A soft hand is when there is an Ace in the combination because an Ace can count as 1 or 11 points,. #105-147 Victoria st. There are many different markets and types of golf betting odds available. The ace can either count as 1 or 11 so your hand has some flexibility (being dealt A4 can either be 5 or 15). In other words, there is no single best blackjack cheat sheet: You need to check how many decks are used in the game first and decide accordingly. Hard hands are usually considered more advantageous because they offer a higher chance of achieving a winning hand. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. Are you having trouble reading soft hands in Blackjack? Then this video is for you! We go over how to read soft hands in blackjack, such as soft 17. However, to balance things out, a rule was added to the game that allows dealers to hit a soft 17. If the total exceeds 21, the ace will be valued at one to prevent the hand from busting. 32. You should always soft double against a dealer's 5 or 6 when you have Ace/2 through Ace/7. The Rules of Pontoon. The next two rules concern soft hands, or hands with an ace that counts as either a 1 or 11. Contact. With this hand, you have a total of 18 that contains an ace which can be designated value of 11 without the hand going over 21. Try doubling down on hard nine, ten, or 11. Progressive Blackjack Additional Tips Other than that, progressive blackjack uses the same interface and gameplay as the standard online variants of 21. Soft 13s and 14s should always hit unless dealer is showing a 5 or 6 In terms of blackjack, it’s the probability of winning or losing with certain cards in your hand. A 'hard hand' in blackjack either has no Aces, or the Ace has a card value of 1 and cannot change. Win - the player wins as much as he bet. Except, a "blackjack" is the highest hand, consisting of an ace and any 10-point card, and it outranks all other 21-point hands. An average of 8. Some blackjack casinos require the dealer to hit on a soft 17. The dealer gives a card to each player as well as themselves. But only if you know what you are doing. BLACKJACK The name of the game – a ten or any picture card plus an Ace as your first two cards. If your hand has a total of 8, you hit. On a basic strategy chart it makes sense and we can see what we're supposed to do with any 2 card soft hand against a certain dealer upcard. Hard hands don't feature an ace at all or it can be counted only as a 1, e. A+4 or A + 5 – double down against a dealer 4 through 6, hit everything else. The player hits and draws an Ace, hits again and draws a 4, and as the dealer intones “8 or 18,” decides to stand. The difference between these two bets is that the low bet is riskier; you can win a lot more money if you win, but you can also lose a lot more if you lose. Learn the odds of different hands you will see at the blackjack table. If you have Ace 6: Double if the dealer has 3 thru 6 - otherwise hit. A soft hand of blackjack is a hand which contains an Ace and where this Ace can be counted as 11 without busting. That will clear up some confusion. Player #1 is dealt an Ace-2 against the dealer’s 10 upcard. This is when you have an ace valued as 11 and an 8 in your hand. Statistically, when playing blackjack, if your chances of winning a hand is 25% and your chance of losing is 75%, you should surrender and walk away with 50%. With a soft hand, the player can choose to hit or stand, depending on the situation. Finden Sie heraus, wann zu schlagen, zu stoppen, oder zu verdoppeln. You have 13-14: HIT if a dealer has 2-4, 7-Ace; if a dealer has 5 or 6 - DOUBLE. With a hand totalling 14, the chance you’ll bust if hitting is at 46%. If the player busts or the dealer has a higher total, the entire sum goes to the house. Hard 10 will double against 2-9. When it comes to types of blackjack hands, these are the preferred choice for many, as players will have the. With this blackjack hand, you can’t go bust on the next hit. On the other hand, with a hand total of 15, the chance of busting increases to 54%. Unfortunately, hands don't always get dealt in such easy one, two punches and, if they do, you often still have to make a "soft" decision on a 3rd or 4th card. Hit when holding pairs of 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, and 8s. For example, if the player had been dealt an Ace and a 5 then their hand could be worth 6 or a 15; but if they hit and got a 4 (new total of 10 or 19, so still soft) then hit again. This ace, as many know already, can be used as a 1 or an 11. Memorizing blackjack basic. After splitting your hands, you will play two hands within your turn, getting a new card for each of the split cards. What differentiates them? It all boils down to the value of the ace card. Soft 17 can be made in various ways. For example, 10-8 is a hard 18; 5-A-10-2 is a hard 18. As a soft hand, it can be worth either 6 or 16. 26% edge. Soft-17 – a soft-17 is a hand with a value of 17, but one which can also be counted as a total value of seven (hand must have an Ace). The flip side is that, from that point on, you don’t get to decide whether to hit or stand. If the dealer stands on a soft 17 and reveals a six, it is recommended to double down on a soft 13 to a soft 18, but stand on 19 or more. When you are dealt a hand with an ace, this is called a soft hand. In fact, the top six biggest casino wins ever. Pairs have two cards with the same value, e. HITTING AND STANDING: THE BREAD & BUTTER OF BLACKJACK STRATEGYIf you have an ace in your hand combined with a 5, 6, or 7 – giving you a soft total of 16, 17 or 18 – you can double your bet if the dealer has a card between 2 and 6. The house edge is around 2%. It gets its name from the fact that its value is customizable (1 or 11), depending on the other card. For example, a hand consisting of an Ace and a 6 is referred to as a ‘soft 17’ because the Ace is valued as 11 points (11 + 6 = 17). One of the features that players can resort to is splitting their pairs and form two or more hands to play with. A 10-7 is an example of a hard hand, but so is A-7-9; if the hand doesn’t contain an ace or has one or more aces counted as one, then the. Just plug in the rules and it produces an immediately basic strategy and is ready to run a simulation. Stand on all hard totals of 17 regardless of what card the dealer starts with. By the Rule of 9, doubling down is your best play. In fact, below are five common mistakes made by players; but first, I want to be sure you understand what is meant by a “soft 17” hand. With a soft 15 as your starting hand, there is no risk and. With our help you can identify 5 blackjack hands that you are probably playing wrong. Hit: When the dealer has anything else showing. As a soft hand, it can be worth either 6 or 16. For example, an ace and 7, therefore being a hand that can be. A,A – always split. Before we delve into the strategies, it is crucial to understand what constitutes a soft hand in blackjack. Hit hard 12 against the dealer’s deuce or 3. Examples of soft 18 hands are: A-7 or A-3-4. That means understanding how to play a soft 19. Soft 18 falls into the category of one of the most frequently misplayed hands in blackjack. Blackjack deck single strategy basic dealer beat double bj lifesmith . 89% in S17 single-deck games and 43% in H17 single-deck blackjack. Hit. 5x payout, but this is mathematically the same as taking insurance. Your 7 plus the dealer's 3 equals 10. Here are some strategy rules of thumb that you can use in common situations to increase your chances of winning: When you have a soft hand: You should rarely stand on a soft hand unless the total is 20 or 21. It will be best to have a look at all of these cases at once where players have a hand totalling 14, 15, and 16 as the strategy that needs to be used is the same. Other liberal playing rules include blackjack tables where the dealer stands on soft 17. Soft and Hard Hands in Blackjack. Pairs of 9-9 against a dealer 7 call for standing while pairs 8-8, 9-9, and A-A against a dealer 8 call for a split. On the other hand, with a hand total of 15, the chance of busting increases to 54%. Your 2 plus the dealer's 4 equals only 6, therefore you should just hit. If the player gets an A-7 and the dealer shows 3-6, the player must stand on 2, 7 and 8. In blackjack, whenever you have an ace in your hand that can be counted as eleven, you have a soft hand. Ace - 2 Ace - 2 - 2 hand. Winning hands in Blackjack will generally pay one-to-one (1:1), also known as ‘evens’ or ‘even money’. In the event that your hand looks like. Shoe games typically use more than 2 decks. In online blackjack always stand with this hand. Whether or not the dealer must hit on a soft 17 (a hand of 17 containing an ace being counted as 11) differs from casino. Since double deck blackjack is easy to count and yields a smaller house advantage in comparison to six or eight deck games, most casinos have tweaked the rules to gain a larger edge over their players. EN Online CasinosPlaying Blackjack ‘soft’ hands. Also. Unlike a hard hand, where the ace can only take on a value of 1 to prevent a bust, a soft hand allows the ace to take on a value of 11. You’ll note a designated spot for betting for games that offer LL. The bust percentages for a dealer holding a 6 are 43. The hand is soft because it can't bust on the next card. 3) Soft & Hard hands in blackjack As part of the basic blackjack strategy, we gave 3 different tables for 3 different scenarios — soft hands, hard hands, and split hands. It is essential to remember the correct playing decisions for soft and hard 18 differ despite the fact the two. That’s because there is a third possible result - a push. Against a dealer who must hit on soft 17, you should do the same except that you should also double against a 2 rather than standing. There are special basic strategies for hard and soft hands. Winning blackjack pays 3: 2. A 10-7 is an example of a hard hand, but so is A-7-9; if the hand doesn’t contain an ace or has one or more aces counted as one, then the. Being a soft hand, it contains an Ace that can be assigned a value of either 1 or 11 like on the following examples: A-7, A-2-5, and 4-3-A. Last week, we discussed refinements to the first three blackjack basic strategy rules. 1,731 likes · 1 talking about this · 57 were here. In the blackjack strategy chart above, we have not provided separate rows for 5- and 10-pair hands as we have taken those hands as hard 10s and hard 20s and covered them in that corresponding table for hard hands. Blackjack Soft Hand Hard Hand - 150% Up To 00. This characteristic adds an extra layer of flexibility, allowing players to make strategic. Hit — Hit is the exact opposite of stand. With this hand, you have a total of 18 that contains an ace which can be designated value of 11 without the hand going over 21. This is how you can learn how to play online blackjack in just seven steps: Step 1: place your bet. This technology preserves the integrity of the game and ensures unbiased results. Soft 17 – One of the Most Frequently Displayed Hands in Blackjack. 35%. 10. You can opt to hit for as long as you don’t go bust (exceed 21). In blackjack, ‘soft’ hands are the ones containing an Ace, which means the total can be counted twofold. In casinos, the dealers are put at a slight disadvantage as they are forced to play by fixed rules and are required to always draw to and then stand on certain hand values (all 17s, soft 17, soft 18 and so on). (*) Soft 17 is probably the trickiest hand in blackjack online. Note: Casinos that offer higher payout on these hands or use a smaller number of decks have a lower house edge. When deciding which to play, consider your hand’s total as well as the dealer’s up card. So what is the distinction between soft and hard hands? Hard hands in blackjack either do not contain an Ace or when they do, the Ace is assigned a value of 1 and cannot be counted as 11. Moreover, soft hands and hard hands are two odds for winning the blackjack game against the dealer. If a hand total is considered to be a soft hand, it also sets the "softHand" variable that's passed in to true. Hard hand — This is a hand with no ace. However the actual probability is much less, because as the player gets each blackjack the ratio of aces to cards left in the deck decreases. There are nine valid soft scores in blackjack, the lowest of which is 13 (A 2). Traditionally, dealers should hit on a soft 16 and stand on a soft 17 when that concerns a game of Classic Blackjack. Blackjack - an automatic winning hand containing both an Ace and a 10 value card. Insurance This is a side wager placed against the dealer’s probability of having a blackjack hand when their upcard is an ace. Soft hand is the name of a hand with two cards one of which is an Ace. A hard-17 is considered a strong hand, yet is the poorest hard total players are recommended to stand on. A soft hand is one that contains an ace, so a “soft 17” is an ace plus a 6. All in all, playing the game optimally can decrease the house edge by anywhere between 0. It is worth mentioning that the same goes for the situations when players have a hard 13 against different. There are four aces in any deck. A hand with an ace; Blackjack Strategy Chart. In blackjack hands, 9-7 and Ace-5 can both be read as totals of 16, but they’re very different hands that require different approaches to strategy. It consists of an ace and a card with a value of 10. In blackjack, a hand is considered “hard” if it doesn’t have an ace, or if the ace has a value of 1. 1. 4% worse than a 3:2 blackjack game. Quoting from Wikipedia (due to lack of an official online source for blackjack rules):. Blackjack Basic Strategy For Soft Hands How to Play Soft Hands in Blackjack Hard hands: Hard 8 or less - Hard 9 - Hard 10 - Hard 11 - Hard 12 - Hard 13 - 16 - Hard 17 to. As a result, when the dealer is forced to hit on soft 17, they will bust more often, but also improve losing hands more often. Soft 15 and soft 16 against the dealer’s 4, 5, or 6. The ace can be counted as either 1 or 11, which gives the player more flexibility. The blackjack strategy for hard hands and soft hands varies and the presence or absence of the Ace in the player's hand has a significant effect on the game plan. These are called soft hands, and example being soft 15 (ace-5). On the contrary, players end up busting in many cases with this hand. What’s the difference? The ace can act as 1, so if you hit and get anything more. This makes perfect sense considering resplitting aces adds roughly 0. But there is also one more type of blackjack hand – hand where two cards are of the same rank. Hands with an Ace can sometimes be confusing to a new blackjack player. Soft 18. Players with a soft hand of 17 always choose to hit, i. When you have a soft 16. The difference to the house. As for Ace-10, that’s blackjack, and that’s the name of the game. Actually, it is the opposite: This hand offers a chance to. A soft 17 is a hand that’s made up of an ace (counting as 11) and a 6. 9% compared to 5. So if the player had bet $10 on the hand and $5 on the Insurance bet, they would lose the $10 and be paid a total of $15 – their $5. 7-7 or 10-Q. Adoption. 5 Understanding Hard Hands & Soft Hands in Blackjack; 6 Blackjack Side Bets; 1 Response Comment. If the dealer shows a 9 or higher, stand against other hands. On the other, if the dealer has anywhere over 7, you would be better off hitting. As mentioned above, the term “soft” refers to a hand where you have an ace plus another card. 5 times the bet. This means that you’re confident that your hand will beat the dealer during the showdown. When the dealer hits soft 17, basic strategy calls for surrender in three more situations: Hard 15 against an Ace; hard 17 against an Ace and 8-8 against an Ace. 🎰😍Quiz to find y. Always hit soft totals 13 through 17 and stand on soft 19. As mentioned above, the term “soft” refers to a hand where you have an ace plus another card. It’s a winning hand. Sponsor a Pup & Shop. Doubling down is one of several choices a player has after receiving their two initial cards in the game of blackjack. The Ace-6 hand is the most common Soft 17 hand that most blackjack players will know, but you can also make Soft 17 with 3 or more cards, so long as the Ace is counted as 11 or 1. In situations where the dealer has a 3 or 4, stay cool. Soft Blackjack Hands. Basic Strategy for Blackjack Using 4 to 8 DecksHere are the probabilities for the dealer’s final hand after hitting a soft 17 versus standing on a soft 17, according to Mike Aponte (assuming it is a 6-deck game. When you have a soft hand or soft total in blackjack, one of the cards you hold is an ace, and your hand total can change depending on which gives you more advantage. For instance, a hand containing A-2 is soft 13 while one consisting of A-2-3 is a soft 16. Odds of Winning Blackjack. If the dealer is showing 3-6, hit. The best possible blackjack hand is an opening deal of an ace with any ten-point card. The dealer will continue taking more cards—until the house’s hand either becomes a hard 17 or higher, or the hand goes over 21 and goes bust. Following is his basis strategy under these rules. When you have a soft 16, 17, or 18 A “soft” hand is when you have an ace since it counts as either 1 or 11. For example, ACE-6 is a blackjack soft 17 hand, 2-2-ACE-2 is also a blackjack soft 17 hand. Soft 19 and soft 20 are hands that many experienced players hope for when playing blackjack. Multi-Deck Blackjack Strategy Charts (4–8 Decks)The Ace-6 hand is the most common Soft 17 hand that most blackjack players will know, but you can also make Soft 17 with 3 or more cards, so long as the Ace is counted as 11 or 1. 2s. The tables assume the dealer already checked for, and did not have, blackjack. Hard hands are those that don’t have an Ace and their value is fixed. To double down basically means to double your initial bet. IF a dealer can hit until hard. [1] : 342 It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. How to read the basic strategy chart? Experts recommend doubling down when you have a total of 11 in your hand, and the dealer is not displaying an Ace. You can calculate the probability if you divide the number of winning outcomes by the number of all possible outcomes. Multi-Hand Blackjack: Multi-hand blackjack allows a player to wager on multiple. You would hit the hand, hoping for another 5 (to equal 11). Soft hands pose as a more significant challenge and so do pairs. Blackjack soft hand. In a similar way, it is possible to determine the correct decisions for any player hand values in these casino games. Soft hands can be surprisingly hard to play in blackjack. Interestingly enough, the house edge in single-deck blackjack is slightly higher than in multi-deck ones (5. Soft hands are blackjack hands that contain an ace, which can be valued at 1 or 11. Dealer’s Up card is 5. Soft 14 (A,3) doubles against dealer 5 through 6, otherwise hit. What Is a Soft Hand in Blackjack? A soft hand in blackjack is any hand where you can choose to use the ace as 1 or as 11. For instance, an A-7 hand is a soft 18. Basic Strategy Chart for Single Deck Blackjack: Dealer Stands on Soft 17. g. Dealer Hits Soft 17 Generally, the dealer in blackjack must hit if he has a total of 16 or less, and stand if he has 17 or more. In fact, a soft hand is any hand with an ace with the exception of when this is with a 10 or a picture card. Since hard 13 is more prone to busting than hard 12 (with 5 out of 13 card denominations that can break the hand), players should approach it more conservatively. Adjusting Your Bet Size in Multiple-Deck Games Additional Tips Assuming you play at a table where the minimum is $5, you should start the session by betting 1 unit, or $5, when the count is negative, 0 or +1. If you use a basic blackjack martingale strategy, you are probably better off avoiding this mechanic. Basic strategy recommends standing on hard 13 against upcards 2 through 6 because these put the. Splitting Aces gives you the opportunity to create two brand new hands with a more advantageous starting point of 11. You should never split this hand: We will list the best hands to split in blackjack below but the hard 20 is not one of them. 8-A. For instance, a soft hand of thirteen in blackjack would be counted as an Ace and 2, while a hard hand would be a 10 and 3. The rules say that you should double down on. On top of that, the presence of the Ace determines the type of a hand in blackjack. Choose to play at tables with liberal playing rules — even if it means you will have to scout the tables for a while. 04% probability of a total of 19; an 18. The dealer must always hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. A blackjack cheat sheet is a reference card that tells you how to play every possible. Make a bet from $1 to all-in. Face cards, which are the Jacks, Queens, and Kings, are all worth 10. When this happens, the house gets an opportunity to improve the hand against the soft hand of the player, which. Hard 14 Total. Since most blackjack games have dealers standing on all hands of 17, this rule allows them to hit, increasing the chances of getting a better hand than the player. In this situation, standing is the recommended move in most cases. The Hard 20. Since the Ace can be 1 or 11, a player. Always stand on soft 21 and 20; Double down against 6 or else stand with a hand of soft 19, comprising ace and 8;Soft 19 is an excellent in blackjack soft hand, as it positions players close to the coveted total of 21. 26% edge. On the other hand, if you pair it with a low-valued card, its value can be 11. A soft hand is any hand that contains an Ace, which can be counted as either 1 or 11. Likewise, a pair consisting of an Ace and a seven is called the. Now as you know what both hands mean, you have an idea of the difference between hard and soft blackjack hands. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking. You should also choose it when you have a soft 16, 17, or 18, and the dealer has a low or medium. Dealer hits soft 17: If, instead of standing on all 17s, the dealer hits hands including an ace or aces that can be totaled as either 7 or 17, the house edge is increased by 0. Soft hands only – play just soft hands (hands with an ace). top of page. Hard and soft hands in blackjack are all determined by one card: the Ace. Splits only – play just splitting hands. The peculiarity of soft hands in blackjack is the dual role of the ace. Double Deck Games with Disadvantageous Rules. A hand with an ace value of 11 is a. Always stand on soft 20 (A, 9)A blackjack hand will be considered as soft if one of the two cards dealt is an ace. For example, a hand consisting of an Ace and a 6 is referred to as a ‘soft 17’ because the Ace is valued as 11 points (11 + 6 = 17). Both cards of the dealer are dealt face-down so that they are not immediately visible to the. Based on these rules, the player's expected value is -0. 511734%. 2. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called "soft", meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; the value of the ace will become 1 to. Your 2 plus the dealer's 4 equals only 6, therefore you should just hit. This Ace allows players to adjust its value to 1, allowing. The difference between the two is the presence of an Ace. When you surrender in blackjack you are immediately forfeiting your hand and getting 50% of your bet returned to you. Blackjack Hard vs Soft Hands. On the other hand, if you pair it with a low-valued card, its value can be 11. Surrender 16 against 9- Ace and 15 against a 10. We don’t go into rule details on 6:5 blackjack games. Likewise, a soft 13 would be made up of an ace and a 2. Single DeckLiberal Playing Rules. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total. One of the hands that blackjack players often misplay is soft 18. Whenever the player has an ace in hand that can be considered as 11, he is having a soft hand. Blackjack strategy charts for the specific tables you play on. To elaborate, the entire basic strategy chart includes 340 distinct permutations of player totals and dealer up cards that are possible. Imagine that you’re dealt a hand, an ace, and a 5. When your cards total 11. Even some of the. dealerPlay - This plays using standard BlackJack dealer play strategy. A hand in which an Ace's value is counted as 11 is called a Soft hand, because it cannot be busted if the player draws another card. You will be paid at 3:2 unless the dealer also has Blackjack, in which case the hand is a tie. Meaning of Natural Blackjack. For example, if you are dealt an Ace and a 6 , this hand would be referred to as Soft 17 because it can be counted as either 7 or 17. Hard hands don't feature an ace at all or it can be counted only as a 1, e. A soft hand in blackjack is any hand containing an ace counted at 11. However, if your dealer has a low face-up card, it is better to stand at a hard 4. Blackjack is a slightly deceptive game. 5 hands at 6:5. The Ace counts as 11 to start. If the dealer stands on a soft 17, the correct decision is to Surrender, or Hit. 36%;With the soft 17 rule, it stands to be a handy companion for the dealer. If one of the cards is an Ace counted as 11 – the hand is soft. On the other hand, a soft hand is the one that involves an ace that is worth either 1 or 11. It concerns playing soft hands and what you should do after the first card you receive. This puts them in an advantageous position as all that is needed for them is to reveal their upcard. 42%. Understanding blackjack hand values and blackjack card values ins an essential part of learning how to play the game, both at the casinos and online. Change is Possible. On top of that, the presence of the Ace determines the type of a hand in blackjack. Soft hands are those that contain an Ace. Soft 15 (A,4) doubles against dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit. The probability of getting a blackjack is 128/415, or 30. 5 or 6. Having an Ace card in your hand makes it soft because it has greater flexibility of options given that the Ace card can be valued at either one or eleven. The dealer's revealed card is in every chart, which you can see at the top. This versatility is what makes soft hands so intriguing and potentially profitable. This is also important to the dealer as each casino will specify whether the dealer has to stand or hit on soft seventeen. But at some games there is an exception when the dealer has a hand of "soft" 17. . This is because the chances of you making a good hand are high with so many 10-value cards in the deck. Soft hands are flexible since their aces can revert to a value of 1, if necessary, as more cards are added to. Ace/3 against a 7. Tip #3 Know When to Surrender. 78% of the time. (*) Soft 17 is probably the trickiest hand in blackjack online. Soft 18 falls into the category of one of the most frequently misplayed hands in blackjack. You'll never stand on this total, since you cannot bust by taking a hit, and the chances of getting a good card are relatively good. Also, the basic playing strategy for playing a blackjack soft 17 is different from a hard 17. A natural blackjack hand is worth 21 points with its two-hole cards and has a payout of 3:2 or 6:5, much higher than the standard payout. With soft 20, you are dealt an ace assigned a value of. However, analyzing the dealer’s upcard and the specific game rules is essential for making the right move with soft 19. This unique flexibility is the reason why certain blackjack hands with an ace are called soft hands. For example, they understand that hitting hard 16 is recommended whenever the dealer has a ten or an ace or that they should split 8s when the dealer starts with a 5 or a 6. The script run. Here’s the difference between them below! Hard Hand. This is the hand with the highest bust frequency rate out of these three hard totals. When that becomes the case, you have a hard. So, blackjack guide chart will give a separate set of instructions depending on whether the hand is Soft or Hard. PDF⋙ Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: 4/6/8 Decks, Dealer Stands on All. It doesn’t matter what the dealer shows. Blackjack Soft Hand 19 or 20. Hit 16 against a dealer with a ten-value card or Ace, otherwise surrender if allowed. To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In the game of blackjack, hands that contain an ace that can be counted as 11 are. In both cases an A stands for ace. When you are dealt a hand with an ace, this is called a soft hand. A soft hand is when one of your starting hands contains an ace. A hard hand has no ace or an ace worth 1, while a soft hand has an ace which counts as 11. Stand against 2-6 and hit against 7-ace with a hard hand 13 through 16.