The range of hands found in blackjack games leads to enticing gameplay, shifting odds, and tense climaxes. Every round is a new adventure and a chance to win, as long as you’re aware of the rules of the game and the best strategy for your play style.
In casino table games like blackjack, you need every advantage available to overcome the odds and beat the dealer. A critical component of any good strategy is a thorough knowledge of every blackjack rule and card ranking.
If there’s one blackjack rule that makes a defining difference to how the game is played, the soft 17 rule ticks all boxes, potentially altering the flow of the game, the house edge, and the best bets you can make. To understand how the rule works and bet accordingly, it’s vital to begin with the distinction between hard and soft hands.
What Is a Soft Blackjack Hand?
Whether you’re playing the latest live dealer casino games or the next best alternative, the blackjack cards that are dealt your way can either be soft hands or hard hands. Soft hands give you more flexibility when it comes to betting options, while the fixed values of hard hands make betting decisions quick and easy.
In every game of live dealer blackjack, all cards except aces have fixed point values. For example, kings, queens, and jacks are always worth 10 points. If you have two or more fixed-value cards in your hand, you have a hard hand. Aces, on the other hand, can be worth one or 11 points. This unique flexibility is the reason why certain blackjack hands with an ace are called soft hands.
When you place a blackjack bet in an online casino with an ace that can be counted as 11, you have a soft hand that allows the ace value to change. The biggest advantage of soft hands is that you can’t go bust if you hit, seeing as you can reduce the value of an ace to one if your hand value surpasses 21. If your ace value changes to one, your soft hand simply becomes a hard hand.
With soft 17, you have a hand which includes an 11-point ace for a total of 17 points. You can hit or double down with little to no risk, depending on the dealer’s upcard and the rules for the particular game variation you’re playing. There’s a choice of totals to work with that essentially serve as blackjack insurance, adding a layer of protection that allows you to play more aggressively.
In live dealer casino games like blackjack, there are no rules forcing you to make decisions, whether you play at a casino online or in person. You have the freedom to hit or stand on a soft 17 or any other hand, for that matter. But the same can’t be said for the dealer, whose choices are limited by the soft 17 “rule.”
The Soft 17 Rule
By limiting the choices a dealer can make, the soft 17 (S17) rule changes the outcomes of blackjack games significantly. The rule requires dealers to stand on an S17 hand, leading to better odds of winning for the player. Some casinos don’t follow this rule and expect dealers to hit, making it crucial to learn the rules of the table before you start playing.
The S17 rule affects the blackjack house edge. Provided you’re playing with an optimal strategy, the house edge is 0.56%, whether it’s during online casino games or at brick-and-mortar tables. The true blackjack house edge depends on player skill and game rules, going as high as 4-5% if the player is inexperienced or makes mistakes.
If the dealer is allowed to hit on soft 17, the edge increases by about 0.2% against a player using a basic blackjack strategy. The dealer’s chance to bust increases by 0.4%, while their odds of making 18 or more go up by 0.8% (twice the amount compared to going bust). These fractional percentages don’t change the odds too much from game to game, but they definitely make a difference over the long term.
The number of decks is also something to consider. Some live dealer blackjack games use one or two decks, while others are played with six decks or more. For example, in a single-deck game with the S17 rule in effect, the house edge drops to 0.18%.
From a player’s viewpoint, what all of this means is that you should always look for games with the lowest house edge, where the dealer must stand on hands higher than 16. Playing blackjack with an optimal strategy can increase your chances of winning, and the blackjack house edge can be reduced through skill and strategy.
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Thanks to the convenience of playing on the go, multiple payment methods, and around-the-clock options for casino entertainment, placing any bet in online casino games is a quick and painless process. Remember to always gamble responsibly, play for fun, and keep a close eye on your bankroll to enjoy the most popular games to their fullest.