Blackjack Soft Hands and How to Play Them

Soft hands in blackjack are hands with an Ace in it. They are called soft hands because the Ace can be counted as 11 and 1, which means the hand total can also be counted differently. If you have a hand of A-2, for example, you can count it as 13 and 3. According to the blackjack basic strategy, soft hands must be played accordingly.

If your hand is A-2 or A-3, you can double-down if the dealer shows 5 or 6. If the dealer’s open card is not 5 or 6, then the best move to make is to simply hit. If your hand is A-4 or A-5, the same rules can be applied as well. However, you can also double-down if the dealer’s open card is a 4.

With a hand of A-6, double if the dealer shows 3, 4, 5, or 6, and otherwise hit. If your hand is A-7, you must play it carefully. Stand if the dealer has 2, 7, or 8, and double-down if the dealer shows 3, 4, 5 or 6. For other open cards, you should simply hit and adjust your moves accordingly.

Hands of A-8 and A-9 are easier to play. Since the hand totals are already high enough to win, you should always choose to stand regardless of the dealer’s open card. By following this set of blackjack strategy, you will be able to win most of the time and be much more profitable nonetheless. Since the strategy is also easy to understand, you can use it in live plays without hassle.