When casino rules require that their dealers must hit soft 17 rather than stand, it’s because the house edge increases, meaning hitting a soft 17 is better for the dealer than standing. Still not convinced that standing is a bad play? Think about this. In fact, it’s not because you will lose more money standing than either hitting (or doubling down). Most blackjack players mistakenly believe that a 17 is a good enough hand on which to stand. Now, let’s focus specifically on those situations that cause players in land-based and online casinos to err when playing their soft 17 hand. Even though both hands total 17, the basic playing strategy for a soft 17 is different than a hard 17 because you can never bust a soft 17 with a one-card draw (not so with a hard 17). The latter is known as a hard 17 because it doesn’t contain an ace counted as 11. The basic playing strategy for, say, ace-6 is much different than it is for, say, a 10-7. For example, an ace-5 is a soft 16 and a 3-ace-5 is a soft 19.
In the game of blackjack, hands that contain an ace that can be counted as 11 are known as soft hands. In fact, below are five common mistakes made by players but first, I want to be sure you understand what is meant by a “soft 17” hand. So what’s the big deal with a soft 17? It’s that most blackjack players frequently misplay this hand.
