Blackjack strategy chart when the dealer hits soft 17 (H17)

When the dealer must hit a soft 17 (an ace and a six), the dealer improves more often, and the house edge rises from 0.57% to 0.79% with perfect play. Four decisions change, all towards doubling more.

What changes

• Hard 11 against A: Double instead of hit
• A,4 against 4: Double instead of hit
• A,7 against 2: Double instead of stand
• A,8 against 6: Double instead of stand

Soft 15 against a 4 is a near tie: with a dealer who stands on soft 17, hitting is better by 0.086% of a bet, and with a dealer who hits it, doubling is better by 0.055%. Charts built for six or eight real decks double it in both cases: in a real shoe, the cards already dealt shift a tie this close.

The full chart

S Stand · H Hit · D Double · P Split · Columns: the dealer’s up-card

Cells outlined in yellow differ from the chart for a dealer who stands on soft 17. See also the charts without double after split and with both rules.

Questions

Infinite-deck model, dealer peeks for blackjack, double on any two cards, one split, no surrender; every figure computed by our code and checked a second way. See the methodology. Casino games are entertainment with a price: free help if gambling stops being fun.

Updated: 2026-09-27