KCasey

One of the most common misplayed hands in blackjack is soft 17, which consists of a six and an Ace. The reason why it has this name is because the Ace can be used for two different values, 1 or 11.

Soft 17 should be treated differently to all other ways of making the same value. If you didn’t have the Ace in your hand, it would be an easy decision, in most cases as you would stick with your total and hope that the dealer goes bust. However, with a soft 17 you should always take a chance as you have the insurance of turning the Ace into the value of one. If you are lucky enough, you will find a four or below and improve your total of 17, but if not, you try and build your total again. It is almost a case of having two shots of reaching 21.

The hand in blackjack that a lot of players are unsure about how to play is soft 18. There is no correct way of playing this and it all depends on the risk each individual is willing to take. The one thing you should consider in this instance is the value of the dealer’s turn card. If they have a nine or higher, you are left in a vulnerable position on 18 because they are just one hit away from beating your total. In this case, it is worth taking a risk and gambling on a low card. However, the lower the dealer’s card is, the better chance you have of winning with soft 18.

Written by John, a fan of casino games.