One of the most important things a blackjack player should know is how to play soft hands in the game. These valuable hands offer players the opportunity to improve their totals without risking a bust on the next hit. However, many players fail to make the most of these hands and their potential to improve their overall performance in the game. The problem is that optimal playing decisions for soft hands are different from those for hard hands even when the same card total is involved.
Soft Hands
As its name suggests, a soft hand in blackjack is any hand that contains an ace that can be counted as either 1 or 11 depending on the other cards in the hand. These are valuable hands because they can be manipulated to achieve a better total against the dealer’s upcard. However, a soft hand can also be converted to a bad hard hand by drawing a card that changes the value of the ace from one to another.
In the majority of instances, a soft hand is best played with a hitting strategy unless the dealer’s up card is a three, four, five or six as it would then be more beneficial to stand. The reason for this is that it is very difficult to go bust when holding a soft hand and the addition of another card could push it over 21.
Soft double downs
When it comes to doubling down with soft hands, there are certain rules that need to be followed in order to maximise the player’s chances of success. The first thing that needs to be taken into account is that the player must have a good understanding of the dealer’s up card. If the dealer is showing a 3, 4, 5, or 6 then the player must double down with soft 13 through soft 18 hands.
The next thing that the player should consider is whether they have enough cards to improve their hand from a weak one to a strong one. If they do not, it would be best to double down with a weak hard hand instead.
When it comes to multi-card soft 18 hands, there are a few rules that need to be considered. In general, these hands should always be stood against a dealer’s 3 through 6 upcard but they can be hit against a dealer’s 2 upcard. The main reason for this is that there are only 8 cards out of the 13 denominations that can help turn a weak soft 18 into a strong hard total.