Adjusting Blackjack Strategy when the Dealer hits on Soft 17

Few online casino games have the sheer range of rule variations which blackjack games do. And as most experience blackjack players know, a single change to the rules can result in the need for some major changes in the way you enjoy the game. It is therefore very necessary to study the rules of each blackjack game variant before choosing to play it and then adjust your strategy accordingly so as to consistently play a winning game.

One of the most popular variations in blackjack rules which will considerably influence your blackjack strategy is the way that the dealer treats a soft 17. In some games the dealer stands on soft 17 and in others he/she will hit.

In standard games, dealers normally stand on soft 17, but this is not the case in every game and if you play a game where the dealer hits on this total, you are faced with a number of atypical game play options that can in fact raise your payouts.

The first of which is the surrender option. When a dealer hits on soft 17 you will normally use the surrender choice more often against an Ace card at this online casino game. This may mean that surrendering a hard 15 or 17 total when faced with an Ace can be right, particularly in multi-deck games due to the lack of impact of card removal.

Another area of play that will be influenced will be soft hands against a weak dealer card. In these example, you will have to raise your advantage because the dealer will be more likely to hit and bust.

These scenarios will definitely need to be accounted for when you change your game play strategy. This means that you should always double if you hold soft 18 against any cards valued at two to six, which is a typical as you would normally stand against a two. Also, you should double on a soft 19 if you are up against a dealer's six.

Finally, the most particular alteration in game play that you should make is one that most players do not know about. In a standard online casino blackjack game where the dealer stands on soft 17 and is holding an ace, players normally split paired eights rather than surrendering. Nevertheless, in games where the dealer hits on soft 17, and holds an Ace, you should always surrender. This is an atypical play, but one that can save you a huge amount of money in the long term.