In Blackjack Does The Dealer Hit On 17

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This is probably the most common rule difference in blackjack games. A soft 17 is one that includes an Ace valued at 11 and can be valued at 17 or 7. 17 is the standard value that a dealer would normally be forced to stand on. The house edge is higher when the dealer has to hit on soft 17. The Soft 17 Rule in Blackjack. By Henry Tamburin. The “soft 17 rule” is a rule that requires the dealer to hit on soft 17. For many blackjack players, this rather innocuous rule doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the fact of the matter Henry Tamburin is the editor and publisher of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter and author of the best-selling Blackjack: Take the Money & Run. If your hand is 11, hit only if the dealer shows an ace. For a hand of 12, stand if the dealer shows a 4 through 6. If they show a 2, 3, or a 7 through ace, hit. When you have a hand of 13 through 16, stand if the dealer reveals a hand of 2 through 6. When you are dealt 17 through 21, you should always stand. Reference Chart. The dealer does not hit until all players have either busted, stayed or received blackjack. At which point the dealer will reveal the hidden card they dealt themselves at the beginning of the round. The dealer will hit until they have a sum of or higher than 17. These are the dealer's rules for each round of blackjack.

How To Know When To Hit On 16

Published on Monday, 06 May 2013 17:17
Written by Sam
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Probably the worst situation to be in at the blackjack table is to be dealt a 16 while the dealer has a 7 or higher showing. Blackjack charts from all across the world say to hit the 16 when the dealer is showing a 7 or higher, even surrendering in some situations. If you want to beat the casino, you’re going to have to do better than that. So let me share with you one of my key winning blackjack plays…

Never hit your 16.

You say, “but I can’t beat the dealer’s 20 with my 16!”

And you’re right.

But you definitely can’t beat the dealer if you’ve busted out. And you’ll lose nearly 70% of the time when you hit your 16.

Here’s the statistics. If you hit on your 16, you’ll win 25.23% of the time, push 5.46% of the time, and you will lose 69.31% of the time. That’s a net loss of 44.08% when you hit your 16.

If you stand on your 16, you’ll win 29.01% of the time, push 0%, and lose 70.99% of the time. This is a net loss of 41.98% — so by standing on your 16, you’ll be cutting your losses by 2.1%!

In the situation where you are dealt a 16, you have to realize that you’re probably going to lose, and you need to simply deal with that fact.

You need to stand on the 16 to give yourself the greatest chance of not losing.

Be patient, because you’ll make your money at the blackjack table with the better hands that you’re dealt…

In my book, I give you everything you need to enjoy the results I enjoy at the Blackjack table. All my plays are detailed in the strategy chart found in the book. I even have a pocket sized laminated version of my strategy card available from my website that will help you make the perfect play every time. And I’ll even autograph the book if you buy from my website. That’s an exclusive offer that you can’t get anywhere else.

This guide is up to disclose the essence of hit & stand solutions in Blackjack. These are the basic moves in this casino game. In the article below, we will point out situations that are the best for hitting or standing in the game without the need to learn any card counting tactics.

  • ALSO READ: Blackjack Strategy & Card Counting Guide

What is Hit in Blackjack?

Hit is a decision in Blackjack that considers taking an additional card. If you choose this move, one more card will be added to your hand. You can hit until the value of your hand reaches or exceeds 21, as many times as you want, during the match.

For example, you have a 5 and a 6 in your initial hand. That means the value of your hand makes 11. There is no chance you will get busted if you hit, and you shouldn’t stand because 11 is obviously not enough to win the match.

Thus, if you hit and get 3, the value of your hand will be 14. The best decision here would be to hit again, as the majority of dealers stand on soft 17, so you are likely to lose if you stand. You can hit until you get 21 or get busted, and the best solution depends on the value of your hand and the value of the dealer’s hand. Below, we will explain the best situations to hit.

When to Hit in Blackjack?

There are situations when hitting in Blackjack will always be a better idea than choosing any other option. The tips on hitting below are based on the mathematical calculations of probabilities and can be used both by novice and advanced players. Here, we do not consider options like splitting or doubling down:

  • Hit if your initial hand’s value makes 4-11 – the thing about an 11 maximum hand value is you have no other options, except taking one more card. The thing is, here you are 100% safe from getting busted and can get a good combination after one or more hits.
  • If you get hard 12, hit on the dealer’s 2, 3, 7-Ace upcard – based on the mathematical calculations, you will have a better chance to get a good combination with this strategy, as the only way you can get busted is if you get 10.
  • For 13-16, hit if the dealer has 7-Ace – the higher is the dealer upcard value, the more there are chances that your initial hand value is not enough to win.

When You Should Not Hit in BJ?

Here you can see the situations when you should avoid hitting:

  • Do not hit if your initial hand value makes a hard 17-20 – this is already a good hand, which gives you high chances to win. On the other hand, hitting with 17 or higher will give you a high chance of getting busted.
  • Never hit with soft 19 or soft 20 as well – there is an extremely low chance you will get a better combination in this game, and if dealer plays on a soft 17, you are already in a strong position.
  • If you get soft 18, do not hit if the dealer has a 2, 7, or 8 upcard – a soft 18 is good enough to give you a chance to win already.

What is Stand in Blackjack

Does The Dealer Have To Hit On 17

Stand is a decision in Blackjack that considers not taking any more cards in your hand. You choose to stand when you think you have the best value for your hand in the round. After you and the dealer stand, the value of both hands is calculated, and the winner is determined.

For example, when your initial hand makes 10-9, you are likely to stand instead of taking more cards. However, it also depends on the dealer’s hand, which can make 10-10, meaning that you will lose 100% if you stand. Below we will disclose when to stand or not to stand in detail.

When to Stand in Blackjack?

Stand is one of the most important decisions in Blackjack, as you need to choose whether to risk-taking another card to improve your hand or stop at this spot and count on the dealer having a weaker hand. Here are some situations when you should definitely stand in Blackjack:

  • If you have a hard 17-20, always stand – most dealers play soft 17, which means they stop hitting when they get as much as an Ace and a 6, so it is likely that you will win the match if you stand. On the other hand, if you have hard 17, you need 4 or less to improve your combination and not bust, and with hard 20, you need only an Ace to stay alive. It is obvious that the chances for this are rather low.
  • Also, always stand if you have soft 20 or soft 19 – there are more chances that you will make your hand weaker than improving it. The thing is that in order to improve soft 19 (A, 8), you need another Ace or 10 on the next hit, and the chances of this happening are low. If you take two hits, the chance of getting more than 19 is low as well.
  • When getting 13-16 with the dealer’s 2-6 you better stand. The thing is that in this situation, the dealer has to have a high-value second card to beat your hand. For example, if you have 16, and the dealer has 6, he has to have 10 or an Ace to equal or beat your hand. Even if the second card is of low value like a 2 or 3, you still have more chances to win.

When you should not stand in Blackjack?

There are also situations when standing will always be a bad idea:

  • If you have 4-11, there is no chance standing would be a good idea. The thing is that if you hit in this situation, you only have chances to improve your hand, and you are safe from getting more than 21.
  • Never stand if you have soft 12-16 – standing on this position would be a bad idea as most of the dealers play till soft 17, and even soft 16 can sometimes not be enough to win the match. It would be much better to hit in this situation, with high chances of improving your hand.

Hit & Stand Chart

This is one of the basic strategy charts, which is absolutely essential to beat the house edge when you play blackjack.

Hit & Stand Ultimate FAQ

This FAQ is composed of the most popular questions on hit & stand decisions in Blackjack.

Do you hit on a 12 in blackjack?

Only if the dealer does not have a 4-6 upcard. Otherwise, it is better to hit.

Should I hit or stand on 16?

It depends on whether you have soft or hard 16. If you have hard 16, hit if the dealer has 7-Ace, for soft 16 never stand.

How many times can you hit in blackjack?

As many times as you want until you get 21 or more value in your hand. However, in some BJ games, there is a 7 Cards Charlie situation – if you get 7 cards in your hand after hitting and you do not bust, your hand is valued as 21.

Does the dealer hit on soft 17?

Usually, all dealers stop on soft hand 17. However, it depends on the game you play. Clarify that in your online casino if you play online blackjack or from a dealer in a land-based casino.

Other Blackjack Strategies

Dealer

In Blackjack Does The Dealer Hit On 17 Years

Along with the hit & stand solutions, there are also other, more advanced moves you can use to your benefit. You can choose among double down, split or surrender as well. Of course, you can limit your decisions with hit & stand, and still exploiting other moves in the right way will increase your chances to win when you use long-term strategies.

Double Down

Double down is a solution that allows you to increase your initial bet up to 100% (depending on Blackjack game rules), and add one more card to your hand. This is a good decision when you have a strong hand against the dealer’s weak one. It allows you to increase your winnings up to 2 times. The only shortcoming of this decision – you cannot hit after you double down.

Split

Split is a decision that allows you to turn one hand into two hands and play each hand separately. Splitting is allowed when you get pairs in your initial hand (5-5, 6-6, etc.).

In Blackjack Does The Dealer Hit On 17 Day

Depending on the Blackjack game you play, you can split more than once during the game, split Aces, etc. This is a good move in some situations. To use this move to your benefit, you should consider the dealer’s hand as well.

In Blackjack Does The Dealer Hit On 16

Surrender

Surrender is a decision that allows you to save 50% of your bet. It considers that you can stop the game if you have a weak hand against the dealer’s strong hand. This decision can be valuable if you want to cut your losses. It depends on the BJ game rules, whether it is possible to make the surrender move.

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