On the other hand, their chances of making a better total than 17 are around 0.8%. The dealer has a higher chance of busting with this rule by about 0.4%. If the dealer hits on soft 17, it increases their chances of busting, but it also increases their chances of improving the hand. It has an effect on your chances and strategy, just like the number of decks or the blackjack payout. Soft 17 is one of the most crucial blackjack rules. Written directly on the table alongside blackjack and insurance payouts, it should say something along the lines of - “ dealer must hit soft 17” (H17 game) or “ dealer stands on 17 and must draw to 16” (S17 game).

Many blackjack variants implement the soft 17 rule, which forces the dealer to either stand or hit on this exact hand total. However, things are different for the dealer. When you’re a player, it doesn’t matter whether you have a soft 17 or not, as you are free to choose your move whenever it suits you. Another way to look at it is that you are guaranteed not to bust if you hit on your soft hand because the ace can always count as one instead of 11. When any hand contains an ace, it’s called a soft hand since aces in blackjack can count as both 1 and 11.

Soft 17 is a situation in which the blackjack hand contains a total of 17 with a single ace (6+A, 4+2+A, etc.). Let’s find out! What Is the Soft 17 Rule?

So, why 17? What’s “ soft” about it, and how is this special rule applied in the game of blackjack?

Blackjack what is a soft hand