What is a hard hand in blackjack?
A hard hand is the opposite of a soft one: there is no forgiving Ace to fall back on, so every hit carries real bust risk. These are the hands where basic strategy earns its keep, because guessing wrong on a hard 16 costs you money fast.
What makes a hand hard
A hand is hard if it has no Ace at all, like 10-6, or if it has an Ace that can only be 1 without busting, like Ace-6-9 (a hard 16). Unlike a soft hand, drawing one more card can bust you, so hard hands demand more caution.
The tricky stiff totals
Hard totals of 12 through 16 are called 'stiff' hands - too high to hit safely, too low to feel comfortable standing. The right play depends entirely on the dealer's upcard: generally stand against a weak dealer (2 through 6) and hit against a strong one (7 through Ace).
Playing hard hands well
Hard 17 and up should almost always stand. Hard 11 or less can be hit or doubled freely. The famous decision point is hitting or standing on 16, the worst hand in blackjack. Learn the full grid in our strategy guide.
Related questions
What is a soft hand in blackjack?
A soft hand is any hand that contains an Ace being counted as 11, which means one more card can never bust you. Ace-6 is a 'soft 17,' and Ace-7 is a 'soft 18.' Because you have a built-in safety net, you can hit and double soft hands far more aggressively than the same-looking hard totals.
Do you hit or stand on 16 in blackjack?
It depends on the dealer's upcard. Stand on a hard 16 when the dealer shows a weak card, 2 through 6, and hit when the dealer shows a strong card, 7 through Ace. If surrender is offered, give up 16 against a dealer 9, 10 or Ace. A pair of 8s that makes 16 should be split, not played as a 16.
What is basic strategy in blackjack?
Basic strategy is the mathematically proven best decision for every possible hand you can hold against every card the dealer can show. It was worked out with computer simulations and is usually shown as a color-coded chart. Following it perfectly reduces the house edge to about 0.5%, without any card counting required.