The best blackjack players in the game are always looking for new ways to help improve their odds of beating the house and coming away with a big payday, but it is always good to keep learning the game at any level – whether you are a professional or just getting your start
One of the key questions blackjack players are always wondering about is how to play their hand when they’re dealt and ace. It’s a sexy card and has a double value, so there are definitely a couple of options.
Let’s have a closer look at how to play a soft hand:
What is soft doubling?
The definition of soft doubling involves a soft hand, which is when you have an ace to play. While most cards are valued at the number that you see on them, the face cards (Jack, Queen and King) are all valued at 10 and then you have the ace, which can be used as one or 11. Therefore, it is called a soft hand because it is flexible and gives you a few options to use going into the next step of online blackjack.
If you are dealt an ace and a 10, this will give you a natural blackjack and you’d have to be crazy to your ace as a one at that point (or just greedy). Also, if you have a pair of aces then you are going to split them up 95% of the time, so basically, you are looking at anything from an ace-two to an ace-nine combination of cards.
Strategy
When you have the chance for a soft double, you can pick up one more card for twice the amount of your original bet and the flexibility of soft hands just gives you more options, which is never a bad thing.
However, it can also backfire depending on the one card you receive after you decide on a soft double. If you have an ace-nine originally, this can give you a 19 if you want to stick with it or you make the call to go through with the soft double. Then you go from having a 19 to a 10, and then with your one-card draw, you get a five, which gives you a 15 and leaves you at the mercy of the house. So you’ve now downgraded from a 19 to a 15, and you’re basically hoping the dealer will bust.
What it’s going to come down to is the value of your original hand and your feel for the cards. If you’re sitting with 19, you’re probably not going to go for another card but if with 15 or less, you’re be wise to consider it.