In online blackjack games, many players feel obligated to hit when they have a soft hand, regardless of the value of the up card that the dealer is showing. In all fairness, hitting a soft hand will never result in a bust, so the hit is surely safe from busting. However, just because a player will not bust when they hit a soft hand does not mean that hitting is the most profitable move with all soft hands. In fact, there are instances when standing with a soft hand is the most profitable move.
As always, the dealer’s up card in comparison to the blackjack player’s total should serve as a guide when determining whether to hit or stand with a soft hand. A player is always correct when they hit their hands that are valued seventeen and under. Some hands under seventeen justify doubling down. When a player holds a soft hand that is valued at eighteen and up, it is not always in the player’s best interest to hit. When the blackjack dealer is showing an up card of a nine, ten, face card, or ace to a player’s soft eighteen, the player should take a card. However, if the dealer possesses an up card of a two, seven or eight, the player should stand, as the most likely results give the player the edge. If the dealer’s up card is between three and six, the blackjack player should double down if the house rules permit them to do so, as the double down has the largest expectation out of any of the available actions. Should the rules forbid doubling down on soft eighteens, however; a blackjack player holding a soft eighteen should stand, as standing in these instances is the second most profitable course of action for the blackjack player.
When a blackjack online player possesses a hand that is valued at a soft nineteen or better, the rules for optimal play are much simpler. Players holding a soft nineteen or soft twenty are never correct in taking a hit or doubling down, as the most profitable course of action is standing. Thus, the blackjack player need not pay attention to the dealer’s up card in these instances. By understanding when the correct course of action in blackjack is to stand with soft hands, a blackjack player will tighten up his game and increase the amount of money won on the blackjack table.