Blackjack Soft Hands Quick Guide

Blackjack is a popular and exciting game in every casino. It's a pretty simple game, just beat the dealer or get a 21 on a hand that has two cards and you instantly win. Though the game is relatively easy, beginners and average blackjack players make mistakes when playing the soft hands. We'll give you a quick guide to playing the soft hands in blackjack.

A soft hand in blackjack is simply any hand that has an Ace. That's as simple a definition of a blackjack soft hand you can get. The Ace in blackjack can either be played as having 11 points or one point.

Let's say that you have an Ace and a 6, this would total to a seven or a soft 17. For a three-card hand, an example would be a Two, a Three, and an Ace -- that will add up to a soft 16. That's it for our definition let's move on to playing blackjack soft hands.

Why fuss over the soft hands? Other than the fact that a lot of new blackjack players make mistakes on these hands, understanding how to play these soft hands should be a basic part of any player's blackjack strategy.

We recommend that before you move off to other blackjack strategies, you better learn how to play soft hands by rote. And if you master this basic blackjack strategy you can significantly reduce the house edge.

Here's our quick guide to play the soft hands in blackjack. We'll start off with the very first and basic thing you'll need to do -- look at the dealer's hand.

Your dealer will have two cards initially like everybody else, and you'll notice that one of his cards is face up (the up card), the other one is not. Check out what up card the dealer has and then compare that with your soft hand.

If your soft hand has a Two or a Three you need to make a choice either to double or to hit. Check the dealer's hand first before making a decision. If the blackjack dealer has a Five or a Six then double, if not then hit.

If your soft hand has a Four or a Five you will have to double if the dealer's up card is from Four to Six, if not then hit.

If your soft hand has a Six remember to double if the blackjack dealer has an up card from Three to Six, if not then hit.

If your soft hand has a Seven, stand if your dealer's up card is a Two, a Seven, or an Eight, double if his up card is between Three to Six, if not then hit.

If ever your soft hand has an Eight or a Nine remember to always stand.

It'll take some time before you master this quick guide. But as soon as you get it you'll immediately notice a change in your game.