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Lesson 2.3 Basic strategy
Soft Hands: How to Play an Ace Counted as 11
In this lesson you learn to spot a soft hand – a hand with an ace counted as 11 – and play it by the basic strategy chart. You will know when to hit, double or stand with A,2 through A,9, including soft 18, which hits against a dealer 9, 10 or ace.
What makes a hand soft
A soft hand is a hand with an ace counted as 11. The ace counts as 11 unless that would put your total over 21; then it counts as 1.
This is soft 17: the ace counts as 11, plus 6. One more card cannot bust this hand.
Add a 10 and the ace counts as 1. The hand is now hard 17 – a total with no ace counted as 11.
You play a hard total from the hard rows of the strategy chart. The card values page has a refresher.
Soft 13 to soft 17: hit or double
With A,2 through A,6 you never stand. You either hit or double – double your bet and take exactly one more card.
| Your hand | Double against | Hit against |
|---|---|---|
| A,2 (soft 13) | 5–6 | 2–4, 7–A |
| A,3 (soft 14) | 5–6 | 2–4, 7–A |
| A,4 (soft 15) | 4–6 | 2–3, 7–A |
| A,5 (soft 16) | 4–6 | 2–3, 7–A |
| A,6 (soft 17) | 3–6 | 2, 7–A |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
The double cells mean "double, otherwise hit". If you cannot double – for example, your hand already has three cards – you hit.
Soft 18: the hand that hits against 9, 10 and ace
A,7 is soft 18. Against a dealer 9, 10 or ace, the chart says hit.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | S | S | H | H | H |
- Dealer 2–6: double. If you cannot double, stand. The double against a 2 is for tables where the dealer hits soft 17.
- Dealer 7–8: stand.
- Dealer 9, 10 or ace: hit.
The chart rows on this page use the standard rules, where the dealer hits soft 17. The soft 17 rule page explains this rule.
Hitting soft 18 cannot bust you, because the ace counts as 1 if 11 would put you over 21. If the new card makes a hard total, keep playing it from the hard rows.
Soft 19 and soft 20: stand
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | Ds | S | S | S | S | S |
A,8 is soft 19. Stand against every dealer up card except 6, where you double – or stand if you cannot double.
The double against a 6 is for tables where the dealer hits soft 17.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
A,9 is soft 20. Stand against every dealer up card.
Play the hands in the trainer below and say the soft total out loud before you choose a move. Then check the full soft rows on the strategy chart.
Practise: 25 hands
Only hands from this lesson. Your first answer counts.
The lesson on one card
- A soft hand has an ace counted as 11; one more card cannot bust it.
- Soft 13 to soft 17: never stand – double against some dealer cards from 3 to 6, otherwise hit.
- Soft 18: double against 2–6 (the 2 cell: dealer hits soft 17), stand against 7–8, hit against 9–A.
- Soft 19: stand, except double against a dealer 6 (dealer hits soft 17).
- Soft 20: always stand.
- If you cannot double, use the second move in the cell: hit or stand.
Check yourself
1. Which of these hands is a soft hand?
A,6
Right. The ace counts as 11, so the total is soft 17. One more card cannot bust it.
An ace, a 6 and a 10
Not quite. Counting the ace as 11 would take the total over 21, so the ace counts as 1. This is hard 17.
A 10 and a 7
Not quite. There is no ace in this hand. It is hard 17.
2. You have A,7 (soft 18) and the dealer shows a 10. What does the chart say?
Hit
Right. The soft 18 row says hit against a dealer 9, 10 or ace. You cannot bust with one more card.
Stand
Not quite. Soft 18 stands only against a dealer 7 or 8. Against a 10 the chart says hit.
Double
Not quite. Soft 18 doubles only against a dealer 2–6. Against a 10 the chart says hit.
3. You hit soft 13 and drew a 5. Your hand is now an ace, a 2 and a 5 – soft 18 with three cards. The dealer shows a 4. What do you do?
Stand
Right. Against a 4 the soft 18 cell says double, otherwise stand. With three cards you cannot double, so you stand.
Double
Not quite. You can only double on your first two cards. This hand has three cards, so you use the second move: stand.
Hit
Not quite. Soft 18 hits only against a dealer 9, 10 or ace. Against a 4 you stand when you cannot double.