89PHP Blackjack Ace Value: Soft Hands, Hard Hands, 1 or 11

The ace is the only card in blackjack that changes value during a hand: it counts 11 unless that would take you over 21, and then it counts 1. That one rule decides whether a hand is soft or hard, and it is the same at every table covered in the live casino dealers reference. This page shows the rule with examples, then covers what a natural pays and how the dealer plays a soft 17.

The blackjack ace value rule

A published casino rulebook for blackjack states it directly: an ace is worth eleven unless that value would give a player or the dealer a score over 21, in which case it is worth one. Cards from 2 to 10 count their face value and a jack, queen or king counts ten. A card-games reference gives the same rule and adds that the ace can switch as cards are drawn.

1. Count every ace as 11 first.
2. If the total is 22 or more, drop one ace to 1.
3. Repeat for further aces until the total is 21 or less, or no ace is left to drop.

Soft hand and hard hand examples

The rulebook defines a soft total as a hand with an ace counted as 11, and a hard total as a hand with no aces, or with every ace counted as 1.

A soft hand cannot bust on its next card, because the ace can drop to 1 and absorb it. That is the reason soft totals are treated differently from hard totals of the same number.

Blackjack payout: what a natural pays

A natural, or blackjack, is an ace and a ten-value card as the first two cards. The rulebook says an ace and a ten dealt to a player after a split does not count as a blackjack. The rulebook pays winning wagers 1 to 1, except a standard blackjack, which pays 3 to 2 or 6 to 5.

The gap is 30 pesos on every 100 pesos staked. With 8 decks, the chance of a natural is 2 x (32/416) x (128/415) = about 4.75%, which is 4.75 naturals in 100 rounds. That makes the 6 to 5 table lose about 4.75 x 30 = 142 pesos per 100 rounds of 100 pesos, before the dealer’s naturals are counted.

A published odds site lists the effect on your expected return compared with standard rules: blackjack at 6 to 5 is minus 1.39%, and at even money minus 2.27%. Evolution’s saved pages for its live tables do not print the natural’s payout, so read the table’s rules screen before you sit. The shoe meaning page covers how many decks that count of 8 comes from.

How the dealer plays a soft 17

A soft 17 is a dealer total of 17 with an ace counted as 11, such as ace and 6. A card-games reference says the rule varies from casino to casino and is printed on the table’s felt. The rulebook allows two options:

1. The dealer draws until a hard or soft total of 17 or more, which means the dealer stands on soft 17.
2. The dealer draws until a hard 17 or more or a soft 18 or more, which means the dealer hits soft 17.

The odds site puts a number on it: a dealer who hits on soft 17 costs the player 0.22% of expected return, against a dealer who stands. Pick the table that stands on soft 17 if the choice is on offer.

What to check at an Evolution table

Evolution’s own page for Live Blackjack describes a standard seven-seat table, with Infinite versions that have unlimited seats. Before the first card, use this check:

1. Open the rules screen and read the natural’s payout: 3 to 2 or 6 to 5.
2. Read the dealer’s soft 17 rule.
3. Note how many decks the table uses.
4. Set your stake for the session.

The studio’s background is on the Evolution studio row. A game with no hand decisions at all, such as the mini roulette wheel, makes a useful contrast.