Blackjack Strategy

Soft 18

Well, we went over the other soft blackjack hands and you get an idea that even though the chances of getting a strong hand of 19 or better is three out of thirteen shots, it is still the smart move to DD. That's because we have to get as much money vs. the dealer when she is in trouble, to make up for the times we face that power card.

The soft 18 is in the same area but separate because you are going to get the chance of making your choice as to how you will handle this hand vs. the dealer's power cards. Whichever decision you make, it won't be wrong.

Instead of hitting our soft 18 vs. the deuce, we merely stand. It is a form of respect for that deuce, so we merely hold with our 18 and hope for the best. The same is true against the 17 and 18. Obviously, we hold the hammer with our IS over the dealer's 7 and figure to come out on top in this case more often than not.

The stand vs. the 18 means we are not in good shape but really looking for a push, to get out of the hand with as little damage as possible. Hitting that soft 18 vs. the dealer's 8 is too much of a gamble for a 3 in 13 shot at getting better, because she is really not that powerful with the 8, as you already know. However, it is against the dealer's 9 through Ace that you get to be a decision maker. The chart obviously says hit your soft 18 vs. those cards, further making the point how weak an 18 really is. I realize that many people think an 18 is a pretty solid lock in blackjack, but in reality, it ain't. That is why I harp on it so much.

OK, you have your soft 18 and the dealer is showing a power card and the chart says hit! You don't have to be a math major at Harvard to figure only three cards will give you a better hand and there are ten cards that won't. The Ace, deuce, or trey gets you to 19 or better, but how about:

•    4 5 6 7 8 gives you a 12 or 13 or 14 or 15 or 16, reducing you to a breaking position.
•    The 9 gives you a dead hand of 17.
•    A 10, Jack, Queen, or King brings you right back to where you are now.

It's obvious that you ain't exactly got a solid shot at improving that soft 18 with a hit, yet that is the proper move. And there is a big reason for that chart calling for you to hit. It is screaming at you how weak a 17 or 18 really is when confronted with a power card.

My friend Watt E. Cey just asked his neighbor N. A. Daize, 'What he say? Why is he talking so much about this hand?" Both of them are in a daze. They don't get it. They still don't know why I am spending so much time on a silly soft 18 to give it it's own chapter. The answer is quite simple. The message in the handling of the soft 18 vs. the dealer's power cards speaks volumes about the fact that people just don't understand Blackjack, and it's danger to us, when we can't see how strong the dealer is with power cards and how really weak we are, unless we have 19 or better.

I've made my point, so now you get to make your move. The basic blackjack strategy chart says to hit that soft 18 and I went into great detail to explain why that is the suggested move. Maybe you are in the habit of standing with that soft 18 in the past and if that is still your decision, then you gotta stick by it. The difference in hitting and standing ain't all that much, but there is a downside to standing and you can see that by what I wrote about earlier.

Soooooo, the chart stays to hit, but you get to make a decision to either follow it, or take your chances by merely standing. Whatever you choose, you gotta stick by it all the time. No wavering back and forth. if you want my opinion, I shall be glad to give it to you, although I think you already know the answer ...

Hit!!!