Should you stand on soft 17 in blackjack?
Never. Against a 2, hit in shoe games; in single deck, double.
Expected result per unit bet on a 6-deck table where the dealer hits soft 17, with surrender (the common Las Vegas Strip game): Hit −0.0003 · Double −0.0049 · Stand −0.1527.
Practice on this table in the trainerBasic strategy chart for this table
The hand
You
%20scale(0.6)'%20fill='%23111317'%3e%3ccircle%20cx='50'%20cy='27'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='25.5'%20cy='57'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='74.5'%20cy='57'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M45.5%2052C45.5%2076%2041%2089%2029%2098h42C59%2089%2054.5%2076%2054.5%2052Z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%20transform='translate(106%20196)%20scale(1.26)'%20fill='%23111317'%3e%3ccircle%20cx='50'%20cy='27'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='25.5'%20cy='57'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3ccircle%20cx='74.5'%20cy='57'%20r='21.5'/%3e%3cpath%20d='M45.5%2052C45.5%2076%2041%2089%2029%2098h42C59%2089%2054.5%2076%2054.5%2052Z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
Dealer
%20scale(0.6)'%20fill='%23111317'%3e%3cpath%20d='M50%203C79%2029%2097%2045%2097%2064C97%2078%2087%2087%2074%2087C65%2087%2058%2083%2054%2076C55%2086%2059%2093%2068%2098H32C41%2093%2045%2086%2046%2076C42%2083%2035%2087%2026%2087C13%2087%203%2078%203%2064C3%2045%2021%2029%2050%203Z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%20transform='translate(106%20196)%20scale(1.26)'%20fill='%23111317'%3e%3cpath%20d='M50%203C79%2029%2097%2045%2097%2064C97%2078%2087%2087%2074%2087C65%2087%2058%2083%2054%2076C55%2086%2059%2093%2068%2098H32C41%2093%2045%2086%2046%2076C42%2083%2035%2087%2026%2087C13%2087%203%2078%203%2064C3%2045%2021%2029%2050%203Z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
| Play | Expected result |
|---|---|
| HitBest | −0.0003 |
| Double | −0.0049 |
| Stand | −0.1527 |
| Surrender | −0.5000 |
Average win or loss per unit of the original bet (−0.5000 loses half the bet on average), computed exactly from the cards left in the shoe, with perfect play afterwards. In US games the numbers are after the dealer has checked for blackjack.
Why
A 17 only wins when the dealer busts, and soft 17 can always take another card without busting. That makes hitting better than standing against every up card. Against a 2 it is close between hitting and doubling, and the number of decks decides it.
Do the table rules change the answer?
The answer changes on 2 of the 7 tables below, highlighted.
| Table | Hit | Double | Stand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 decks · H17 · DAS · surrender | −0.0003 | −0.0049 | −0.1527 |
| 6 decks · S17 · DAS · surrender | +0.0007 | −0.0040 | −0.1496 |
| 8 decks · H17 · DAS · surrender | −0.0006 | −0.0058 | −0.1537 |
| 2 decks · H17 · DAS | +0.0026 | +0.0024 | −0.1452 |
| 1 deck · H17 · no DAS | +0.0071 | +0.0142 | −0.1335 |
| 1 deck · S17 · no DAS | +0.0071 | +0.0133 | −0.1318 |
| European: 6 decks · S17 · DAS · no hole card | +0.0007 | — | −0.1496 |
H17: the dealer hits soft 17. S17: the dealer stands on soft 17. DAS: you can double after splitting. European tables have no hole card, so the dealer only checks for blackjack after you play: those numbers include losing everything you bet to a dealer blackjack. They also allow doubling on 9 to 11 only and one split.
Against every dealer up card
The same hand against each up card, on 6 decks · H17 · DAS · surrender.
| Dealer | Hit | Double | Stand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | −0.0003 | −0.0049 | −0.1527 |
| 3 | +0.0292 | +0.0572 | −0.1161 |
| 4 | +0.0616 | +0.1233 | −0.0764 |
| 5 | +0.0987 | +0.1974 | −0.0385 |
| 6 | +0.1261 | +0.2521 | −0.0050 |
| 7 | +0.0547 | −0.0089 | −0.1038 |
| 8 | −0.0717 | −0.2513 | −0.3826 |
| 9 | −0.1473 | −0.3922 | −0.4206 |
| 10 | −0.1956 | −0.4546 | −0.4196 |
| A | −0.2214 | −0.5485 | −0.5143 |