Online card games are immensely popular in India, especially online blackjack. Many online casinos have blackjack, a popular card game, where players stay engaged till the end. Blackjack is simple and easy to understand, and also provides the chance to win decent money. Strategies used in Blackjack revolve around two things, soft blackjack hand and hard hand. If you are new to the game, understanding the difference between the two is vital. Formulating strategies would be much easier if you understand the game and its rules.

Soft Hand

In blackjack, every round begins with each player getting two cards, along with the dealer. This is called your hand. When you receive an ace, it can either have a value of 11 or 1, depending on the situation. A hand is considered as a soft hand, when one of the cards in your hands is an ace, which can be counted as 11 or 1. Your chances of busting almost become zero with the soft hand.

For example, say you have been dealt two cards, one ace and other 8. The value of your hand becomes 19, if the ace value is considered 11. When ace is counted as 1, the value of your hand will be 9. You then receive a card, but then there is no other card that can take your total over 21.

The highest-ranking cards apart from aces in blackjack are 10 and the face cards – jack, queen, and king, all of which have a value of 10. If you are playing blackjack online, and have an ace, then ace will be counted as 1 when your hand goes over 21.

Hard Hand

In blackjack, there are 2 types of hard hands, one with aces, and other one without any ace. A hand with an ace, where ace is counted as 1, is a hard hand. This rule ensures that you don’t go over 21. For example, if you have 8, a 5, and an ace, the hand is hard. If your ace counts as 11, the value of your hand would be 24 (8+5+11) and you would bust or be out of the game, as you would go over 21. If your ace counts as 1, the hand value would be 14 (8+5+1), which means you would still be in the game.

Example of a hard hand without an ace could be 8 and 8, which would make a hard 16. The chances of you winning reduce drastically with such a hand. Is every hand without an ace a hard hand? The answer is no. Hard hands are where there is a risk of you getting out or busting with an extra card. For example, a hand with a 2 and a 3 is not a hard hand, as an extra card would not take the total past 21.      

Also Read: Blackjack Rules to Play the Game and Win Real Money

Strategy for Soft Hand

Strategies for soft hands and hard hands vary a lot. Soft hands provide you with an excellent opportunity to win big, provided that you use the right strategies at the right time. Many professional blackjack players will go for doubling-down soft blackjack hand strategy, as they know that they can improve their soft hand.

Strategy for Hard Hand

A solid hard-hand strategy is needed when dealing with a hard hand. The basic strategy is the most effective one when you have a hard hand. When you have a hard hand, you should assume that the dealer has a 10 in the hole. For example, if a dealer shows 10 as an up card, make an assumption that he has a 20.

While playing a hard hand, stay confident of hitting totals of 14, 15, or 16 as opposed to dealer’s 10. This is because hitting is the only option, as surrendering is mostly not allowed.

Also Read: Top 16 Blackjack Strategies to win the Game

Conclusion

There is clearly no evidence as to which hand is better, soft or hard. It all depends on the cards at hand. In general, it is better to have a soft hand when your hand value is below 17. If the value is over 17, it is better to have a hard hand. There are many Indian online casinos where you can play blackjack, and try various strategies with soft hand and hard hand. If you want to review different online casinos, you can visit reliable websites such as My casino guru.

FAQs:

1. How can I learn Blackjack online?

You can learn online blackjack by playing free and practice games on various trusted online casino games platforms.

2. Which platform should I choose to play online Blackjack?

You should pick trusted online platforms to play Blackjack. Check reviews on various platforms on websites such as My casino guru.

3. Is blackjack easy to learn?

Yes, blackjack is easy to learn and fun to play.