Blackjack Aces: How to Play Soft Hands

One of my favorite casino games is Blackjack. Blackjack is known to be a very beatable game; you can actually lower the house advantage by learning and applying Blackjack strategies. Even the basic Blackjack matrix can make you profitable at Blackjack tables if you use them correctly. In this article, we are going to talk about what strategies you should use when you play soft hands.

Soft hand is a Blackjack hand with an Ace in it. Since Ace can be counted as 11 or 1, the total of your hand is not fixed, thus it is called ‘soft’. Depending on the soft total, you can apply different strategies to beat the dealer. First of all, if you have a pair of Ace — a soft 12 — you should always split the hand. You are looking at two very strong starting cards, and the split pair can turn into two winning hands.

If you have A-2 or A-3, you should double if the dealer’s open card is showing a 5 or 6, otherwise hit. For A-4 and A-5, also double down when the dealer’s open card is showing 4, 5, or 6, otherwise hit. A-6 is just as easy to play, since you can double if the dealer’s open card is between 3 to 6 or hit. For A-8 and A-9, the best way to go is to stand; you have a strong hand and you can win the round easily. A-7, however, is a bit tricky. You should stand if the dealer has 2, 7 or 8, double if the dealer has anything from 3 to 6, and otherwise hit.