One thing to consider is whether your blackjack hand are soft or hard. In the “Dealer Hits Soft 17” games. I'm going to assume a multiple-deck game — there are so few single-deck games with rules worth playing. Arnold is also the author of our books The Blackjack Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook and Risk of Ruin. Almateable • 22 days ago. For many blackjack players, this rather innocuous rule doesn't seem like a big deal, but the fact of the matter it is. In a case where you’ve soft 18, you have only three. dealer’s Ace. 100502. 2. Rules. Soft-hand blackjack strategies Standing on soft 18 will lose the player money in the long run when the dealer shows 9, 10, or ace. I have all my indices worked using risk averse indices, I'm more worried about keeping my already high ROR as low as possible than I am of increased win rate, but of course sometimes this means taking risks where. Blackjack soft hands strategy ultimately makes it impossible to lose your hand when you have an Ace. The strategy changes a tiny notch in games where the house rules require the dealer to hit. Standing on Soft 18 when Dealer shows 9. Reasoning. The preferred option is to double down. Dealer hits soft 17: If, instead of standing on all 17s, the dealer hits hands including an ace or aces that can be totaled as either 7 or 17, the house edge is increased by 0. If one of your initial cards is an ace, it means that you have two courses of attack. There is much debate about whether or not Vegas blackjack hits on soft 17. 5 cards in blackjack Never split 10’s at the blackjack table. House edge: 0. a 6 (lose 38. Soft 19 and soft 20 are hands that many experienced players hope for when playing blackjack. More and more tables are showing up that pay less than the full 3 to 2 on a blackjack. They get caught up in the 18 part and forget about the Ace. The dealer must stand on all 17. bjplayer123. It's enough to make the hitting EV for soft eighteen -14. Soft 19 or more: Always stand. Therefore, if you are an astute player, you will try to avoid a table whereby a dealer can hit on a soft 17. In a similar way, it is possible to determine the correct decisions for any player hand values in these casino games. This is because you have a fantastic chance to hit 21, and even if you don’t, you’re likely to get a score close to that magic number. This puts them in an advantageous position as all that is needed for them is to reveal their upcard. 9K subscribers. Surrender a hard 15 against the dealer’s 10. I have all my indices worked using risk averse indices, I'm more worried about keeping my already high ROR as low as possible than I am of increased win rate, but of course sometimes this means taking risks where greater chance of profits lay. So, there are more chances for the dealer to be able to hit and achieve a better ranking hand. 22%. Perfect Pairs: Get paid up to 30:1 when you are dealt a pair. This is part of the decision hands group where players are usually dealt soft hands and can make decisions without going bust. Below you can read the detailed rules for soft hands (with an Ace, counted as 11). It can be a mental hurdle for a player to. however, to stand at a-7 against a dealer's 9, 10 or a is a. Since hard 13 is more prone to busting than hard 12 (with 5 out of 13 card denominations that can break the hand), players should approach it more conservatively. IE 53. The dealer soft total is the same as a player soft total. Blackjack may be played with one to eight decks of 52-card decks. A hand of Free Bet Blackjack starts with making a wager. Paving. Basic Blackjack Strategy. You shouldn't always assume a Ten in the hole at all times, but it's okay for this. Double down on soft 18 (ace, 7) against dealer's 2 up card (instead of standing) Sometimes new casinos come under a lot of heat from blackjack players when they implement the soft 17 rule at their blackjack tables. Stand on hard 17 or more. Introducing hard & soft hands in blackjack. When You Have a Soft 16, 17, or 18 (Situation 3). What Is A Soft 18 In Blackjack – Blackjack, the world’s most popular casino banking game, has been called the most played game in the world. If they stand on all 17s, always surrender 16 no matter how many decks are in play. Cardcounter said: Here is the rule for soft 18 [ . These rules include:. Soft 17 hands give us a chance to add an extra playing card without a bust risk. dealer's 6. 2. Blackjack Soft Hand 18 Blackjack Soft Hand 19 or 20. Red Dead Redemption. That is why I harp on it so much. 2 for a 6 deck shoe, S17 and double any two cards, hi-lo count. Another example is playing a whole hand of 18, whereby the ACE counts as a 1 as in 5-9-A-3. You have a good chance to either improve it or stay the same via 1 or more hits. Bust - if your hand scores over 21, you lose (known as going bust), and the dealer wins regardless of their hand. Blackjack Soft Hands Strategy. A soft hand is any hand that counts an ace as 11 rather than 1. He replied that a soft 18 against a dealer ace, in a double-deck game, where the dealer stands on soft 17, was such a play. dealer stands on soft 17, blackjack pays even money, late surrender allowed, player may only double on 10 or 11, double after split not allowed, split aces get one card each, only one split allowed, six card Charlie, dealer must stop with six cards. With soft 17, it’s best to stand against a dealer’s 7 or 8. The blackjack rules this table is based are liberal Vegas shoe, as follows: Six decks Dealer stands on soft 17 Surrender allowed Double after split allowed Player may resplit to four hands, including aces. A card with a value of 6 takes your total up to 22, which means you go bust. Appendix 6 :Fine points of when to surrender. The house will win when players bust, regardless of the final dealer hand. A hard hand is one that can usually risk being busted with just one hit. Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5's - 6's - 7's - 8's - 9's - 10's. As for shoe-dealt blackjack where the dealer hits soft 17, the instances that call for surrender include a player 15 against the dealer’s 10 and ace, a hard 16 against 9, 10, and ace, hard 17 against an ace, and 8-8 versus an ace. The house edge of this game is 2. For example A-5 is a soft 16; A-2-5 is a soft 18; and 3-2-A-3 is a soft 19. If the dealer hits over 21, or busts, all remaining player hands win the round. The player takes a hit and receives an ace for a soft 18. Hands of A-8, A-2-6, and 3-5-A are all examples of soft 19. Pemain sering salah memainkan hard 18 membingungkannya dengan soft 18. It pays 6/5. If you can't, stand. Getting dealt a card with a higher value still puts you close to 21 so there’s a shot you could win the hand. If he or she is holding a 4, 5 or 6 upcard, there is likelihood that a ten will be hit and then another ten because of the higher density of ten cards being played in. With regards to hard hands, you should always stand on a hard 17 and any higher number, stand on hard 13 to 16 if the dealer has a card between two to six and stand on hard 12 when. Double soft 17 or 18 against the dealer’s 3 or 6 Surrender Surrender a hard 16 but never a pair of 8s against the dealer’s 9, 10, or Ace. So, we can conclude by saying that though card counting is an established technique of improving the odds of winning at. 9 cents. Thus, with an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would not stop at 17, but would hit. This hand gives you different play options and can be used to. You hit your two-card soft 18 against a dealer who reveals more powerful cards like a 9, a 10, or an Ace. The following hands should be split, but only under. There is no national or international rule, it depends on the house rules at that casino. Soft 18: double against 3 to 6 Soft 19 to 21: never double. " House Edge. Most blackjack dealers must draw cards until they reach a total of 17 or higher. Even if all the players at the table have 18, the dealer must stand if he ends up with a 17. Double 11 vs. In exchange for this, the dealer stands on 16 and pushes a player’s 17, 18, 19, and 20. How to play free blackjack games online. 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. HARD 18 vs. Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright. by Henry Tamburin. By splitting eights, you take a stiff hand (soft 16), and turn it into two potential eighteen's. Soft Hands. There is no such thing as a soft 21 because this hand is deemed to be blackjack. Surrender 15, 8’s, and 17 vs. The dealer gives a card to each player as well as themselves. Atlantic City Blackjack has a number of player-friendly rules that keep the house edge at a quite low 0. dealer's 9, 10 or Ace upcard. Always hit soft 17 or less. For example, playing 10-8 is a hard 18. Player #1 is dealt an Ace-2 against the dealer’s 10 upcard. You can double after split, but I think it's only one card for a. If you’re dealt a card with a lower value, you have the chance to get a blackjack or even closer to 21. This move can be financially prudent if done correctly. The double down option in blackjack gives you the opportunity to make great plays and exponentially increase your winnings potential. Seven Card Charlie available at BetMGM has a house edge 0. This has got to be the misplayed hand in Vegas at the blackjack tables (even more than 12 vs. On Soft 18 (A,7), you double down if the dealer’s upcard is between 2 and 6. Basic strategy for soft 18 against 2-6 says double else stand, which is what OP was describing, playing soft 18 v 6. Changing from soft to hard 18 is not in the equation. Soft 18 (A,7) doubles against dealer 2 through 6, and hits against 9 through Ace, otherwise stand. Soft 17 and soft 18 are two hands that separate blackjack players in the know from the pretenders. To use this table, look. He replied that a soft 18 against a dealer ace, in a double-deck game, where the dealer stands on soft 17, was such a play. Standing against a 7 or 8 is the logical play. 1 If you have a hand of 12 against the dealer’s 2 in single-deck games, you should stand at a count of +4 or higher; 8. 3-Deck Soft Totals Blackjack Chart 6-Deck Blackjack Chart/ Late Surrender/ Dealer Peek. That’s because there is a third possible result - a push. If you are playing blackjack online and you have an Ace, it will automatically be counted as 1 if your hand goes. Hi all, I'm interested in anyone's opinion on playing soft 18 vs. The player hits and draws an Ace, hits again and draws a 4, and as the dealer intones “8 or 18,” decides to stand. With soft 18 you should double, stand or hit depending on the situation. Blackjack X-Change is based on standard blackjack rules, which I assume that the reader is already familiar with. But if you have a choice, playing where they stand is better. Enjoy the best free blackjack games available online. those cards, further making the point how weak an 18 really is. The ace can count as 1 or 11. There are several ways to get an 18 when you play blackjack. Just choose your favorite free blackjack variant and wait for. Some people believe that it does, while others believe that it does not. Such is the case whenever the player gets a starting hand of 6-2 for a hard 8 against the dealer’s 5. Things are a bit different when your starting hand is soft 18 where there are 8 cards that can help you get into the safe zone against the dealer’s weak card, namely the Ace. Even somewhat experienced blackjack players will sometimes struggle with the correct moves on a soft hand. Don't shoot the messenger: "Playing Better Blackjack. This hand gives you different play options and can be used to. They should stand on the three-card soft 18. On the other hand, a “hard” hand consists of cards that don’t have an Ace, or the Ace counts as 1 point only. Step 2: receive. ). Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. Most players stand with an A-7 (soft 18) against a dealer’s 9 upcard, reasoning that an 18 is good enough to beat the dealer. What is a soft hand and a hard hand in Blackjack? In Blackjack, all starting hands can be split into hard and soft hands. All the information about blackjack you want, both for serious advantage players and for casual players. Blackjack Strategy: How to play a Soft 18 at Blackjack - 888casino. Or if the dealer draws to reach a total of soft 17 you already have him beat. A fair amount of blackjack players will stand on a soft 18. A,A – always split. Enjoy the best free blackjack games available online. Whenever you. When to double: Always accept a free double. With a bet of $10, you keep your $10 and win a further $15 from the dealer. This means that "Soft 18" stands for any hand totaling "18", with an Ace counting as "11". Always Split two Aces - If you don’t split your aces, one is given a value of one and the other a. 48% of blackjack games end in a push, leaving the probability of a loss at 49. Here we are going to take a look at some common errors seen in civilians and beginning advantage players. Of course, having a soft 18 already puts you in a good position. 100359. HIT OR STAND. New players only. The correct basic strategy will get you down to. If your third card is a nine, the ace in your hand will count as one so the total of your 3-card hand would be 18. Another draw of Lincoln Casino includes player-friend wagering requirements, but they could improve their software client. 2% of the time when you do make your hand worse you can hit again to try and improve except when you draw exactly a 9. Basic strategy calls for hitting that soft 18 vs. Hi all, I'm interested in anyone's opinion on playing soft 18 vs. Because aces are worth either 1 or 11, even if you draw a high-value card like a 10, it will. Dealers hit, too, and one of the most important rules is whether the dealer hits on a soft 17. The easy way to memorize them is by learning them as actions or use a blackjack strategy chart. Blackjack variants for standing on soft 17 are more common and most of the blackjack cheat sheet 2022 examples are based on this. Don’t even think about hits with 10-8, 9-6-3, 6-7-2-3 or any other hard 18. Correct basic strategy decisions for a blackjack hand with a soft 17 for the total. Rules differ slightly depending on whether or not the dealer stands on soft 17 (standard for the Vegas Strip Blackjack), soft 18, or hard 16. And more than a few believers wonder whether the bozos who wrote "the book" made a boo-boo. All this points to the fact that you can improve your hand with the final card. The most heeded blackjack advice tells players never to hit on a Hard 17. In short, basic blackjack strategy changes based on whether you’re playing soft 17 blackjack or not. For example, when a player is dealt an Ace and 5 the hand can be played as a 6 or 16. 25%)) Chance of push is 11. As stated earlier, the house edge in blackjack increases by about two-tenths when the dealer hits on soft 17, which is more significant than you think. Yes--that's the right box. This is simply because it can make reaching 21 so much easier. This means if you can’t double down because your either not allowed or, more likely, you’ve got a 3 or 4 card soft 18, then you should stand. Soft 17 (A,6) doubles against dealer 3 through 6,. The term soft hand in blackjack refers to a situation when an ace in a player’s hand can be counted as 11 points or 1. The strategy for soft 18, on the other hand, is a bit complicated because three probable actions can be taken. Soft 18. Soft 18 is classified that way because it differs from other blackjack strategies of playing. doubling it (win 25. Why can't he count the Ace as 1 and continue drawing? Isn't this how the Ace works the best in this case? Quoting from Wikipedia: "A player and the dealer can count an ace as 1 point or 11 points. Hit soft 17 (A6) or less. To them it seems like there is no other possible way to play this hand. A discussion of how to play a hard 13 with perfect basic strategy in blackjack. Soft 18 - This is a combination of an ace and a 7 card. Blackjack Hard vs Soft Hands. Both points are important. A blackjack basic strategy can decrease the house edge. Another Soft total Example: Say you're dealt 3 + 6 = 9. dealer’s 6. Soft 13s and 14s should be doubled down against 5s and 6sAlways stand on soft 19 or 20 ; Stand when you have soft 18 against the dealer’s 2–8 ; If the dealer shows 9–ace, you should hit on a soft 17 or less; Blackjack Hit or Stand Charts. Soft 17: Double down: Split 2s through 10s: Split aces: Draw to split aces: Double after split:. This will be stated somewhere in the table rules. When dealt a soft 19 or 20, then you should always stand. 14% Player is only allowed to double with a total of 10 or 11 +0. a 6 and the worst move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. For example, an 8 and a 10 is a hard 18. ” A soft hand contains an ace and a hard hand does not. Blackjack Online - Home Blackjack Strategy How to Play. If you can play it some other way, you usually should. 7,7 – split if the dealer’s upcard is 2 – 7, hit otherwise. You always hit soft 17 if you aren't doubling it. The dealer never splits in blackjack as that is against the rules. They should stand on the three-card soft 18. The chance of a dealer winning with a 20 or 21, including a blackjack, is 51. The number of decks in play also matters, regardless of if the dealer hits on soft 17. Double soft 13 or 14 vs dealer 5-6. If the table doesn’t allow surrendering, then hit. Players should only surrender when: They are dealt 14 and the dealer holds a 10; The dealer holds an Ace and they have a pair of 7s, 9-6 or 10-5;. 100% up to €1500 + 150 Free Spins. Remember, these tips apply to the tables above, which means a 6-deck blackjack game where the dealer hits on soft 17. 3 cents) vs. Going into a soft 18 (Ace-7), it is important to take note whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft. The stand vs. The Blackjack trainer will develop your playing acumen, and enable you to optimise your. This has got to be the misplayed hand in Vegas at the blackjack tables (even more than 12 vs. If your hand contains an Ace, you can choose between a hard and a soft hand. In blackjack, the Ace can be. 22%: Blackjack pays 7-5-0. Try doubling down on hard nine, ten, or 11. Just the way I like it. Welcome to Caesars Casino, the place where you can be your own pit boss and play our world-class online casino games anytime, anywhere in New Jersey! Vegas World plays well on any Android phone or tablet. Soft totals: A soft total is any hand that has an Ace as one of the first two cards, the ace counts as 11 to start. Appendix 3c :Composition dependent exceptions to single deck basic strategy where the dealer hits a soft 17. Quoting from Wikipedia (due to lack of an official online source for blackjack rules):. A soft hand is when the Ace exists as 11. One of the dealer’s cards is placed face up. I have all my indices worked using risk averse indices, I'm more worried about keeping my already high ROR as low as possible than I am of increased win rate, but of course sometimes this means taking risks where. But did you know if you play an entire lifetime of blackjack and are dealt a pat 18 on every single hand, you’d die a small loser! (that is because your overall expectation is negative when you stand on 18). A pair of aces gives the blackjack player a starting hand value of either a 2 or a soft 12 which is a problematic starting hand in either case. Indeed, the soft 17 in blackjack, as mentioned, will tilt the house advantage to the casino by as much as 0. 10, and Ace with a hand of soft 18, comprising an ace and a 7; Double against cards 3 to 6 or else stand with a hand of soft 17, comprising an ace and a 6; Double against cards 4 to 6 or else, hit. If you bet $10, you win $10 from the dealer (plus you keep your original bet, of course. A soft 18 is the only soft hand that you might consider tricky. When your cards total 11. A hard-17 is considered a strong hand, yet is the poorest hard total players are recommended to stand on. You will see that with three cards you should stand on 16 against 10. The basic strategy when it comes to hitting a soft 17 is simple and straightforward. And split your pair of 9s against everything except a 7, 10 or Ace. ♣️ Soft 18: If you hold an Ace and 7, you will have a soft 18 hand. Min deposit €10. You get a 6. The family includes European games such as wingt-et-un and pontoon, as well. The following cards can also create a soft 17: Ace - 3 - 3 hand. Essentially, a “soft” hand includes an Ace that counts as 11 points, combined with one or more other cards. Most of the time, the most ideal gameplay will be hitting until you reach 18 points and standing from after that. Blackjack is a fairly uncomplicated but very compelling card game to play, and its popularity isn’t all that surprising. Double soft 19 vs. The soft 17 hand is created whenever an Ace is used in the hand. A three card 18 is of course not worse, it just carries risk in drawing that card. Angela: Well Mike, what are the best Blackjack rules I can realistically expect to find in Las Vegas. 5 times the bet. 1. So let’s begin with a definition of a soft hand which is any hand in blackjack that contains an ace counted as 11. 18%: Dealer hits on soft 17-0. For illustrative purposes, we. Hard hands: Hard 8 or less - Hard 9 - Hard 10 - Hard 11 - Hard 12 - Hard 13 - 16 - Hard 17 to 21. A soft hand occurs with an Ace, while a hard hand can occur with an Ace but it has to equal one, not 11. Ace - 6 hand. Never split 5s or 10s. ) These days you almost have to play in games where the dealer hits soft 17, as most casinos have adopted this policy. Allows custom filters for variations too. The dealer stands on a soft 17 which is very good for the player. Nearly all physical casinos use a six-deck shoe, giving the house a slightly higher edge. Appendix 4 :Details on the standard deviation in blackjack. a hard 18 is a ten and eight, a soft 18 is an ace and a seven. If you use the double down bet, you have the option to use the ace as a one or an 11, and you could then. That’s because there is a third possible result - a push. Double-deck blackjack with re-split acesSoft 18: double against 3 to 6 Soft 19 to 21: never double. Start by knowing the difference between “hard hands” and “soft hands. Mike: Good question. Atlantic City Blackjack. you are giving away a winning hand when you do. 14 - Soft 15 - 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21 Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5. The odds will go more in the house’s favor and your odds of winning will significantly decrease. The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. That’s why we play the game. -0. When basic blackjack strategy calls for a double down, understand that if you can’t double, you should hit instead. Hard and soft hands in blackjack are all determined by one card: the Ace. Double down if the dealer. It is hard to memorize all the rules of soft and hard tables of blackjack. Whether or not to hit, stand, or double down with a soft total of 13 or 14 in blackjack. Amreican blackjack (hole card, so dealer peeks for blackjack) Dealer stands on soft 17;. Beware Short Pays on a Blackjack. When a player gets a soft 17, they face a fork in the road. Most land-based casinos offer shoe-dealt blackjack with six decks, but you’ll also find eight-deck options often. BLACKJACK STRATEGIES. Blackjack pays 3 to 2, and and insurance pays 2 to 1. Splitting eights limits one's losses and improves one's hand. 4 cents. Let’s look at soft-hand basic blackjack strategy in a six-deck game in which the dealer hits soft 17. Hit hard 11 or less. Looking for hit or stand charts for a specific game? Use the links below to select your chart. ”. Critics (myself included). After splitting aces, the player may only stand or Double Up. Reply replyFor More Information: more about Blackjack Strategy: the table is designated a must-hit-soft-17 Blackjack game, the dealer must draw on all soft 17 hands until he or she obtains a point total of a hard 17 or higher. Play blackjack online for free or for real money in Australia in 2023 ! We ranked the most trusted, legal blackjack sites with bonuses of up to AU$10,000. (two aces). Dank Memer's implementation of blackjack is simply the dealer stands on soft 17 ruleset, which the chart represents. Hit when the dealer is showing a 9,10, or 11 (Ace). What they should really worry about is people who double Soft 19. Here are a few examples of hard 13 hands: 7-6, 8-5, 9-4, 10-3, 10-2-A, and 9-3-A. Like all things in gaming the first instinct of player is often counter intuitive to the hard. Any modifications to either. When I use CVCX and select the strategy ( Wong, Basic High-Low, Full Indexes, DAS, Multi-deck, H17 ); the tables show soft 19 vs 6 has an index of +1. 18%: Dealer hits on soft 17-0. The heart of the matter is, there are 3 cards to improve the hand and 6 cards to diminish it, why do the odds say hit or double down. If you are dealt a soft 13 or 14 hand, and the dealer’s up card is a 5 or 6, you should always double down. 8,8 – always split. Las Vegas Blackjack Table Minimums. A 10-7 is an example of a hard hand, but so is A-7-9; if the hand doesn’t contain an ace or has one or more aces counted as one, then the. 50. A soft 16 for example would be A+5=16 where as a hard 16 would be 10+6. Based on those figures, the best move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. dealer’s 2. Yes, there's a good chance you could end up eventually busting, but the math behind the play doesn't lie. Soft 18 and higher: dealer stands. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. A-7 is a soft 18 in blackjack and players feel that it is a strong hand that is not to be messed with and hence, they prefer to stand. A soft 17 is a hand that’s made up of an ace (counting as 11) and a 6. You take a third card an Ace. The basic strategy when it comes to hitting a soft 17 is simple and straightforward. Doubling in blackjack is a highly profitable option for players. So hitting soft 18 against a dealer's 10 upcard is the correct play (even when your soft 18 hand consists of three or more cards, such as Ace-2-Ace-4). Therefore, they provide less liquidity and fewer choices for the player. As an example, the following combinations would be considered soft hands:. Vegas Strip Blackjack. Learn the rules and Wizard's Simple Strategy in this introductory video. 2%. Official Basic Strategy chart for Blackjack. On the other hand, a “hard” hand consists of cards that don’t have an Ace, or the Ace counts as 1 point only. 22%. (Examples are 10-8, 8-5-5 and ace-4-10-3. The house edge depends on exactly the rules followed. dealer's 2-8 (except when doubling vs. Quote: gpop. I’ve shared my struggles remembering when to hit a soft 18 numerous times. With a hand totalling 14, the chance you’ll bust if hitting is at 46%. Dealer hits at a soft 17 instead of standing +0. 8 – 7 = Hard 15. Knowing what a soft hand is, perhaps makes it easy to understand what a hard hand is. The reason for it is that any other card in the deck will either be equal to or less than 21 and there is no chance for players to go over this total. 21% Player is not allowed to double after splitting +0. The rules they play by are generally hit on 16, stand on soft 17, blackjack pays 3-2, no surrender, double after split. Cardoza Publishing. According to some sources, the odds of achieving a soft 18 are about 1 in 500. • Double on soft 18 if the up card is 3 – 6 • Double on soft 19 if the up card is 6 • Always split 8s and Aces. 19 or more: Always Stand. Terms such as track-zone, play-zone, NRS formula, plugs, pseudo-decks, 1-pass or 2-pass R&R (riffle and restack). Consider the following:What is that soft 18 in blackjack - Blackjack, the world famous casino banking game, holds the title of the most played game of its kind in the world. Or they might have an ace that is worth 1 only. Not that the effect is very big; the former enhances expectation by only $0. TIL when using "perfect strategy" in blackjack, the casino only has a 2% edge over the player in the long run. As my blackjack appendix 9 shows, a 2-card soft 18 vs A has an expected value of hitting of -0. Soft hands are some of the most misplayed hand in blackjack. For H17 6 deck, up to soft 18, always double on dealer 6 or 5 . 8%. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as "twenty-one". 2 for a 6 deck shoe, S17 and double any two cards, hi-lo count.