What Are Soft Hands & Hard Hands in Blackjack?

The different kinds of terms used to describe a game of Blackjack could be confusing for some, especially beginners, while it is more or less an everyday affair for the experts. Regardless, it is quite important that you understand these terms if playing Blackjack is what you want to be doing.

And to begin the process, we are heading into two of the most important terms like soft and hard hands. So what are they? Let’s find out.

The Game Called Blackjack

As we all know, the objective of playing Blackjack is to get close to 21. This should be our focus and achieving it needs to be reflected in every move that we make. It is the same for all formats of Blackjack and is obviously the same whether you are playing offline or online Blackjack.

Since the game is played with one to eight decks, you will have 52 cards being used with each card being given a value of its own. While numerical cards hold their numbered value, cards like Aces can either be counted as 1 or 11 based on the situation that you are in.

And once you start receiving cards from the dealer, you will have two cards to start with and these cards will be known as the hand. It is nothing but the sum total of the point values that are featured in the individual cards that you own. So according to Blackjack rules, these cards represent the hand for you.

If the total value of your hand goes above 21, you lose and if the dealer’s hand is closer to 21 when compared to yours, you lose again. On the other hand, if the value is 21, you win and if the value is less than 21, you can choose the ‘hit me’ option, implying that you need another card.

There is also an option called ‘stand’ which means that you don’t want cards anymore. Utilising both these options requires you to understand the value of your cards and draw an estimate of the kind of cards that you will need to hit blackjack.

The Rules Surrounding Hit or Stand

When it comes to hitting or standing, there are rules that you need to follow. And by rules, we don’t mean the ones put forward by the game but the rules that help you win. Since we are playing Blackjack with shuffle tracking and other related aspects, it is always important to follow a few rules that can eventually help you either hit or stand in the right manner.

Always pay attention to the dealer’s hand – understanding what the dealer has will always help you make better decisions, especially when it comes to hitting or standing in Blackjack. For example, if the dealer’s card is 7 or larger, you need to include more cards and extend your hand to at least 17.
Observe the face-up card – if the face-up card is of low numerical value like 2 for example, you can continue adding more cards until you reach a definitive total of 14. With this in hand, you can stand and wait to see the dealer bust.
All about understanding the game – while there are plenty of rules of this sort, it all depends on how you perceive the game and how observant you are of the situations in front of you. Considering the casino has a slight advantage with the house edge, you need to be ready to create something of your own.

Soft & hard hands in Blackjack

Now that we have covered a few aspects of Blackjack, it’s time to get into the main topic of the hour, i.e. soft and hard hands. So let’s start with soft hands and help you understand more about the same to play Blackjack at your favourite online casino.

• Soft Hands

The hand that contains an ace is more or less what is known as a soft hand. Here, aces have two values, either 1 or 11. Due to that, doubling down or having to double down when holding a hand of this sort is quite rare. Moreover, it is also not as important as doubling when having a hard hand.

But in case you are planning to double, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. One, you will always have to double down when you have a soft hand only after observing what the dealer brings to the table. For example, if your hand has an Ace, a 6 and a 7 card while your dealer has cards 3, 4, 5 or 6, you need to double down.

This scenario stands to be true for all formats of Blackjack and does not necessarily change for casino games or Blackjack games that alter its betting rules.

Moreover, you should also never think about doubling down if there are other soft totals. This is an important step and keeps you informed about a lot.

• Hard Hands

If soft hands are hands with an ace then hard hands are hands without an ace. And if you happen to get them in a game of Blackjack, you have options in front of you. A common option in this regard is doubling down but that depends on the cards that you have. Holding a total of 9, 10 or even 11 is known to be the ideal time to double down when playing the initial hand.

And by playing it to perfection, i.e. hoping to get the right card, you can start to make the right bets, including Blackjack side bets, if everything goes according to plan. However, if things don’t go according to your plan and if you end up adding more cards than you wanted, you will have to make bets like ‘sucker bets’.

Apart from all of that, you also have the option of splitting Blackjack pairs. But to utilise this option, you need to look at your total, understand the pair and then come up with a decision that suits your requirements. In this manner, you can move from soft hands to hard hands and look to complete this game called Blackjack where they bring in a double deck.

Points to be Noted

When it comes to playing soft hands and hard hands in Blackjack, a misinterpretation of the dealer’s hand could always land you in trouble.
If you are playing games like live Blackjack, it is always important to observe the dealer, understand their moves and be productive with every move that you make.

Since mistakes are common, it is always important to practice the game a few times by looking for trial games at different mobile casinos or online casinos and then move ahead to play the game for real.

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