The basic strategy for standing on soft 17 is simple: never stand! That’s right you should never stand on soft 17 regardless of what the dealer’s upcard is.

Hit when the dealer shows a 2 or 7 though ace (for single-deck, double against a dealer 2 rather than hit).

Double down when the dealer’s upcard in 3 through 6 (2 through 6 in a single-deck game).

Regardless of whether you are playing blackjack in a land-based or online casino, when you are dealt a soft 17, if you are not counting cards, you should always follow the basic playing strategy, which is as follows. Yes, both hands total 17, but you play a soft 17 differently because you can never bust with a one-card draw (not so with a hard 17).

The basic playing strategy for, say, an ace-6 is much different than it is for a 10-7 (known as a hard 17 because It doesn’t contain an ace counted as 11).

For example, an ace-6 is a soft 17 so is ace-3-3 and 2-2-ace-2. Should I stand or hit? What about doubling down? What follows are the facts on how to play this hand accurately every time you play blackjack.įirst, let me review some basics. A soft hand is any hand that contains an ace that is counted as 11.

One of the hands that often confound blackjack players is when they are dealt a soft 17.

Blackjack does dealer hit soft 17