What a soft 17 is in Blackjack comes down to how the game treats a 17 that includes an ace counted as 11. 

A soft 17 is any hand worth 17 where one card is an ace that can still drop to 1 if another card lands, such as A-6. That “soft” cushion lets the dealer or player take another card with less bust risk. 

Casino rule cards show whether the dealer hits or stands on this hand, and that small line changes long-run odds.

What Is a Soft 17 in Blackjack?

What soft means in blackjack is simple in practice; a soft hand includes an ace counted as 11, but the total can fall back by 10 points if the next card would otherwise bust the hand.

In soft 17 blackjack, that flexibility matters. A hand such as A-6 can sit on 17, yet still absorb a 4 without going over 21, because the total can slide from 21 down to 11 by switching the ace from 11 to 1. That sliding value does not exist with hard totals, and it shapes how players and dealers act.

Examples of soft hands and matching hard hands for soft 17 vs hard 17:

• Soft 17: A-6, playable as 17 or 7
• Soft 17: A-3-3, playable as 17 or 7
• Soft 17: A-2-2-2, playable as 17 or 7
• Hard 17: 10-7, fixed at 17 with no backup value

What Does Soft 17 Mean in Blackjack for the Dealer?

Does a dealer hit on soft 17 or does the dealer stand on soft 17? It will all depend on the table rules.

The answer centers on one specific holding: any 17 that includes an ace counted as 11, most often A-6. The dealer rule tells you if that hand freezes at 17 or if the house must draw another card. 

Both in physical and online blackjack sites, this shows up as “Dealer hits soft 17” (H17) or “Dealer stands on soft 17” (S17).

In an H17 game, that same A-6 gets treated as a hand with room to grow. The ace can drop from 11 to 1 if a big card lands, so the dealer can pull another card without an automatic bust on the next hit. In S17 games, the dealer stops as soon as a soft 17 appears, which locks more of those hands in place. 

That difference affects how often the dealer improves weak totals, pushes your marginal hands, or swings a result with one extra card.

Hit or Hold: Soft 17 vs Hard 17 by the Numbers

Casinos write very little on a blackjack rules placard, so the H17 or S17 line carries real weight. 

Unless noted, the examples in this section assume a six-deck shoe with 3:2 blackjack payouts, double after split allowed, and late surrender, since that package sits close to the baseline tested in modern house-edge calculators and strategy engines for multi-deck blackjack. 

Here is a comparison table showing how the soft 17 rule links with payouts and estimated house edge under basic strategy in common formats:

*House edge figures assume standard basic strategy with typical double, split, and surrender rules. Exact numbers vary by provider and jurisdiction.

According to the Wizard of Odds blackjack house edge calculator, last updated in May 2025, moving from a dealer stands on soft 17 setup to a dealer hits soft 17 setup in an eight-deck 3:2 game raises the house edge by roughly 0.2 percentage points under basic strategy.

Strategy Tweaks: Playing Against an H17 Shoe

An H17 shoe changes more than one line on a rule card. When the dealer hits soft 17, extra cards fall on hands that would have stopped in an S17 game, so basic strategy leans a little more conservative in some spots. 

Calculations put the gap between S17 and H17 near 0.20 percentage points in a six-deck 3:2 shoe; for example, a table that posts around 0.5 percent house edge with S17 and common doubling rules can move toward roughly 0.7 percent when the only change is switching to H17.

Chart publishers answer this by issuing separate H17 and S17 tables, often with updated 2024 breakdowns. Those charts adjust a few soft totals, particularly in the soft 17 through soft 19 band against strong dealer upcards. The gap between standing, hitting, or doubling can sit inside a few hundredths of a betting unit, yet over tens of thousands of hands, that steady trickle shows up in results.

Some practical rules of thumb for H17 tables:

• Treat soft 17 and soft 18 more cautiously against dealer 9, 10, and ace in H17 charts.
• Expect more recommended hits in marginal soft spots where the dealer gains from extra cards.
• Respect 3:2 payout S17 games a little more than fancy side-bet H17 layouts when both are available.

From Pits to Streams: Soft 17 at Live Blackjack Tables and Online Lobbies

Soft 17 rules now sit side by side in physical pits and on live tables that stream from dedicated studios. Many US blackjack sites show the H17 or S17 flag in the game title or in the help menu, since regulators and test labs expect clear disclosure of the exact rule package. 

A typical mainstream live game with eight decks, H17, 3:2 payout, and standard double and split options often posts a house edge around 0.60 percent under basic strategy, based on recent lab audits.

One widely streamed example is Evolution’s Infinite Blackjack, an eight-deck H17 game with 3:2 payouts and the Six Card Charlie rule; its published 99.47 percent RTP translates to a house edge of about 0.53 percent under basic strategy, according to recent game profiles and live-casino reviews.

Physical casinos still spread S17 3:2 shoes in higher limit sections, where table minimums may start at 25 dollars or higher, and maximums run into four figures. Live-streamed tables on major providers sometimes mirror that pattern, opening S17 streams at higher stakes while entry-level lobbies use H17. 

Chasing High Payouts on Soft 17 Games

Soft 17 blackjack rules often share space with bright side-bet logos and the promise of high payouts. A common example is a 21+3 side bet that pays 100:1 for a suited three of a kind and 30:1 for a straight flush, yet carries a house edge that can climb above 8 percent on some 2024 rule sheets. Perfect Pairs variants that pay 25:1 for a suited pair stack even more volatility on top of an H17 shoe.

When the dealer hits soft 17, that extra edge on the main game combines with these bonus wagers. The base game might sit near 0.60 percent house edge, but a popular side bet on the same layout can reach 6 to 10 percent. 

In practice, these layouts pair a higher main-game house edge with side-bet paytables that push more of the overall return into low-frequency, high-multiple outcomes, so session-to-session results jump around more than on a plain S17 3:2 shoe. 

Trade-offs that often appear on soft 17 layouts:

• H17 with 3:2 payout tied to 21+3 or pairs side bets
• S17 with 3:2 payout, but few or no side bets in view
• H17 with 6:5 payout, combined with aggressive side-bet menus and small minimum stakes

Rule Packages and Edge-Case Soft 17 Games

Soft 17 sits inside a wider rule bundle that pulls hard on long-run results. Blackjack payout comes first; a standard 3:2 game can show a house edge near 0.50 percent under basic strategy, while a similar 6:5 table can rise to roughly 1.90 percent. 

Deck count, late surrender, and double rules push those numbers further. A six-deck S17 game with 3:2 payout, double after split, and late surrender may sit close to 0.40 to 0.45 percent house edge, whereas a six-deck H17 layout without surrender and tighter doubles can sit nearer to 0.70 percent.

Soft 17 rules then reappear in fringe formats. Spanish-style blackjack that removes all 10s, uses H17, and stacks bonus payouts can reach 2.0 to 2.5 percent house edge. Local packages that mix H17 with 6:5 payouts, no surrender, and doubles restricted to 10 or 11 can climb past 2.5 percent. In those games, soft 17 forms part of a heavier set of concessions rather than a single small tweak.

Choosing Tables Based on Rules

Every blackjack table asks a question about comfort with risk and structure before a single card appears. Soft 17 rules simply make that question easier to phrase. An S17 3:2 shoe with friendly double rules will suit players who want a lower mathematical hurdle, even if the game feels a little slower and less flashy than a side-bet heavy H17 stream.

H17 layouts marketed with large headline payouts and fast live streams often sit in lobbies where the combined house edge from the main game and side bets runs higher than on classic S17 3:2 tables with limited extras.

Careful rule reading turns that trade from a blind leap into a conscious choice, whether the seat is at a felt table on a casino floor or inside a live studio feed at a blackjack site.

If gambling gets difficult to control, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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