Soft Hand in Blackjack
A soft hand in blackjack is any hand containing an Ace that counts as 11 without busting. The hand is "soft" because it's flexible—the Ace can switch from 11 to 1 if you take another card and would otherwise bust.
Soft Hand Examples
This A-6 is a soft 17. The Ace counts as 11 (11 + 6 = 17). If you hit and receive a 10, the Ace becomes 1, giving you 17 (1 + 6 + 10 = 17)—a hard hand now.
Why Soft Hands Are Valuable
Soft hands give you a free hit:
- You can't bust with one additional card
- You can be aggressive and try to improve
- You have doubling opportunities that hard hands don't
With soft 17, hitting is always correct because you might improve to 18, 19, 20, or 21 with zero risk of busting.
Soft Hand Strategy
Soft hands have their own strategy section:
| Soft Hand | Dealer 2-6 | Dealer 7-8 | Dealer 9-A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft 13-14 | Double 5-6, else hit | Hit | Hit |
| Soft 15-16 | Double 4-6, else hit | Hit | Hit |
| Soft 17 | Double 3-6, else hit | Hit | Hit |
| Soft 18 | Double 3-6, else stand | Stand | Hit |
| Soft 19-20 | Stand | Stand | Stand |
Common Soft Hand Mistakes
Standing on Soft 17
Soft 17 is not a standing hand. You can improve with no risk—always hit (or double against dealer 3-6).
Standing on Soft 18 Against Strong Dealers
Soft 18 feels strong, but against dealer 9, 10, or Ace, you should hit. 18 isn't good enough against those upcards, and you can't bust.