The seventeen is the bare minimum hand in blackjack online that the dealer must stand on. While the dealer must stand on a seventeen, does this mean that it is ideal for a blackjack player to follow suit by also standing when they receive 17? A blackjack player is well off assessing the situation before engaging in a game of monkey see, monkey do with the dealer in how they play the seventeen.
Playing a soft seventeen
Even though the dealer stands pat on a soft seventeen, it is quite advantageous for a blackjack player to hit their soft seventeen. This is not to say that the player should not be mindful of the dealer’s up card, however, as there is opportunity to double down profitably in certain instances when the player holds a soft seventeen. When the dealer’s up card is a three, four, five or six – a blackjack player’s most profitable move is to double down. When the blackjack dealer holds a two, seven, eight, nine, ten, or ace – the blackjack player is most profitable when they simply hit their card.
Once they have taken a hit, the blackjack player should reassess their hand in accordance to how their card count with respect to the dealer’s up card. This means that if a blackjack player hits their soft seventeen and receives a three, they should play the hand as if they have a soft twenty, which calls for the player to stand in all instances. However, if the player gets a card such as a six, they should follow the suggested strategy that they would follow for a hard fourteen, which calls for the player to stand if the dealer’s up card is a two through six but hit if the dealer holds a seven, eight, nine, ten, face card, or ace.
If a blackjack player is dealt a natural seventeen (a hand valued at seventeen without the presence of an ace), the player should stand regardless of the dealer’s up card. Hitting when a blackjack player holds a natural 17 is not a profitable move no matter what the dealer possesses.
When playing a seventeen in black jack, a player should stand when they hold a hard seventeen but hit (at minimum) when they have a soft seventeen. Let the dealer’s up card guide you when playing the soft seventeen when deciding whether to hit or double down. Do not imitate the dealer by standing when you have a soft seventeen.