Basic Blackjack Strategy for Soft Hands

Soft hands are one of the most misplayed categories of hands in blackjack, even by players who are otherwise familiar with basic strategy. The mistake usually goes in one of two directions: either players stand on soft totals when they should be hitting or doubling, or they are too passive and miss the doubling opportunities that soft hands uniquely create. Getting soft hand decisions right is one of the quickest ways to improve your expected return.

This page covers the correct play for every soft hand from soft 13 through soft 20, with full explanations for the reasoning behind each decision. For the quick reference chart, see our Basic Strategy Chart. For background on basic strategy development, Wikipedia's section on blackjack basic strategy is a useful reference.

What Makes Soft Hands Different

A soft hand contains an Ace currently counted as 11. The defining strategic advantage of a soft hand is that you cannot bust on the next card. Whatever card you receive, the Ace can drop from 11 to 1 to prevent your total from exceeding 21.

This cannot-bust feature has two strategic implications:

You can hit more aggressively than you would on a hard hand of the same total, because there is no bust risk on the next card.
Doubling down becomes profitable in many situations where a hard hand player would simply hit, because you have a safety net that a hard hand player lacks.

The most common mistake with soft hands is treating them like hard hands — standing on soft 17 or soft 18 because the total "looks good enough." A soft hand is not the same as a hard hand with the same number. Soft 18 should almost never be played the same way as hard 18.

The Full Soft Hands Strategy Table

Soft Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Soft 13 (A+2)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Soft 14 (A+3)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Soft 15 (A+4)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Soft 16 (A+5)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Soft 17 (A+6)	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Soft 18 (A+7)	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
Soft 19 (A+8)	S	S	S	S	Ds	S	S	S	S	S
Soft 20 (A+9)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

H = Hit | S = Stand | D = Double (if not allowed, Hit) | Ds = Double (if not allowed, Stand)

Soft 13 and Soft 14 (Ace + 2 or Ace + 3)

These low soft totals have limited doubling value against most dealer cards.

Double against dealer 5 or 6: The dealer is at their weakest. Doubling allows you to profit from the dealer's high bust probability while having the soft Ace as a safety net if your own draw is poor.
Hit against everything else: Against dealer 2, 3, 4, and all strong cards (7 through Ace), there is not enough doubling advantage — just hit and try to build a better total.

Example: You have Ace + 3 (soft 14) against a dealer's 6. Double. If you receive a 7, your hand becomes Ace + 3 + 7 = soft 21 (or hard 11... wait, let us recalculate: Ace = 11, 3 + 7 = 10, total = 21). You hit 21. If you receive a 2, you have soft 16 — still alive. If you receive a 10, your Ace drops to 1 and you have hard 14 — not ideal, but you have doubled against a weak dealer.

Soft 15 and Soft 16 (Ace + 4 or Ace + 5)

These hands gain a slightly wider doubling range:

Double against dealer 4, 5, or 6: Against these three weak dealer cards, doubling is correct.
Hit against everything else: Dealer 2, 3, and 7 through Ace — just hit.

The logic is the same: against the weakest dealer cards, the combination of the dealer's bust probability and your cannot-bust advantage makes doubling profitable. Against stronger dealer cards, the advantage disappears.

Soft 17 (Ace + 6)

Soft 17 is one of the most instructive hands in blackjack because it highlights a core principle: a soft hand with a lower total can be better positioned than a hard hand with the same number.

Double against dealer 3, 4, 5, or 6: Four dealer cards warrant doubling here.
Hit against everything else (dealer 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, Ace): Against dealer 2, the math does not support doubling. Against strong dealer cards, always hit.

The critical rule here: never stand on soft 17. This is a rule the dealer follows in some games (and where the rule is bad for players), but as a player, standing on soft 17 is always wrong. Soft 17 is a flexible hand — either double it or improve it by hitting. Standing on soft 17 means accepting a weak total when you have a free shot to make it better.

Soft 18 (Ace + 7) – The Most Misplayed Soft Hand

Soft 18 causes more confusion than any other soft hand. An 18 sounds like a strong total — and hard 18 is genuinely decent. But soft 18 behaves differently, and the correct plays might surprise you.

Double against dealer 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6: When doubling is available against all these weak dealer cards, it is the correct play. Note the Ds notation: if doubling is not allowed (say, on a hand created after a split), stand instead.
Stand against dealer 7 or 8: Your soft 18 ties the dealer's most likely total against a 7 (the dealer is most likely to end on 17) and beats the dealer's most likely hand against an 8 (dealer likely makes 18 or less). Standing is correct.
Hit against dealer 9, 10, or Ace: This is the surprising call. Against a dealer showing 9, 10, or Ace, the dealer is likely to make a strong hand (19, 20, or 21). Your soft 18 will lose more often than not in those matchups. Since you cannot bust on one more card, hitting gives you a chance to improve without risk. Accept this play — it feels wrong but it is correct.

Key example: You have Ace + 7 (soft 18) against a dealer's 10. Hit. The dealer most likely has 20. Your soft 18 loses to 20. The Ace drops to 1 if you receive a 4 or higher, but you might also catch a 2 or 3 and improve to 20 or soft 21. Hitting gives you a fighting chance that standing does not.

Soft 19 (Ace + 8)

Soft 19 is a strong hand and almost always played by standing:

Double against dealer 6: This is the one exception. Against the dealer's single weakest card, the extra money on the table is worth it even for a hand as strong as soft 19. The Ds notation applies — if doubling is not allowed in this situation, stand.
Stand against all other dealer cards: Soft 19 wins the majority of showdowns and does not need improvement. Stand and collect.

Soft 20 (Ace + 9)

Stand against every dealer card, no exceptions. Soft 20 is the second-best starting hand in blackjack (behind only a natural blackjack). There is no rational case for hitting or doubling soft 20 in standard basic strategy. Stand and win.

Summary of Soft Hand Principles

Soft Hand	Core Action	Key Rule
Soft 13–14	Mostly hit	Double only vs dealer 5–6
Soft 15–16	Mostly hit	Double vs dealer 4–6
Soft 17	Hit or double	Never stand; double vs 3–6
Soft 18	Context-dependent	Double vs 2–6; stand vs 7–8; hit vs 9, 10, A
Soft 19	Mostly stand	Double only vs dealer 6
Soft 20	Always stand	No exceptions

Continue to: Basic Strategy for Pairs | Basic Strategy for Hard Hands | Full Strategy Chart