Is blackjack better if the dealer hits soft 17?

Hey there! As a blackjack enthusiast, I know players often wonder about the infamous "soft 17" rule. When the dealer hits soft 17, is it better or worse for us players? After diving into the stats and strategies around this variant rule, I‘m going to walk you through the impact on the house edge, adjustments you need to make, and my advice for facing this situation at the tables.

Let‘s start with the basics…

What exactly is a soft 17 hand in blackjack?

In blackjack, an ace can count as 1 or 11 points. When the dealer has an ace and a 6, their hand totals either 7 or 17 points. The ace making it total 17 gives them a "soft" 17 hand, since that ace could still count as just 1 point instead.

Here are two example hands of a dealer soft 17:

• Dealer has an ace and a 6 -> Soft 17
• Dealer has a 9, 7 and an ace -> Also a soft 17

Now a "hard" 17 is different – this means the hand contains no aces and cannot be improved. Hands like a 10 and 7 would be hard 17.

So in summary:

• Soft 17 – Dealer hand with ace that totals 17 points. Ace can still count as 1 or 11.
• Hard 17 – Dealer hand without ace that totals 17 points. Cannot be improved.

Got it? Okay, now we can look at the strategies around this hand…

What happens when the dealer hits or stands on soft 17?

When the dealer has a soft 17 showing, the table rules will determine if they hit or stand.

If the dealer stands on soft 17, they do not take any more cards. Their hand stays at the initial soft total of 17 points.

However, if the dealer must hit on soft 17, they will take one more card and try to improve their hand. The possible outcomes include:

• Bust – Dealer goes over 21 points and loses.
• Improve – Dealer makes a hand like 18, 19, 20 or 21.

The odds are in the dealer‘s favor here – they have about a 25-30% chance of making an improved hand if they hit their soft 17. Compared to just a 15% chance of improving if they stand.

As you can imagine, whether the dealer stands or hits has a big impact on our strategy as players…

Does the soft 17 rule change the casino‘s edge?

The soft 17 rule affects both the player‘s odds and the casino‘s mathematical advantage or "house edge." Let‘s look at how:

• If the dealer stands on soft 17, their chances of improving are limited to about 15%. This is better for us players.
• If the dealer hits soft 17, they have around a 25-30% chance of making 18-21 and beating more of our hands. This is worse for us.
• For the casino, hitting soft 17 actually reduces their mathematical edge against players by around 0.2%. Although counterintuitive, this makes sense for them business-wise and is why many casinos now use this rule.

To summarize:

• Players: Better odds when the dealer stands on soft 17
• Casino: Lower house edge when dealer hits soft 17

Now let‘s see how we can adjust our strategy to counteract the dealer hitting soft 17…

Adapting your strategy to dealer hitting soft 17

Based on the dealer having better odds to improve their hand, we need to make some adjustments to basic strategy:

1. Double down more aggressively

Doubling down gives you a chance to boost your hand value closer to 21 against the dealer‘s potential made hands.

Here are some examples of when you should double more liberally if the dealer hits soft 17:

• Double soft 13-18 hands when dealer has 3-6 showing
• Double A-2 vs dealer 4, 5, and 6
• Double 8-8 vs dealer 6

Doubling down in these and similar situations will maximize your edge.

2. Split more hands

When the dealer has better odds to improve, creating two strong hands instead of one becomes more valuable.

Some examples of when to split as player:

• Split 2-2 and 3-3 vs dealer 2 through 7
• Split 6-6 vs dealer 2 through 6
• Split 7-7 vs dealer 2 through 7
• Split 9-9 vs dealer 2 through 6 and 9

Again, see how splitting in these cases is recommended more often against weaker dealer hands.

3. Hit more when basic strategy says stand

You should also hit more and stand less when the dealer figures to improve their soft 17.

Some examples:

• Hit hard 12-16 vs dealer 2-6 (stand is normal play)
• Hit hard 15 vs dealer 10
• Hit hard 16 vs dealer 9, 10, or A

By taking hits you would normally stand on, you boost your chances of competing with the dealer‘s improved hands.

Making the adjustments in your gameplay

I know looking at the charts it seems like a lot of changes to make! Here are some tips that have helped me implement these adjustments easily:

• Print out a basic strategy card that is specific for the "Dealer Hits Soft 17" rule. This makes it easy to know the changes without memorizing everything.
• If you don‘t have a card, just remember to double down and split more. Err on the side of making two hands instead of one.
• On your 12-16 hands, assume you should hit instead of standing, unless the dealer is showing a really strong upcard.
• Don‘t stress about memorizing every single change! Just think "play more aggressively" when you see that soft 17 sign.

After some practice, the adjustments will come pretty naturally. You‘ll have an advantage knowing how to counteract the dealer‘s odds in these games.

The verdict: Stand on soft 17 better for players

So in summary, while the casino has its reasons for using the "Dealer Hits Soft 17" rule, it‘s definitely not ideal from our perspective as players. The ability to improve their hand gives the dealer better odds to beat us.

Some key takeaways:

• Standing on soft 17 limits the dealer‘s chances to improve from the initial 17 points.
• Hitting soft 17 gives the dealer about a 25-30% chance of making 18-21 and beating our hands.
• Standing on soft 17 lowers the house edge by around 0.2% versus hitting.
• Making adjustments like more doubling down and splitting helps counteract the dealer hitting soft 17.
• Check the table rules first and be prepared to adjust your basic strategy accordingly!

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of why standing on soft 17 is preferable for us as blackjack players. Now get out there, have some fun, and be ready to win more hands!

All the best,
Terry