In the casino game of Blackjack, what is the difference between hard and soft totals?

Question

I always hear people talk about the dealer getting a "soft 17" or a "hard 18"....what does this mean?

Answer 1

A "hard" total is one made without an ace - such as K-7 = 17.  A soft total is one made WITH an ace such as A-6 =17.

The main difference is that on a soft total it is impossible to bust (go over 21), therefore it is often advantageous for the player to hit soft totals, even when you already have 17 (sometimes even 18).  A common mistake of inexperienced players is to stand on soft 17, afraid of spoiling a good total.  This is almost guaranteed to provoke a chorus of tutting and criticism from ones fellow players.

Answer 2

Not sure, but I think it means whether they are playing there ace as a 1 or an 11... not sure though..

Answer 3

Hard and soft totals can be made from any combination of cards

All hands are hard unless it consists of an ACE currently being talied as 11

once the ace is no longer counted as 11, it is a hard hand

When an ace is being counted as 11, it is called soft because it is impossible to bust if you draw another card.  If you were to exceed 21 you could begin counting the ace as 1 instead of 11, this reduces the new point total by 10.  Since the largest card in the deck is valued at 10 points, when you draw any card at the very most, your total will remain the same making it impossible to bust.

Answer 4

Simply a hand is SOFT when you can say the word OR! if you have an A-5 it is 6 OR 16, right.

And a King - 4 - Ace, is just 15, so its HARD.

can you use the word OR?, thats the only difference!

and yes, if its soft you CAN NOT bust!

Remember that a soft hand can have more than 2 cards, 2-2-3-A is a soft 18..........cause its 8 or 18  

Answer 5

A soft hand has an ace counting as 10. The reason why they call it soft is that it cannot break with one hit.

You play soft hands differently than "hard" hands in the basic strategy. Usually in many cases hard 17 never gets hit. In every case soft 17 gets drawn to because it is such a poor hand. I don't know how many times I have seen people stand on soft 17.(A,6)

Answer 6

A soft hand means another hit can be taken without busting the hand.  Usually an ace is involved.  If the dealer or player has an Ace + 6, this hand is considered 7 or 17 (soft).  You can hit this hand again without busting out.  If the dealer or player has a 10 + 7, this hand equals 17 (hard).  If this hand is hit again, anything above a 4 will bust the hand.  Soft hands can be hit again without the possibility of busting out, hard hands can't.