What Are Hard and Soft Totals in Blackjack?

A blackjack, or “natural”, is an ace plus a ten-value card. If a player is dealt a blackjack, he is immediately paid 1.

5 times his bet unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case it is a push and the player’s bet is returned.

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A hard hand is one that does not contain an ace or contains an ace that can only be counted as one point, such as an ace-6. A soft hand is one that contains an ace that can be counted as either 1 or 11 points, such as an ace-5.

Assuming basic strategy and no side bets, the house edge for blackjack is about 0.5%.

PRO TIP:When playing Blackjack, a hard total is any hand that does not contain an Ace. A soft total is any hand that contains an Ace, where the Ace can be counted as either one or eleven. Knowing the difference between these two is important, as you can make decisions on how to play your hand accordingly.

This means that for every $100 you bet, you can expect to lose 50 cents on average. However, the house edge varies depending on the rules of the game and the number of decks in use.

The easiest way to remember hard and soft totals in blackjack is that if you have an ace and a hard total (no ace or a value of 1), then you have a hard total. If you have an ace and a soft total (a value of 11), then you have a soft total.

In conclusion, hard and soft totals in blackjack are important to know because they affect the house edge. A hard total is when there is no ace or it is worth 1 point and a soft total is when there is an ace worth 11 points.

The house edge is lower when there are more decks in play and higher when there are fewer decks.