Opposite from soft hands hard hand is a hand that does not include an ace, or includes an ace and two other cards. 8 and 5, for example will be a hard hand combination.
There is a strategy, based on blackjack odds. Statistically most of the cards dealt by the dealer are hard hands. Because the soft hand consists of an ace, and there are only 4 aces per one deck, thus soft hands are much rare occasion than hard hands. Therefore you need to remember the main rules of hard hands strategy and use them properly.
Of course, the same as with soft hands strategy, hard hands strategy will depend on what rules does the casino have. If the casino has a rule that the dealer stands on all 17’s, including soft 17, it is much easier to play, and the player gains a good edge over the house. But, if the casino has no such rule, and the dealer can hit on all 17’s, it becomes much harder and risky to play blackjack in casinos with such rules. So it is better, especially for beginners, to play in casinos where the dealer has to stand on all 17’s.
Tips for hard hands
- Always stand on hard 17,18,19,20 and 21. It is very likely to go bust if you hit those cards.
- Stand on hard 13,14,15 and 16 if the dealer has from 2 to 6 – it is a great possibility for dealer to bust with such a low card, so just be patient. If the dealer has other cards don’t wait and hit.
- If the dealer has 4,5 or 6 and you have hard 12 – stand on it. If the dealer has another cards hit to improve you chances for winning.
- If you have hard 11 double it if the dealer shows from 2 to 10, or just hit, you won’t go bust with 11. No chances to go bust with any hard hand combination lower than 12.
- If the dealer shows from 2 to 10 and you have hard 10 - double it or hit.
- Double down with hard 9 against dealers 3,4,5 or 6. Otherwise hit.
- Always hit on any hand from 2 to 8. No matter what cards does the dealer have,the hand is too low to win, and there is no way you can go bust from only one hit with those cards.
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