How to Play Soft Blackjack Hands

In the game of blackjack there is a basic strategy that anyone can learn and implement. Many hands that we encounter in a game of blackjack are considered to be soft hands. That means that out of the first two cards dealt to the player one of them is an ace. This creates a different situation because the player has the option for the ace to be worth 11 or one, and the following strategy can be followed to minimize the house edge over you.

The first thing to do when you play a blackjack hand is to look at the dealer’s exposed card. Then you can look at your holdings, and if it’s a soft hand that contains an ace you have to base your decisions on this set of rules: If you have Ace-2 or Ace-3: Double if the dealer has 5 or 6, otherwise hit. If you’re holding Ace-4 or Ace-5: Double if the dealer has 4 - 6, otherwise hit. If you have Ace-6: Double if the dealer has 3 - 6, otherwise hit. If you have Ace-7: Stand if the dealer has 2, 7, or 8, double 3 - 6, otherwise hit. And finally, if you have Ace-8 or Ace-9: Always stand.

Soft hands have a different strategy because the ace provides extra options; they provide a good opportunity to double up your bet with the best of it. In most games you’ll only be able to double it up once. Continue to play your soft hands until it turns into a hard hand.

One should also take the time to find out how the dealer plays their soft hands. Some games force the dealer to stand on soft 17, while others will be forced to hit. If the dealer is able to hit on soft 17, the player loses a 0.20% edge to the house. The dealers will get more opportunities to hit bigger hands by hitting on the soft 17, and they will win more often than if they were just holding on soft 17.