Soft hands and hard hands
An ace can count as 1 or 11. Ace–six therefore has a total of either 7 or 17. It is soft because the ace can switch to 1 if another card would otherwise take the total above 21.
Ten–seven is a hard 17. Ace–six–ten is also a hard 17: its ace must count as 1. The word soft describes the usable ace, not the strength of the hand.
What H17 and S17 mean
| Table rule | Dealer action |
|---|---|
| H17: hits soft 17 | The dealer takes another card on a soft total of 17. |
| S17: stands on soft 17 | The dealer takes no further cards on a soft total of 17. |
These are dealer rules. They do not automatically tell you what a player should do. Player decisions depend on the complete rules and the dealer’s upcard.
Check the complete table rules
Read the table’s help file for dealer behaviour, blackjack payouts, doubling, splitting and any special conditions. Branded variants can change several rules at once; Infinite Blackjack, for example, includes a Six Card Charlie rule.
Understanding a rule does not guarantee a winning hand. Avoid applying a strategy chart designed for a different game or rule set.