What Does Soft Mean In Blackjack? Complete Strategy

 

Blackjack is such a fantastic game that millions of people play at casinos globally. The staggering number of players having different nationalities play this amazing game at bars and casinos. Besides, this game appeals to all types of players because of its multiple variations regardless of their personal preferences and cultures. Moreover, the casinos offer multiple blackjack tables having different characteristics and betting limits. You can find a table that suits your betting style and budget. So it does not matter if you are a conservative player or a high roller. In this article, we tell you what does soft mean in blackjack.

The Popularity Of Blackjack

In addition, blackjack is the most widely game in the casinos due to its amazing features. It has simple rules that make it easy to play for all the players. Besides, the low house edge has contributed a lot towards its popularity globally. You require to know the counting ways of cards if you want to be able to determine the total and type of your hand. Further, the card system is easy in blackjack. The players can remember it easily.

All cards have a worth equivalent to their numeric values. King, Queen, Ace, and Jack have different values than the numeric cards. All the face cards have ten points. The value of an ace can be one or eleven. So as a player, it is very important to know about the vales of cards. Moreover, it is essential to know about the hands so that you can handle them during the game easily.

What Does Soft Mean In Blackjack?

The concept of soft hands and hard hands in blackjack is essential to know for all the players to make the correct strategic decisions. Moreover, soft hands and hard hands are two odds for winning the blackjack game against the dealer. For the beginner, these words may sound weird. But they refer to two different kinds of hands in blackjack that a player can play. So strategies are developed for both hands differently. An ace card is the main difference between soft hands and hard hands in blackjack. This differentiation has given rise to many misplayed hands, unfortunately. Now, we discuss what soft hand in blackjack is and which steps you should take in case of possible soft hands:

What Is Soft Hand In Blackjack?

In blackjack, you have a soft hand when you have an ace in your hand while playing the game. This card is considered an important card since you can make adjustments in the total scores with the help of these cards. So if you have a soft hand, it means that you cannot go bust. The reason is that you can change the value of ace at any time during the game. But you should remember one thing that you cannot surpass the scores of twenty-one. Otherwise, you will lose the game. Further, losing your bet is the major reason due to which many players expect such types of hands in the game.

Possible Combinations Of Cards

There are various combinations of cards that you can have while playing the game. For example, if you deal with an ace card and a four-card, it will make a total of soft fifteen. In case if the dealer has a strong up card and you decide to improve the hand through hitting. You can make the value of an ace card to one despite going bust when you want to draw an eight card. Therefore, the ace is deemed to be the most amazing card in a deck of 52 playing cards. Moreover, it gives you complete freedom and flexibility to play with the total of your hands.

How To Play The Soft Hands In Blackjack?

It is impossible that you may not develop the card combination that will lead you towards the soft hand. Hence, soft hands are common. Also, the basic strategy chart consists of a section regarding soft hands. But every move matters a lot on the table. The reason is that every move can open many opportunities for you to get massive profit in the game. So you must learn the basic strategy if you want to get a huge profit from playing blackjack.

Factors Affecting Your Moves

The recommended moves depend on the upcard of the dealer and the total of your hand in the basic strategy. Besides, you require to make your moves by considering two important factors. Indeed every situation can lead towards multiple outcomes. They are not necessarily bad for the players in the game. You can see many charts of basic strategy. But you should remember that you choose the correct chart and stick to it while playing the whole game of blackjack.

Significance Of The Basic Strategy

But the basic strategy does not ensure your success in the game. However, the basic strategy can help you minimize the chances of losing the game to a great extent. So if you want to lower the house edge and become an expert in this amazing game, you must learn the card counting system.

Some Possible Soft Hands

Now we tell you how to deal with the possible soft hands in the game. For example, if you have an ace and a three-card in your hands, a soft fourteen. So, in this case, you can choose the option to hit. But you cannot hit if the dealer’s upcard is a six or five. In this case, you can choose the option of double down. This strategy is the same in the case of soft thirteen, fifteen, and sixteen.

Moreover, you must hot when the dealer’s upcard is a six, five, or four. The reason is that in all these cases, the chart demands you to double down. So if you have an ace and a six-card in your hands, the dealer has an upcard of three, four, five, or six, then you should choose the option of double down. But for the rest of the cases, you should choose the option of the hit.

What To Do In Case Of Soft Sixteen?

The strategy for soft sixteen is quite complex. Total three moves are included in soft sixteen, depending upon the dealer upcard. So if you have soft sixteen and if the dealer has six, five, four, or three cards, you should choose the option of double down. But if the dealer’s upcard is eight, seven, or two, you should prefer the stand option. Moreover, for the rest of the cases, you should get an additional card. In other words, you should prefer the option of the hit.

What To Do In Case Of Soft Nineteen Or Twenty?

Additionally, if you have the soft nineteen or twenty, you should choose the stand option. In this case, the dealer’s upcard does not matter. The logic for this move is that you are in the most favourable position by having such hands. Also, any other decision will take you towards many demerits and negative outcomes in the gameplay. Moreover, you should consider one point that the average winning hand is 18.5 points. So it means that the total of two hands will be enough to beat the dealer in the game.

What Is Hard Hand In Blackjack?

The ace card is not included in hard hands. Also, if the ace card is included, it will be counted as one. Otherwise, the total will exceed twenty-one. These hands are considered risky and disadvantageous. The reason is that the chances of going bust are higher in the presence of such hands. For example, if you deal with a seven and eight card, you have a hard fifteen. This does not apply to the low-value hands having a total of eight, seven, six, five, or four. Besides, they can be improved and are riskier. Hence, in these cases, the players just prefer to hit despite focusing on the dealer’s upcard.

How To Play Hard Hands?

If you have a total of nine and the dealer has an upcard of six, five, four, or three, you must prefer the option of double down. For the remaining cases, the players should try and improve their total by choosing the option of hitting. In addition, if you have a total of eleven or ten, you must prefer double down always. But if the dealer’s upcard is an ace or ten, you should not do double down. So if you have two cards whose total is twelve, you must hit unless the dealer has an upcard of seven, six, five, or four. So, in this case, you must prefer the option of the stand. This is the same strategy in case you have a total of seventeen or more. In all these situations, you should choose the option of stand simply.

In addition, for the rest of the cases, the players must choose the stand option. Hence, in the case of hard thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, the players should prefer the stand option. If the dealer’s upcard is different, the players must hit. Also, they should try to improve their total since the dealer is in a better position than the players.

Which Hands To Surrender In Blackjack?

You will face a situation while playing blackjack when you will about to lose the game. In such a situation, your level of skill and knowledge does not matter at all. So in this condition, the best option is to surrender. But the players cannot avail this move in all the conditions. But this option is quite beneficial for the players. Hence, it is important for the players to know all the blackjack game variations before starting the game. If you find that the rules do not apply to this move, you prefer the basic strategy.

In this move, you can keep half of your bet. But you will have to give half without playing your hand to the casino voluntarily. You withdraw from the present game with half of the bet in a condition where you have to lose the game. But this move is advantageous if you know how to use this move when required.

What To Do In Case Of Hard Fifteen Or Hard Sixteen?

For example, if you have a hard fifteen or hard sixteen and the dealer has a total of nine, ten, or ace, the players should take advantage of the surrender move. If you have a total of eight, you should apply a different approach. Besides, if you have a pair of eight, it will be advantageous for you to make two new hands by splitting the pair. So you have the chance to create two separate hands, which have a good opportunity to make a decent total provided that each player receives the eight.

When Should Players Double Down?

Double down is a profitable blackjack strategy. But it is beneficial only when the players use it wisely and at the right time. So the players should double their hands in the middle after dealing with two initial hands. So doubling down refers to receiving one more card.

In addition, doubling down in the case of hard hands is risky. In comparison, the players can double down in the case of soft eighteen, seventeen, or sixteen. So the players should double down wisely in the game.

Summing Up What Does Soft Mean In Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most fantastic games that you enjoy at bars and casinos. It has a huge fan following around the world. Besides, you can find multiple options of blackjack at various casinos. If you ask, what does soft mean in blackjack? The answer is when you have an ace in your hand, it will make the total of eleven; it refers to the soft hand. So if you have a soft hand, you cannot go bust since you can change the value of ace at any time during the game.

Moreover, we have explained how to play a variety of soft hands. Also, we have defined hard hands and their rules to play. We hope that you have understood the soft hand and hard hand now. So enjoy blackjack games in casinos and have fun.