Understanding Soft Hand Play in Multi-Deck Blackjack Games

Published: July 3, 2014

One of the hardest aspects of multi-deck blackjack games to get a handle on is how soft hands are played. There are different options when it comes to how to play these hands, especially with higher totals, so it can be difficult to figure out exactly what you should be doing. Our goal here is to show you how to figure out what you should be doing and when so that things are clear on how you should be playing to maximize your payout rates in these types of tricky situations.

If you're facing a strong dealer card of seven or higher, then you should always hit if you have 17 or lower. This is an ironclad rule that never changes, and standing or doubling in any of these scenarios is a major mistake. Standing doesn't make sense because you can't possibly bust, and doubling is a mistake because you don't have the advantage against the dealer. Overall, this covers a significant chunk of soft hand play, so it's a rule worth committing to memory if you play multi-deck blackjack with any serious frequency.

Next up is the same range of soft totals for when you're facing a weak dealer card that falls between a two and a six. Against these hands, your options are hitting or doubling, and there's a simple rule you can use to know which you should do. If you add your total with two times the dealer's up card and the total is 23 or higher, then you should double. If not, then you should hit instead. For example, with a soft 13 against a five, you would do 13 + 5 + 5 which gives you 23, so you should double. Another example would be 16 against a 3. The calculation is 16 + 3 + 3 = 22, so it's a hit instead of a double.

Finally you have all hands 18 or over. You should always stand with 19 or more, but 18 is a special case. Double against a three, four, five or six if you have the option. However, if you can't double, then you should always stand with those dealer card just like you should stand with any dealer card of eight or lower. Against dealer cards of nine, ten and ace, you have to hit to try to get a better total because of how strong their cards are.