against upcards 2 through 6 because these put the. Double, lose 54. The chance of a dealer winning with a 20 or 21, including a blackjack, is 51. Hard and soft hands in blackjack are all determined by one card: the Ace. For a soft 18 against the dealer’s 2 through 8, according to strategy charts, you should stand. then this is another good chance to use the double down Blackjack bet. This strategy is not so obvious but it lies mostly with the mathematical edge over the long term and the blackjack basic strategy that says the dealer will likely get a 12, 17 and 18. Using the ordinary total-depenendent basic strategy the player advantage under the Boss Media rules is 0. Stand on soft 18 thru soft 20. Splitting pairs in blackjack can be strategically sound. Another Soft total Example: Say you're dealt 3 + 6 = 9. In blackjack, ‘soft’ hands are the ones containing an Ace, which means the total can be counted twofold. More and more tables are showing up that pay less than the full 3 to 2 on a blackjack. If you are a basic strategy player, the house edge increases by 20% when the dealer hits on a soft 17. For instance, a hand containing A-2 is soft 13 while one consisting of A-2-3 is a soft 16. This includes when you display a soft 18 and the dealer displays a 6, 5, 4, or 3. The strategy changes a tiny notch in games where the house rules require the dealer to hit. Even if all the players at the table have 18, the dealer must stand if he ends up with a 17. Let's say my hand is 19, the dealer has soft 18 and he loses. Always split aces or 8s. Indeed, the soft 17 in blackjack, as mentioned, will tilt the house advantage to the casino by as much as 0. rebm1t • 3 yr. Stay if the dealer is showing an ace and stays on soft 17. why would you want to hit on a soft 18 especially if the dealer has a 8,9 or 10 showing, your chances of geting an ace 2 or 3 are vey low and you could ruin your hand with a lot of different cards. Some casinos have moved this down. In every game of blackjack, the dealer either plays Soft 17 or higher, or hits Soft 17, which means they can only play Hard 17, plus any 18 or higher. 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21 Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5's - 6's - 7's - 8's - 9's - 10's. 8 – 7 = Hard 15. dealer’s 2. So, we can conclude by saying that though card counting is an established technique of improving the odds of winning at. Always hit soft 17 or less. Stand on soft 18 or more. Likewise, a pair consisting of an Ace and a seven is called the soft 18, and so on. Basic strategy for soft totals of thirteen and fourteen. Terms such as track-zone, play-zone, NRS formula, plugs, pseudo-decks, 1-pass or 2-pass R&R (riffle and restack). login join now. On the other hand, a “hard” hand consists of cards that don’t have an Ace, or the Ace counts as 1 point only. Double up on Soft 19 against 6; Double up on Soft 18 against 2 – 6; Double up on Soft 17 against 3 – 6; Double up on Soft 16 against 4 – 6;. Mastering the 10 most difficult hands. Multi-card soft 18s should also be hit against 9 thru Ace. Reply replyFor More Information: more about Blackjack Strategy: the table is designated a must-hit-soft-17 Blackjack game, the dealer must draw on all soft 17 hands until he or she obtains a point total of a hard 17 or higher. -0. And a soft 18 is one of those misplayed blackjack hands. Another reason why it may be difficult to determine whether or not there is a soft 18 in blackjack is that some casinos may not let players know if they have. As stated earlier, the house edge in blackjack increases by about two-tenths when the dealer hits on soft 17, which is more significant than you think. Like all things in gaming the first instinct of player is often counter intuitive to the hard. IF DEALER. Blackjack Training Simulator Practice Optimal Strategy. Soft 20 (A,9) always stands. doubling it (win 25. Notice how "Dh" represents "Double if possible, otherwise hit" while "Ds" represents "Double if possible, otherwise stand. The dealer waits until the players have exercised all their options, then the dealer reveals their hidden card and hits until they have at least 17 (most common). Subscribe. Because of the ability to change the Ace’s value, the blackjack strategy for soft hands differs from hard hands. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. If Dealer Hits Soft 17. To use this guide first go to the list according to the number of cards in your hand. Cardcounter said: Here is the rule for soft 18 [ . ♠️ Soft 19-20: Soft 19 and soft 20 hands consist of an Ace and 8, and an Ace and 9, respectively. In this article, we will explore the strategies required to master the art of playing soft hands in blackjack. The terms ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ in blackjack refer to whether or not a hand features a flexible Ace. 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 double down option in blackjack gives you the opportunity to make great plays and exponentially increase your winnings potential. And more than a few believers wonder whether the bozos who wrote "the book" made a boo-boo. Chart showing how to play free hands in Free Bet Blackjack. New players only. A card with a value of 6 takes your total up to 22, which means you go bust. Double soft 19 vs. Cardoza Publishing. Rank. When you hit, you also lose more than you win but you don't lose quite as much as when you stand. 81%: 17: 14. If you have a soft 19 or 20, you should always stand. Double-deck blackjack with re-split acesSoft 18: double against 3 to 6 Soft 19 to 21: never double. Dealer doesn't stand on soft 17, but will on soft 18. The basic playing strategy for, say, ace. #6. Soft 17 is a situation in which the blackjack hand contains a total of 17 with a single ace (6+A, 4+2+A, etc. Red Dead Redemption. 93 and the latter $0. 511734%. Hit soft 18 vs. When to Hit: Always hit when your hand is a hard 11 or less. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. In a similar way, it is possible to determine the correct decisions for any player hand values in these casino games. If you are dealt a soft 13 or 14 hand, and the dealer’s up card is a 5 or 6, you should always double down. For example,. You should always hit when you have a soft 17 or less. Double 11 vs. Doubling in blackjack is a highly profitable option for players. Nearly all physical casinos use a six-deck shoe, giving the house a slightly higher edge. Rules differ slightly depending on whether or not the dealer stands on soft 17 (standard for the Vegas Strip Blackjack), soft 18, or hard 16. That said, were their card a two, a seven or an eight, your best choice is to stand. you are giving away a winning hand when you do. There is no. When you hit, you also lose more than you win but you don't lose quite as much as when you stand. What is a hard 18 in blackjack. SOFT 18 VS. There are several ways to get an 18 when you play blackjack. 39%. You always hit soft 17 if you aren't doubling it. (two aces). If they stand on all 17s, always surrender 16 no matter how many decks are in play. The only way to get a soft 22 is to hit the soft 18 with a four since there are. . Players should stay on their hard 18 if the dealer is stronger with upcards 7, 10 (10, K, Q, J), and Ace; These moves are considered optimal for this pair when one plays single-deck blackjack variations where the dealers must stand on soft totals of 17. a 6 (lose 38. In general, you must stand if the total value of your hand is 17, 18, 19 or 20 in Blackjack. When basic blackjack strategy calls for a double down, understand that if you can’t double, you should hit instead. The theory behind hitting on soft 17 is that if the player has a five or six card hand that is equal to or better than the dealer’s hand, then the player should hit. Thus, with an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would not stop at 17, but would hit. For the purposes of this rule, "behind" means you'd lose if you assume a Ten in the hole. On the other hand, with a hand total of 15, the chance of busting increases to 54%. There are 13 ranks of cards. The chart obviously says hit your soft 18 vs.