What makes a hand soft
A+6 is soft 17: the ace counts as 11, but can fall to 1 after a large draw. If a 10 arrives, the hand becomes hard 17 instead of busting. A+6+10 is therefore hard, not soft. Recalculate after every card.
The expanding double band
The soft-double pattern expands as the non-ace card grows:
- A,2–A,3: double against 5–6; otherwise hit.
- A,4–A,5: double against 4–6; otherwise hit.
- A,6: double against 3–6; otherwise hit.
If doubling is unavailable, hit. A common mistake is to stand on soft 17 because the total says “17”; the flexible ace makes hitting or doubling preferable in this chart.
A,7: the three-action hand
Soft 18 can double, stand, or hit depending on the dealer card:
S17 table
Double 3–6. Stand against 2, 7, or 8. Hit against 9, 10, or ace.
H17 table
Double 2–6. Stand against 7 or 8. Hit against 9, 10, or ace.
The only A,7 change in this trainer is dealer 2: stand under S17, double under H17.
A,8 and stronger
Under S17, stand on A,8 against every dealer up-card. Under H17, double A,8 against dealer 6 when available and stand otherwise. A,9 and stronger stand under both settings.
Two H17 memory changes: double A,7 versus 2 and double A,8 versus 6. Hard 11 versus ace is the third implemented H17 double change.
Common practice errors
- Calling every ace hand “soft” without checking whether the ace can still count as 11.
- Standing on A,6 or weaker instead of hitting when outside the double band.
- Always standing on soft 18.
- Using an S17 chart while the trainer is set to H17, or vice versa.
- Forgetting that “double” means hit when double is not available for A,2 through A,6.
How to practise
Learn the expanding 5–6, 4–6, 3–6 bands first. Drill A,7 as a separate hand, then add the two H17 exceptions. Practise mixed hands in the trainer and use the chart only after completing a group.