If your case is neither, choosing to hit would be the smartest choice. Hard and soft totals can be the same, but with a soft blackjack hand, you have some more options. A soft hand is any hand that counts an ace as 11 rather than 1. Try doubling down on hard nine, ten, or 11. Or they might have an ace that is worth 1 only. 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. One of the most commonly misplayed hands in blackjack is a soft 18. Play #2. 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. 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. Rank. By standing, you avoid the risk of. Double 11 vs. What is a hard 18 in blackjack. (two aces). Payment Grade. So, a soft 18 would be an Ace and a 7. Here are a few examples of hard 13 hands: 7-6, 8-5, 9-4, 10-3, 10-2-A, and 9-3-A. The reason why players should hit in such cases is that the dealer has the so-called standing hand. Below you can read the detailed rules for soft hands (with an Ace, counted as 11). Change in probability of dealers’ final results when the blackjack rule is changed so dealers must hit. House edge: 0. When you play blackjack, the ace is worth 11 or 1 – it can either be the game’s highest-ranking card or its lowest. The Illustrious 18. Here we are going to take a look at some common errors seen in civilians and beginning advantage players. 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. Win - the player wins as much as he bet. This family of card games also includes the European games vingt-et-un and pontoon, and the Russian. From the Basic Strategy Calculator in the sidebar, this is true regardless of the number of decks or whether the dealer hits/stands on soft 17. The basic playing strategy for doubling down in blackjack. 3-Deck Soft Totals Blackjack Chart 6-Deck Blackjack Chart/ Late Surrender/ Dealer Peek. Yes, there's a good chance you could end up eventually busting, but the math behind the play doesn't lie. If the dealer stands on a soft 17 and reveals a six, it is recommended to double down on a soft 13 to a soft 18, but stand on 19 or more. New players only. Soft Total Probabilities Hitting Soft 18 Note that the only way to obtain 19, 20, or 21 is to hit the soft 18 with an Ace, two or three, respectively. ) Hit if the dealer shows a 2; or double down on cards 3 through 6 if you have an ace, 2, 3, 4 or 5. What I like to tell people is to try to find what I call the liberal strip rules that consists of a six deck shoe game. But if you have a choice, playing where they stand is better. 9 – 4 = Hard 13. When you are dealt a soft 18 containing three or more cards, doubling down is not allowed. In that same vein, you’ll make 38 stiffs (12 thru 16), which you will continue to hit! With the continued hitting, you’ll improve your hand, to 19 or better, 10 more times out of the 38. Never take insurance or "even money. Soft 17 (A,6) doubles against dealer 3 through 6,. The heart of the matter is, there are 3 cards to improve the hand and 6 cards to diminish it, why do the odds say hit or double down. The blackjack rules this table is based are liberal Vegas shoe, as follows: Six decks Dealer stands on soft 17 Surrender allowed Double after split allowed Player may resplit to four hands, including aces. Four-deck variants are. Dealers never split, double, or surrender as that is against the rules of a dealer. Hard 16: 8-8, 10-6, 9-7, 6-4-6, and 10-2-3-A. 4 cents. This move can be financially prudent if done correctly. 4. 5 cards in blackjack Never split 10’s at the blackjack table. I realize that many people think an 18 is a pretty solid lock in blackjack, but in reality, it ain't. Player #1 is dealt an Ace-2 against the dealer’s 10 upcard. Basically, hard hands do not have an ace. Enjoy the best free blackjack games available online. It’s pretty simple. Good info. When To Split Pairs. What effect does this have on house edge and is the only way to reduce that edge to increase your bet? I was estimating 10% (because you’re really betting $5. Hit soft 17 (A6) or less. The player may not Double Up on a blackjack. Blackjack Chart Explanation: In the black jack strategy card, the top part, the blue line, represents the dealer’s hand. 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. Play a free online blackjack game with no download or registration needed. What is a soft hand and a hard hand in Blackjack? In Blackjack, all starting hands can be split into hard and soft hands. 888casino. Side bets: Additional bets can be placed alongside the main Blackjack game. You take a third card an Ace. Double down when the dealer has a 3, 4, 5, or 6. 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). Or if the dealer draws to reach a total of soft 17 you already have him beat. Double, lose 54. The basic strategy for playing Blackjack Soft 18 in online casinos, it must. Single Deck Blackjack can return 99. The basic strategy when it comes to hitting a soft 17 is simple and straightforward. We explain what it means to double down, & the hands on which such a move should be performed. A-7 is a soft 18 in blackjack and players feel that it is a strong hand that is not to be messed with and hence, they prefer to stand. those cards, further making the point how weak an 18 really is. In games with four decks or more, you’ll also double down on soft 17 when the dealer’s up card is a 2. By splitting aces, you take a mediocre hand (soft 12), and turn it into. 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. dealer’s Ace. dealer’s 2. You’re right about standing against the 7 and 8 as well, but that isn’t the. For example, 10-8 is a hard 18; 5-A-10-2 is a hard 18. login join now. Soft Hand Ideology A soft hand contains an ace that’s counted as an 11. 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. For example, if you hit (take another card) a soft 18 (an ace and a 7) with a 6, the ace automatically reverts to 1 (rather than 11), and the hand total is now 14 (rather than 24, which would be a bust). When facing down a dealer’s 2 or 7 standing is a decent play to make. ) Or you can get a “soft 18,” meaning a hand containing an ace that is counted as 11. Blackjack is also known as twenty-one when played with a single deck. Whether or not you should split aces while playing blackjack. Using the ordinary total-depenendent basic strategy the player advantage under the Boss Media rules is 0. Keep in mind that your risk of busting if hitting is higher than if you have a 14-hand total. Always double a soft 17 vs. 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. Even if all the players at the table have 18, the dealer must stand if he ends up with a 17. 22%. 100359. Looking for hit or stand charts for a specific game? Use the links below to select your chart. but once the card total gets high enough that the ace must be counted as a one, the hand is no. When facing down a dealer’s 2 or 7 standing is a decent play to make. 19%) and Dealer bust (21. Double soft 17 or 18 vs dealer 3-6. For example, in a stay soft 17 game: dealers first two cards of A,6 would be 17, stay. 2-3-ace =. The minimum bet is usually $5 or $10. Appendix 4 :Details on the standard deviation in blackjack. As the other reply noted, he's talking about soft 18, not hard 18. Be aware that several Caesars casinos on the Strip deal Double Up Blackjack. The dealer never splits in blackjack as that is against the rules. To use this table, look. Soft 18 - ace plus seven - is one of blackjack's most frequently misplayed hands. Blackjack (formerly black jack and vingt-un) is a casino banking game. With soft 17, it’s best to stand against a dealer’s 7 or 8. Other examples of soft 19 include 2-6-A, 5-3-A, and A-7-A. 14 - Soft 15 - 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21 Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5. 8 – 7 = Hard 15. For instance, an A-7 hand is a soft 18. Underage gambling is an offence. Hit when the dealer is showing a 9,10, or 11 (Ace). With soft 18 you should double, stand or hit depending on the situation. You can hit when your hand is a: Soft 17. Like all things in gaming the first instinct of player is often counter intuitive to the hard. AdBlackjack Strategy When Playing a Soft 18 Double Down: When the dealer upcard is 3, 4, 5 or 6. 01% higher than. Whether or not to hit or stand with a soft seventeen, and when you should double down. It is the most popular table game in the United States, and is easily found in casinos throughout the world. In Stanford Wongs book "Professional Blackjack" it doesnt show any indices for soft 18 vs 10 in a S17 game, only to hit although you would stand with a soft 18 vs A at a TC+1 or higher in the same game . When the dealer hits on a soft 17 in Blackjack a lot of things will change. Split Aces receive only one (1) card each. Much harder for casinos to detect this. A soft hand is any hand that counts an ace as 11 rather than 1. Blackjack tips and strategies straight from the professional blackjack players. When you hit, you also lose more than you win but you don't lose quite as much as when you stand. 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. The dealer hits soft 17. Vegas Strip Blackjack. 27%: I also have a longer list of rule variations. When your hand is as strong as an 18, it can be tempting to automatically stand, knowing that you expect to win the majority of the time. Double down on soft 18 (ace, 7) against dealer's 2 up card (instead of standing) Sometimes new casinos come under a lot of heat from blackjack players when they implement the soft 17 rule at their blackjack tables. Let's say my hand is 19, the dealer has soft 18 and he loses. Let's start with soft 17. The house edge is the mathematical probability the casino will gain over time. Always hit soft 17 or less, and if it becomes a soft 18 or higher, see rule # 1. 48% of blackjack games end in a push, leaving the probability of a loss at 49. Using 52 cards, Blackjack is part of the international family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. Reasoning. 39%: Blackjacks pay 1 to 1-2. Subscribe. In this case, using a double down bet could make your position even better. Almateable • 22 days ago. dealer’s Ace. Double soft 17 or 18 against the dealer’s 3 or 6 Surrender Surrender a hard 16 but never a pair of 8s against the dealer’s 9, 10, or Ace. Soft 13s and 14s should be doubled down against 5s and 6sAlways 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. How to Play a Soft Eighteen Total in Blackjack - Soft 18. Your chose to hit and get a 10 – this takes your hand from a soft 16 to a hard 16 (1+5+10+16) You hit again -because the chart tells you to hit on a hard 16 if the dealer’s card is a 10. Could someone clarify a couple of points for me: 5 decks, Dealer hits Soft 17, Allowed Double after Splitting, Only Lose Original Bets on Dealer BJ 1) According to the charts for the above game, 16 v T is already surrender at 0, right? When would we surrender vs hit vs stand? 2) According to the charts for the above game, 11 vs. There is no. Bonus. 18+. Double a soft 19 against a dealer 6 if using H17 rules. When dealt a soft 19 or 20, then you should always stand. Don't shoot the messenger: "Playing Better Blackjack. 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. Blackjack pays 6-5: Common on single-deck games on the Las Vegas Strip, this game is a bankroll breaker for players. However, this does not mean the house wins 57. Once all bets are made, all players and the dealer receive two cards. dealer's 2 or 3 upcard. 2 cents). Playing a Total of Soft 15 or 16. It turns out there is a difference between a 16 made up of two cards, such as 10-6 and 9-7, and one made up of three cards, such as 4-5-7. BetWinner Casino. Surrender 15, pair-eights and 17 against the dealer’s ace. Based on these rules, the player's expected value is -0. See full list on 888casino. "Blackjack is an enormously popular card game, with millions of fans playing it online across the globe. If you’re dealt a card with a lower value, you have the chance to get a blackjack or even closer to 21. To stand on a soft 19 or bigger. 36%. Stand with soft 18 or more, except hit soft 18 when the dealer is showing 9, 10 or Ace. Dealer hits at a soft 17 instead of standing +0. the other 46. 2% of the time when you do make your hand worse you can hit again to try and improve except when you draw exactly a 9. Rules. By Henry Tamburin Ph. 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). Please Play Responsibly. Not included is Ace-Ace, which falls under pair splitting strategy instead. Grab a bite at one of four restaurants, catch a show, and find yourself in. Soft 18: Hit if the dealer has 9 or higher, otherwise stand. Mastering the 10 most difficult hands. Most land-based casinos offer shoe-dealt blackjack with six decks, but you’ll also find eight-deck options often. Indeed, the soft 17 in blackjack, as mentioned, will tilt the house advantage to the casino by as much as 0. A “Soft Hand” only happens if there is an ace in the hand. 9, 10 or Ace, yet so many frown or voice displeasure when the player makes the right play. The reason why you stand in hard 16 is that in a case when the dealer’s upcard is small let’s say between 2 and 6, the. With this hand, you have a total of 18 that contains an ace which can be designated value of 11 without the hand going over 21. The strategy changes a tiny notch in games where the house rules require the dealer to hit. Another Soft total Example: Say you're dealt 3 + 6 = 9. There are several ways to get an 18 when you play blackjack. In the game of blackjack, hands that contain an ace that can be counted as 11 are known as soft hands. SOFT 18 VS. Here are some examples: 10 – 2 = Hard 12. I have seen a good number of blackjack players who, while they can handle their hard hands, do not seem to know what to do with soft hands. Mike: Good question. Doubling on soft 13 through 18 is always a good idea when the dealer’s upcard is a 5 or a 6 because this puts them in the weakest possible spot and you want to take full advantage of the fact. dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays even money, late surrender allowed, player may only double on 10 or 11, double after split not allowed, split aces get one card each, only one split allowed, six card Charlie, dealer must stop with six cards. Due to some players playing with their instincts versus the math behind perfect strategy, the casino can gain 10 times their original advantage. So double an Ace/7 against 3 thru 6 and hit it against 9, 10 or Ace. A three card 18 is of course not worse, it just carries risk in drawing that card. The tables assume the dealer already checked for, and did not have, blackjack. Only players above the age of 18 are permitted to play our games. In short, basic blackjack strategy changes based on whether you’re playing soft 17 blackjack or not. Soft 18 is classified that way because it differs from other blackjack strategies of playing. Any hand that contains an ace that counts as 11 is known as a soft hand. ChesterDog. 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. A soft 18 is one of the possible hands you can be dealt in blackjack. Just like the player, the dealer now treats it as a. That’s why we play the game. Likewise, a pair consisting of an Ace and a seven is called the soft 18, and so on. Exceptions are made when the soft 18 consists of more than two cards, in which case doubling is no longer an option. When I change that to S17 the tables still show +1. 100502 and for hitting is -0. Nearly all physical casinos use a six-deck shoe, giving the house a slightly higher edge. a 6 and the worst move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. Hit soft 18 vs. Assume a six-deck game in which dealers hit soft 17 — the most common set of rules in today’s casinos. Always stand on soft 19 or more. Stand on your soft 18 but always hit when the dealer has 9, 10, or ace. Multi-card soft 18s should also be hit against 9 thru Ace. An 18 is an 18 and should be played the same way regardless of the. In a single deck game, always hit if the dealer has an upcard between 7 through to the dealer ACE, In a double and multiple deck games, hit when the dealer’s upcard is 3 or 6 through to the dealer ACE. org is very simple. 7. Quoting from Wikipedia (due to lack of an official online source for blackjack rules):. dealer’s Ace. a dealers 8 up card (Standing) So I asked Don Schlesinger, author of Blackjack Attack, if there were any known play where the best play on the initial hand is different from the best play to maximize the expected value of the overall game of blackjack. The player has a soft 18 with A7 against the dealer's 2, 7 and 8 The player has a soft 19 with A8 unless they are doubling down against a 6 in a table where the dealer has to hit a soft 17 In another scenario, when the dealer has a card between 7 and Ace, the player should stop hitting only when they have a 17 or higher. Mixed pairs pay 5:1, colored pairs pay 10:1, and perfect pairs (pair of exact same cards) pay 30:1. -0. There is no definitive answer to this question as it largely depends on the specific rules and regulations of a particular casino. This is a good hand to get you in the high value range of 18-21 with a Hit. dealer 2). However, this does not mean the house wins 57. If your total is soft 17 or less, you should always hit in compliance with the blackjack strategy chart. The easy way to memorize them is by learning them as actions or use a blackjack strategy chart. You would stand against an ace in a S17, SD game, and you would hit in a shoe game, but it is a very close play. Stand on soft 18 (hit when the dealer has 10, 9 or A). I have all my indices worked using risk averse indices, I'm more worried about keeping my already high ROR as low as possible than I am of increased win rate, but of course sometimes this means taking risks where. Blackjack Hard vs Soft Hands. 2%. 1. Critics (myself included). The ace can count as 1 or 11. Appendix 7 :Effect of card removal. Basic strategy for blackjack says hit soft 18 - ace-seven - against dealer upcards of nine, 10, and ace. 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. bjplayer123. Also you should double down if you’re holding a soft 18 and the dealer has 2, and double down on a soft 19 if the dealer has 6. If one of your initial cards is an ace, it means that you have two courses of attack. It’s one of the only hands where you must decide whether to take a card or not. in exchange for being allowed to offer the game. Alasannya adalah karena hand paling total 18, bagaimanapun, harus berisi ACE dan 7 atau 5 , dan 2 kartu. This is known as a soft 17. If one of the cards is an Ace counted as 11 – the hand is soft. Soft totals of 17 and 18 should be doubled when the dealer shows a Three through to a Six. Use our blackjack calculator tool to check your answer. Note that the casino edge over a basic strategy player for a single deck game with h17 is only 0. Since hard 13 is more prone to busting than hard 12 (with 5 out of 13 card denominations that can break the hand), players should approach it more conservatively. Let’s look at soft-hand basic blackjack strategy in a six-deck game in which the dealer hits soft 17. The most valuable starting hands in blackjack in order of ascending value to the player is: Traditional 21 - Blackjack. At all the Santa Fe's six-deck blackjack tables, players have the option to make an Instant 18 side bet on a second hand with exactly 18 points. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. . Other_Criticism9888 • 14 days ago. 18: Basic strategy exceptions for three to six cards. B. Seven Card Charlie available at BetMGM has a house edge 0. Blackjack variants for standing on soft 17 are more common and most of the blackjack cheat sheet 2022 examples are based on this. The craziest system I ever tried was the most interesting experience I ever had playing blackjack. Stand, lose 52. The table can say “dealer stands on soft 17” or “dealer hits on soft 17”. dealer’s Ace. 50. So, there are more chances for the dealer to be able to hit and achieve a better ranking hand. One of the main reasons for its popularity is that blackjack is that it’s so simple to play. Double soft 18 vs. Soft 18 is better than soft 17 in that it can win against a dealer 17, but it’s not so strong against a 9 or higher. A fair amount of blackjack players will stand on a soft 18. What I. It is hard to memorize all the rules of soft and hard tables of blackjack. Worse, it's a hand on which weak decisions may strongly. Curacao. Soft 18. If the dealer has a 9, 10, or ace, you should hit. 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. Skip side bets unless you count cards. If it is more than 6, Stand. Some hard hands may be better than others. All this points to the fact that you can improve your hand with the final card. There are 16 total tables, for 1 to 8 decks and whether or not the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. Whether or not to hit, double down, or stand with a hard thirteen for your hand total. Appendix 5 :Infinite deck expected return according to player hand and dealer up card. Changing from soft to hard 18 is not in the equation. In exchange for this, the dealer stands on 16 and pushes a player’s 17, 18, 19, and 20. The basic strategy we list for you below is based on the different moves you can make. lol "Live On Line" Blackjack. Standing on Soft 18 when Dealer shows 9. Ace-10 = Blackjack! Stand. The basic playing strategy for, say, ace. If this happens, it might mean that you are not yet ready, but that is not necessarily true in 100% of cases when players make a mistake. A soft hand is one that features an ace. Now as you know what both hands mean, you have an idea of the difference between hard and soft blackjack hands. Bear in mind that the best setting for the S17 rule in blackjack is a table with 1 or 2 decks. dealer’s 6. An infinite number of decks are used. Here’s a look at how to play soft totals in Spanish 21: Soft 13 (A2) and 14 (A3). Chance of winning 32. In a single deck game, always hit if the dealer has an upcard between 7 through to the dealer ACE, In a double and multiple deck games, hit when the dealer’s upcard is 3 or 6 through to the dealer ACE. This gives you a good chance of getting a high total (19 to 21) with one more card, while the dealer is likely to bust or end up with a low total. The player takes a hit and receives an ace for a soft 18. ♣️ Soft 18: If you hold an Ace and 7, you will have a soft 18 hand. Basic Blackjack Strategy. Dealer hits soft 17: If, instead of standing on all 17s, the dealer hits hands including an ace or aces that can be totaled as either 7 or 17, the house edge is increased by 0. In this article, we will explore the strategies required to master the art of playing soft hands in blackjack. 3. As the basic strategy charts tell you, you. 7,7 – split if the dealer’s upcard is 2 – 7, hit otherwise. Aces however, can only be split once. Stand against dealer’s 2 3 and 7 8, except when you have 4. These are to double as opposed to hit on both soft 18 versus two-up and soft 19 versus six-up. Step 2: receive. Otherwise, you are signing up for failure as six and eight decks bring unfavourable odds for players. And a soft 18 is one of those misplayed blackjack hands. Soft 13 - 14 - Soft 15 - 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. 7,8,9) in an equal number, a player would have a substantial advantage (~18%) as long as he played correct strategy. Why to double down on soft 15 and soft 16. Basic strategy for a soft 18 against a dealer 10 is to hit, regardless if your hand is composed of Ace-7, Ace-3-4, or even the above five-card hand. Soft 17 hands give us a chance to add an extra playing card without a bust risk. 18% 3. 48% of blackjack games end in a push, leaving the probability of a loss at 49. 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. That play makes you look smart, but it is basic strategy and not even a close play to hit it vs 9,10, Ace because otherwise Soft 18 is a definite losing hand. Thus, with an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would not stop at 17, but would hit. The reason for it is that any other card in the deck will either be equal to or less than 21 and there is no chance for players to go over this total. Knowing the difference between how to handle a soft hand and a hard hand in Blackjack can be the difference between success and failure, and so knowing how to act in such cases really is key to building a well-rounded Blackjack strategy. That is why I harp on it so much. Hitting and Standing. Always stand on soft 19 and up. Stand, lose 52. According to some sources, the odds of achieving a soft 18 are about 1 in 500. -0. So the probability of four in a row is (64/1326) 4 = 16777216/ 3091534492176 = 1 in 184270. Soft 13 or 14. 3 cents) vs. The following are some things to do in blackjack games when the dealer hits soft 17. While standing on soft 18 seems like your safest bet, the reality is your 18 will rarely win if the. 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. Yes, there's a good chance you could end up eventually busting, but the math behind the play doesn't lie. Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. The probability of a blackjack in a single deck game is 4*16/combin (52,2) = 64/1326. Players should always look for tables where the dealer stands on a Soft 17. After the. As we know, we can only see one card the dealer has, while the other one is facing. Detailed probability odds charts for blackjack and how the odds change in different situations of the game. Things are a bit different when your starting hand is soft 18 where there are 8 cards that can help you get into the safe zone against the dealer’s weak card, namely the Ace. Hard hands: Hard 8 or less - Hard 9 - Hard 10 - Hard 11 - Hard 12 - Hard 13 - 16 - Hard 17 to 21. This is because you have a fantastic chance to hit 21, and even if you don’t, you’re likely to get a score close to that magic number. You are unlikely to get a stronger hand than this.