The soft 17 rule seems like a minor detail. It adds 0.2% to the house edge and changes 8 specific strategy decisions. Here is everything you need to know.
What is the soft 17 rule?
A soft 17 is any hand totalling 17 that contains an Ace counted as 11 — for example Ace+6. H17 tables: dealer hits this hand. S17 tables: dealer stands. H17 tables add 0.2% to the house edge. Always prefer S17 tables.
Strategy changes at H17 tables
- Double Ace+7 vs dealer Ace (instead of standing or hitting)
- Double 11 vs dealer Ace (instead of hitting)
- Surrender 15 vs dealer Ace when surrender is available
- Surrender hard 17 vs dealer Ace when surrender is available
The financial impact
On 1,000 hands at 10 USDT per hand H17 costs approximately 20 USDT more in expected losses than S17. Over a full session this is meaningful money. Always check before sitting.
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