Infinite Blackjack — Similarly to Unlimited. Casinos which offer Spanish 21 pay royalties to Masque Publishing Inc. 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. Always split aces or 8s. Here we are going to take a look at some common errors seen in civilians and beginning advantage players. D. You always hit soft 17 if you aren't doubling it. The basic strategy here is to get the dealer to go bust. Blackjack pays 6-5: Common on single-deck games on the Las Vegas Strip, this game is a bankroll breaker for players. Just the way I like it. Factor in the following changes: Double 11 vs. That is why I harp on it so much. While standing on soft 18 seems like your safest bet, the reality is your 18 will rarely win if the. 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. Soft 13s and 14s should be doubled down against 5s and 6s Always 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. 48% of blackjack games end in a push, leaving the probability of a loss at 49. The basic playing strategy for doubling down in blackjack. Another way to look at it is that you are guaranteed not to bust if you hit on your soft hand because the ace can always. login join now. 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). However the actual probability is much less, because as the player gets each blackjack the ratio of aces to cards left in the deck decreases. Soft 19 calls for doubling in H17 games only when the dealer is at their most vulnerable with a 6. HIT OR STAND. Either stand or double (if allowed) on soft 18 (A,. A soft 18 is the only soft hand that you might consider tricky. Soft 18: double against 3 to 6 Soft 19 to 21: never double. With the expectation of a 10, it is. Because aces are worth either 1 or 11, even if you draw a high-value card like a 10, it will. House edge: 0. We explain what it means to double down, & the hands on which such a move should be performed. Be aware that several Caesars casinos on the Strip deal Double Up Blackjack. You get blackjack strategy charts for the different blackjack games. The odds will go more in the house’s favor and your odds of winning will significantly decrease. Hi all, I'm interested in anyone's opinion on playing soft 18 vs. If an ace can act as an 11 without putting the hand over 21, it is treated as so, otherwise it’s 1. The number of expected rounds to reach a quit point was 481 and finally, the expected win per day for Johnson was an impressive $125,000, on average. If your total is soft 17 or less, you should always hit in compliance with the blackjack strategy chart. This is part of the decision hands group where players are usually dealt soft hands and can make decisions without going bust. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as "twenty-one". The odds will go more in the house’s favor and your odds of winning will significantly decrease. dealer 2). Crown Blackjack (Normal Black Jack): Dealer must hit on soft 17 and stand on a hard 17 Blackjack (traditional) Dealer stands on soft or hard 17 Source: Ama Blackjack dealer at Crown. Blackjacket paving has the crew, experience, leadership, and equipment to get any paving work done successfully while exceeding customer expectations on all fronts. dealer’s Ace. Using 52 decks of cards, Blackjack is part of the international family of casino banking games known as Twenty One. If it is more than 6, Stand. When to double: Always accept a free double. A fair amount of blackjack players will stand on a soft 18. Soft hands: Soft 13 - 14 -. This strategy is not so obvious but it lies mostly with the mathematical edge over the long term and the blackjack basic strategy that says the dealer will likely get a 12, 17 and 18. 2 for a 6 deck shoe, S17 and double any two cards, hi-lo count. Always hit soft 17 or less. The chart below displays a strategy for blackjack where the dealer stands on Soft 17. And split your pair of 9s against everything except a 7, 10 or Ace. Why to stand on soft 18. For example, if you hit (take another card) a soft 18 (an ace and a 7) with a 6, the ace automatically reverts to 1 (rather than 11), and the hand total is now 14 (rather than 24, which would be a bust). Doubling in blackjack is a highly profitable option for players. Cora Blood. If you can't, stand. So when we are talking about whether a 17 is hard or soft, the Ace is integral to the hand. Doubling on soft 13 through 18 is always a good idea when the dealer’s upcard is a 5 or a 6 because this puts them in the weakest possible spot and you want to take full advantage of the fact. Arnold is also the author of our books The Blackjack Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook and Risk of Ruin. 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. Vegas Strip Blackjack. 7,8,9) in an equal number, a player would have a substantial advantage (~18%) as long as he played correct strategy. Single Deck Blackjack can return 99. The basic strategy when it comes to hitting a soft 17 is simple and straightforward. com ♣️ Soft 18: If you hold an Ace and 7, you will have a soft 18 hand. In a single deck game, always hit if the dealer has an upcard between 7 through to the dealer ACE, In a double and multiple deck games, hit when the dealer’s upcard is 3 or 6 through to the dealer ACE. koda: hitting on a soft 18And a soft 18 is one of those misplayed blackjack hands. An ace in blackjack is worth either 1 or 11, and it is up to the player to decide how they use it. This includes when you display a soft 18 and the dealer displays a 6, 5, 4, or 3. Double a soft 17 or 18 against a dealer 3 through 6. 2 cents). (I’ll ignore 6-6 for the moment and come back to it shortly. Last edited: Dec 2, 2010. The fully responsive simulator can be accessed from a desktop or most modern mobile devices, which effectively means – if you have an internet connection – you’ll be able to learn anywhere. 9, 10 or Ace, yet so many frown or voice displeasure when the player makes the right play. Rating 9. iRage89 13 years ago #1. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called "soft", meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; the value of the ace will become 1 to. Double soft 18 vs. 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. After all players have acted, the dealer shall hit to a hard or soft 16. dealer 2). a 6 (lose 38. ”. Always Split two Aces - If you don’t split your aces, one is given a value of one and the other a. Not that the effect is very big; the former enhances expectation by only $0. Additional Rules to Blackjack Strategies. It is hard to memorize all the rules of soft and hard tables of blackjack. Not included is Ace-Ace, which falls under pair splitting strategy instead. Tips on if the dealer must hit on soft 17. Blackjack Chart Hit Soft 17. The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. Min deposit €10. When I change that to S17 the tables still show +1. 21 + 3: Combine your two cards with the dealer’s up-card to make “poker hands. Ace-up is more extreme. Casino. These rules include:. Always stand on hard 17 and up. 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. 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). The following hands should be split, but only under. In a case where you’ve soft 18, you have only three. 5 – Know How to Play Soft Totals. I realize that many people think an 18 is a pretty solid lock in blackjack, but in reality, it ain't. Examples of hard hands in 21 are K-8 or 6-A-J; soft hands can be A-4 or A-9. Double soft 18 against dealer’s 2. This is particularly true when the dealer has a weaker upcard and you have a relatively strong hand, such as a soft 18 or higher. In a S17 game, stand against a 2. This means that the chances of achieving a soft 18 are very small, even if you play the game repeatedly. Knowing the difference between how to handle a soft hand and a hard hand in Blackjack can be the difference between success and failure, and so knowing how to act in such cases really is key to building a well-rounded Blackjack strategy. To use this table, look. Surrender 15, pair-eights and 17 against the dealer’s ace. A soft 18 is one of the possible hands you can be dealt in blackjack. Knowing what a soft hand is, perhaps makes it easy to understand what a hard hand is. Double-deck blackjack with re-split acesSoft 18: double against 3 to 6 Soft 19 to 21: never double. Ace - 2 Ace - 2 - 2 hand. You take a third card an Ace. If you want to lower that edge, then your best bet are the different blackjack charts. Bear in mind that the best setting for the S17 rule in blackjack is a table with 1 or 2 decks. The 18 could be “hard,” meaning the hand either doesn’t contain an ace, or if. Playing a total hand of 18 doesn’t always count as a soft 18. Here are a few examples of hard 13 hands: 7-6, 8-5, 9-4, 10-3, 10-2-A, and 9-3-A. 18+. For a soft 18 against the dealer’s 2 through 8, according to strategy charts, you should stand. The strategy for soft 18, on the other hand, is a bit complicated because three probable actions can be taken. If the dealer has an 8 – Hit on everything from soft 12 thru soft 17. Soft 18. Yes, there's a good chance you could end up eventually busting, but the math behind the play doesn't lie. Using the ordinary total-depenendent basic strategy the player advantage under the Boss Media rules is 0. The odds of winning at blackjack can be as high as 42. doubling it (win 25. Double Up Blackjack allows the player to double their bet and stand. If the dealer hits on a soft 17, the correct action is to Surrender, or Hit when your blackjack hand value is 16. 17%) Chance of losing is 56. Hard Total. If you get an ace and a 7, then you’ll have yourself a Soft 18. You hit if it is between 9 and Ace. So double an Ace/7 against 3 thru 6 and hit it against 9, 10 or Ace. Appendix 6 :Fine points of when to surrender. An infinite number of decks are used. You get a 6. Soft 18 (A,7) doubles against dealer 2 through 6, and hits against 9 through Ace, otherwise stand. Changing from soft to hard 18 is not in the equation. Good info. Hit: When the dealer has anything else showing. Some people believe that it does, while others believe that it does not. Following are the particulars and adjustments to conventional blackjack. Blackjack may be played with one to eight decks of 52-card decks. pp. When any hand contains an ace, it’s called a soft hand since aces in blackjack can count as both 1 and 11. Tips for Navigating Hard Hands. Never split a pair of 5s and 10s. Hard 16: 8-8, 10-6, 9-7, 6-4-6, and 10-2-3-A. How to play correct basic strategy when you have a soft 15 or a soft 16 in a blackjack game. It pays 6/5. Soft 17: depends on if the game is H17 or S17. There is no such thing as a soft 21 because this hand is deemed to be blackjack. Double, lose 54. Much harder for casinos to detect this. ) Hit if the dealer shows a 2; or double down on cards 3 through 6 if you have an ace, 2, 3, 4 or 5. ) Blackjack (natural) - the player wins 1. 93 and the latter $0. This is not a strong enough hand to stand on because if we do, the dealer ends up outdrawing us by arriving at their standing total of 17 or above. So, you’ll improve your hand almost 33 out. Soft 18. Soft hand valued lower than 17. If one of your initial cards is an ace, it means that you have two courses of attack. In a single-deck game, you. If your case is neither, choosing to hit would be the smartest choice. Soft 18 versus a high upcard is enigmatic because no possibility is propitious and. 14% Player is only allowed to double with a total of 10 or 11 +0. This means that, on average, the house will earn money. Sering ada tangan yang salah dalam permainan blackjack ketika pemain mencoba memainkan blackjack soft 18. Nearly all physical casinos use a six-deck shoe, giving the house a slightly higher edge. If you have a soft total of 13, 14, 15, or 16, you’ll double against a dealer 5 or 6. In all likelihood, and considering the number of 10s in play, the dealer will have to hit and probably get 15 or 16. For example, you should double down on 11 if the dealer shows an ace and hits a soft 17. There is no national or international rule, it depends on the house rules at that casino. In Atlantic City blackjack players can split twice, up to three hands. 3. 7. A dealer’s hand with a 5 or a 6 is statistically the worst hand a dealer can have. So, there are more chances for the dealer to be able to hit and achieve a better ranking hand. A card with a value of 6 takes your total up to 22, which means you go bust. Based on those figures, the best move you can do is double a soft 17 vs. Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. Almateable • 22 days ago. What I like to tell people is to try to find what I call the liberal strip rules that consists of a six deck shoe game. If you draw another deuce on your soft 16, you will end up holding soft 18. You can double after split, but I think it's only one card for a. And a soft 18 is one of those misplayed blackjack hands. Except, a "blackjack" is the highest hand. That is why I harp on it so much. This is how you can learn how to play online blackjack in just seven steps: Step 1: place your bet. For many blackjack players, this rather innocuous rule doesn't seem like a big deal, but the fact of the matter it is. Soft totals of 17 and 18 should be doubled when the dealer shows a Three through to a Six. Some hard hands may be better than others. Joined: Jul 26, 2010. The object of the game of Blackjack is simply to get more points than the dealer without going over 21. the other 46. such as a soft 17, 18, or 19. Dealer hits any total of soft 17, and stands on soft 18 (or larger) or hard 17 (or larger) Blackjack pays 3:2. The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. In every blackjack game, the dealer either stands on Soft 17 or higher, or hits Soft 17, which means they can only stand on Hard 17, plus any 18 or more. Dec 2, 2010. Angela: Well Mike, what are the best Blackjack rules I can realistically expect to find in Las Vegas. A soft hand is when one of the cards in your hand is an Ace, which can be counted as either 1 or 11 points. Or if the dealer draws to reach a total of soft 17 you already have him beat. If it doesn’t, the hand is hard; if it does, the hand is soft. Double down on soft 18 (ace, seven) against a dealer showing two to six, hit against a dealer showing nine, 10 or. 100359, and of standing -0. Blackjack (formerly black jack and vingt-un) is a casino banking game. What does hitting on soft 17 mean? A soft 17 is a total of 17 consisting of an Ace. Seven Card Charlie available at BetMGM has a house edge 0. 14 - Soft 15 - 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21 Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5. Just like the player, the dealer now treats it as a. 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. Bonus. Obviously, the winner of the blackjack soft vs hard comparison is the “soft” hands: They contain an Ace and let you get 11 points from the beginning. If the strategy says to double but you’re not allowed, then hit, except you should stand with a soft 18. Dealer Hits on Soft 17 House Edge. You receive a 3 for 18. After the. 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21 Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5's - 6's - 7's - 8's - 9's - 10's. AdBlackjack Strategy When Playing a Soft 18 Double Down: When the dealer upcard is 3, 4, 5 or 6. 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. Essentially, a “soft” hand includes an Ace that counts as 11 points, combined with one or more other cards. In the simplest of terms, a hard blackjack hand is any two-card total which does not include an ace. Getting Ahead with Soft 18 (Ace-7) Soft 18 is considered a strong hand in blackjack, presenting favorable odds for winning. Soft 19 is an excellent in blackjack soft hand, as it positions players close to the coveted total of 21. Join Now Demo Play i. 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. 3 cents) vs. A fair amount of blackjack players will stand on a soft 18. 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. Now, let’s answer the question: Is there a soft 18 in blackjack? The answer is yes. A hand with a flexible Ace is known as a 'soft hand'. The hands are considered “soft” because they can be played in two ways. As my blackjack appendix 9 shows the expected value for standing is -0. Soft 19 (A,8) doubles against dealer 6, otherwise stand. Basic strategy calls for hitting that soft 18 vs. This puts them in an advantageous position as all that is needed for them is to reveal their upcard. That lack of an ace means that the hand is much more rigid. It turns out there is a difference between a 16 made up of two cards, such as 10-6 and 9-7, and one made up of three cards, such as 4-5-7. 81%: 17: 14. With a soft hand, the general strategy is to keep hitting until a total of at least 18 is reached. : 342 It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. Once all bets are made, all players and the dealer receive two cards. Mixed pairs pay 5:1, colored pairs pay 10:1, and perfect pairs (pair of exact same cards) pay 30:1. In all likelihood, and considering the number of 10s in play, the dealer will have to hit and probably get 15 or 16. The basic strategy for playing Blackjack Soft 18 in online casinos, it must. A discussion of how to play a hard 13 with perfect basic strategy in blackjack. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17. Soft 18 - This is a combination of an ace and a 7 card. 37. ) Or you can get a “soft 18,” meaning a hand containing an ace that is counted as 11. Step 2: receive. Last Name. Also you should double down if you’re holding a soft 18 and the dealer has 2, and double down on a soft 19 if the dealer has 6. If you are playing blackjack online and you have an Ace, it will automatically be counted as 1 if your hand goes. In other words, it's a defensive play. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. On the other hand, with a hand total of 15, the chance of busting increases to 54%. In a single deck game, always hit if the dealer has an upcard between 7 through to the dealer ACE, In a double and multiple deck games, hit when the dealer’s upcard is 3 or 6 through to the dealer ACE. The player has a soft 18 with A7 against the dealer's 2, 7 and 8 The player has a soft 19 with A8 unless they are doubling down against a 6 in a table where the dealer has to hit a soft 17 In another scenario, when the dealer has a card between 7 and Ace, the player should stop hitting only when they have a 17 or higher. Games Played. Dealer doesn't stand on soft 17, but will on soft 18. You should also double down if you have a soft 19 and the dealer has a 6. Hard and soft totals can be the same, but with a soft blackjack hand, you have some more options. Place the bet in the circle in front of you on the table. Blackjack Strategy Additional Rules. This is how you can learn how to play online blackjack in just seven steps: Step 1: place your bet. However, this does not mean the house wins 57. The most important fact is you wouldn't lose the bet. For example, an ace and 7, therefore being a hand that can be. The logic behind this adjustment is the following: the dealer cannot peek under their Ace for a blackjack after offering insurance – they get their second card only after you have completed your hand. If this happens, it might mean that you are not yet ready, but that is not necessarily true in 100% of cases when players make a mistake. Here are the full rules of the game. an ace. The 18 could be “hard,” meaning the hand either doesn’t contain an ace, or if it does, the ace is counted as one. 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. As we know, we can only see one card the dealer has, while the other one is facing. In this article, we will explore the strategies required to master the art of playing soft hands in blackjack. Just choose your favorite free blackjack variant and wait for. 79%) for the house against perfect basic strategy by players. SOFT 18 VS. When You Have a Soft 16, 17, or 18 (Situation 3). rebm1t • 3 yr. Here’s a look at how to play soft totals in Spanish 21: Soft 13 (A2) and 14 (A3). Joined: Jul 26, 2010. And yes, if the dealer must hit all hard and soft 17s, the player. If they do no bust, then the players' hands that are higher than the dealer wins and the ones who are lower loses. Could someone clarify a couple of points for me: 5 decks, Dealer hits Soft 17, Allowed Double after Splitting, Only Lose Original Bets on Dealer BJ 1) According to the charts for the above game, 16 v T is already surrender at 0, right? When would we surrender vs hit vs stand? 2) According to the charts for the above game, 11 vs. Basically, hard hands do not have an ace. A hand of Free Bet Blackjack starts with making a wager. Surrender 15, 8’s, and 17 vs. Underage gambling is an offence. Why Basic Strategy Recommends Us to Split 8s. 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. Always stand on soft 19 and up. 18%: Dealer hits on soft 17-0. Soft 18 and higher: dealer stands. If the dealer has a 9, 10 or Ace – In these situations you should hit all hands that are soft 12 thru soft 18 and stand on soft 19 and soft 20. Double soft 15 or 16 vs dealer 4-6. you are giving away a winning hand when you do. For instance, an A-7 hand is a soft 18. The dealer hands a card face-up to each player and then places a card face-down in front of themselves. Whether or not to hit, double down, or stand with a hard thirteen for your hand total. Say a player has a 19 in this situation. For example, an A and an 8 can be both 9 and 19. Doubling on soft hands gets trickier when the dealer exposes a 3 or a 4 but not when you abide by the Rule of 9. Perfect Pairs: Get paid up to 30:1 when you are dealt a pair. 29. There are 16 total tables, for 1 to 8 decks and whether or not the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. Hit when the dealer is showing a 9,10, or 11 (Ace). Single Deck Blackjack; Multi-Deck Blackjack; Atlantic City. 100502 and for hitting is -0. Rules. Soft 18. 888casino. BASIC STRATEGY Maximizing advantages was popularized by RogerBLACKJACK RULES: HARD VS SOFT HAND. Payment Grade. With a soft 18, you’ll double against a dealer 3, 4, 5, or 6. dealer’s 2. 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. Double 11 vs. 438% (winning against dealer's 17, soft 17 (11. Hi all, I'm interested in anyone's opinion on playing soft 18 vs. 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. Soft hands offer a relaxed gameplay that favors you. Real Money vs. There are additional rules that may affect how some strategies work in. Basic strategy advises players to stand whenever the dealer’s upcard is a 2, a 7 or an 8. On the other hand, a “hard” hand consists of cards that don’t have an Ace, or the Ace counts as 1 point only. When I first started writing about gaming and really watching what other players were doing, this seemed to. 18%: Dealer hits on soft 17-0. The basic strategy suggests standing on a soft 18 against a dealer’s 2 or 7 but hitting against a 9, 10, or Ace. lol "Live On Line" Blackjack. When you have a soft 18 and the dealer shows a two. 2018. Blackjack tips and strategies straight from the professional blackjack players. 10 – 6 = Hard 16. 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;. Blackjack Hard vs Soft Hands. The stand vs. Exceptions are made when the soft 18 consists of more than two cards, in which case doubling is no longer an option. 19, 18, and 17 are all considered great blackjack hands, with good winning odds for standing. Soft 18 in blackjack (A-7) is a commonly misplayed hand. What is a soft hand and a hard hand in Blackjack? In Blackjack, all starting hands can be split into hard and soft hands. 100% up to €1500 + 150 Free Spins. The house edge is the mathematical probability the casino will gain over time. If the dealer stands on a soft 17, the correct decision is to Surrender, or Hit. Skip side bets unless you count cards. BetWinner Casino. But many Blackjack beginners would think about what it has to do with soft and hard hands in the game. Stand on Soft 18 against at 7 or 8. 1. Playing a Total of Hard 13 - 16. I’ve shared my struggles remembering when to hit a soft 18 numerous times. Soft 17 hands give us a chance to add an extra playing card without a bust risk. Statistically, when you hit a soft 18, you’ll improve your hand with the first hit only 23 out of 100 times. If the dealer has 6 or less, we double down. The family includes European games such as wingt-et-un and pontoon, as well. In Stanford Wongs book "Professional Blackjack" it doesnt show any indices for soft 18 vs 10 in a S17 game, only to hit although you would stand with a soft 18 vs A at a TC+1 or higher in the same game . 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. Blackjack is the strongest hand one can possibly obtain and as such, usually pays 3 to 2. • 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. The dealer waits until the players have exercised all their options, then the dealer reveals their hidden card and hits until they have at least 17 (most common). The number of decks in play also matters, regardless of if the dealer hits on soft 17. 93 percent. If the dealer hits over 21, or busts, all remaining player hands win the round. No Surrender. Stand when you have 13. Speaking of the strategy for playing soft hands, players should ideally hit on soft 13, 14, 15, and 16 unless the dealer's upcard is a 4, 5, or 6 and in such instances, doubling down is the way forward. dealer’s Ace. It’s pretty simple. For example, a two-card 21 pays only $6. Quote: gpop. These are to double as opposed to hit on both soft 18 versus two-up and soft 19 versus six-up. Stand on soft 19 (A8) or more. Most blackjack dealers must draw cards until they reach a total of 17 or higher. When facing down a dealer’s 2 or 7 standing is a decent play to make. Most land-based casinos offer shoe-dealt blackjack with six decks, but you’ll also find eight-deck options often.