Blackjack Strategy - Soft Hands

xIn Blackjack, an Ace can be either high or low, with a value of 11 or 1 respectively. Hands containing an 11-value Ace are termed soft hands, because, if a further card is drawn your Ace can become a 1-value card if needs be. For example, 'Ace, 8' is a soft 19. If you drew another card, say, a 10-value card, you would now be holding 'Ace, 8, 10' the value of which is 19 once again. However, this would now be a hard 19, just like a '10, 9' hand. The beauty of holding a soft hand is that you can draw further cards to try and improve your hand, with absolutely no risk of going bust.

Tips for Soft Hands

1. Always stand on soft 19 'A-8' and soft 20 'A-9'. Yes, this seems obvious! You are already holding a great hand, so why change it? You'd be surprised at how many players see a Dealer holding an Ace or a 10-value card and don't stick with their soft 19 or soft 20. The odds are in your favour, just stick with it!
   
2. Know your soft 18's... 'A-7' is a tricky one. There are 3 different actions you could take depending on the Dealer's face up card:
   
   a. Stand if the Dealer is showing a 2, a 7, or an 8. Even if the Dealer draws a 10-value card when showing a 7 or 8, he wouldn't beat your soft 18, and remember that he must stand on 17 or above. Anything under 10 and he's likely to land in something slightly unpleasant. No need to even explain why a 2 against your 18 is probably bad news for the Dealer, so just stand back and relax.
   
   b. Hit if you're up against a 9 or above. Here the Dealer has a good chance of beating your 18. There are more 10-value cards in the deck than of any other value. In fact, a simple calculation will tell you that almost a third of the pack is comprised of 10-value cards. For this reason, basic blackajack strategy states that, statistically, it is worth hitting on your soft 18 hand in order to have a reasonable chance against the Dealer when showing a 9, 10-value card or an Ace. Unlike a hard 18, you are in no danger of going bust by drawing on your soft 18.
   
   c. Double down when the Dealer shows 3, 4, 5 or 6. It might seem crazy to double down on 18 but in this situation you truly have the upper hand, and it can pay to double your bet. On doubling down you are only dealt one more card, however, your chances are considerably better than the Dealer's of getting close to 21, and by doubling down you maximise your winnings. If you were to draw a 10-value card, the value of your hand actually remains at 18, however your bet, and your potential winnings have doubled.
   

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