About Basic Strategy

I am new in blackjack and I have a question about the basic strategy of "6 Decks, H17, DA2, DAS, OBO, No surrender", hoping that someone can help me.....
the chart says that "for A,6 : Double vs 3~6,o/w hit"....I am wondering why o/w hit instead of o/w stand since we should always stand on 17.
This maybe a dumb question for you guys,but it will help me to learn quickly since I don't quite get it...thanks

A 17 with an ace is what we call a "soft" hand. A 17 without an ace is a "hard" hand. Drawing any card to a hard 17 with a value > 4 would bust you, whereas with a soft hand, 10 is subtracted from the value of an ace eg draw 5 to A, 6, you now have a hard 12. With the ace you get two shots at making a good hand.

The reason is that mathematically, this is the best chance for winning the hand. Remember, soft totals are very different from hard totals because the soft total can go over 21, and not be busted immediately.

You will notice also that both A,6 and A,7 (which is soft 18, of course) also call for always hitting against strong dealer upcards.

Be aware that sometimes other players and even some dealers can look at you like you're stupid when you hit that soft 18 against the dealer's 9, especially when you get something like a 6 and then a 10 and end up busting. It can be a bit frustrating.

Don't worry though. It's all in preparation of the day when the count tells you to put big bet after big bet out even though you lose everyone of them.
:-)

Bottom line: you have to trust the math. If you need reassurance that the math is correct, the only thing to do is to purchase some simulation software, and prove it for yourself.

Read all you can, practice, and please don't be afraid to ask questions. Folks here love to answer questions and discuss blackjack. That's why we hang out here.

Soft hands (i.e., hands with Aces) are a big point of confusion for new and/or inexperienced and/or uniformed players.

On the "mini-stiffs" (low scoring soft hands), think of the Ace as being a ONE, not an eleven.

For example, your A5 is not "6 or 16" as the dealer will call out to you, it is a SIX! Nobody in their right mind would ever stand on Six, but you see many bad players standing on A5.

Similarly, your A6 (or A24 or A33) is not "7 or 17," it is a SEVEN. On average, Seven is a loser, no matter what the dealer is showing; so you ALWAYS hit this "soft 17."

When it comes to the A7, you have "8 or 18." With some dealer up-cards, 18 will beat the dealer's average hand. In other cases, it will lose. This is why you stand A7 vs 2, 7 & 8, double A7 vs 3, 4, 5 & 6, and HIT it vs 9, X & A.

It all comes down to which action is the most likely to win; or -- and this is an IMPORTANT concept -- which will win more, on average, through the process of losing less.

- Hitting soft 18 against dealer Ace is a much closer call than against
dealer 9 and 10. If the game is dealer stands on soft 17 and single
deck, the correct play is stand on soft 18 vs dealer Ace (strategy
number -1 according to Wong's Professional Blackjack). With the same
rules and 4 decks it becomes marginally correct to hit (strategy number
+1). Thus some basic strategy charts show stand on soft 18 vs Ace.
For dealer hit soft 17 rules it is almost always best to hit soft 18
vs dealer Ace, but it adds only slightly to EV.

- Always hitting soft 18 at the right time can be one of the tip-offs
of an expert player (according to Andersen). So if scrutiny is an issue
they say this is a place for creativity.

If the game is dealer stands on soft 17 and single deck

Has there been such a game in the last 20 years?

After reading all the posts, now I am condifent to hit against strong dealer upcards when I have soft 17 or 18 now....thanks for the tips...

You ALWAYS hit soft 17 REGARDLESS of the dealer's up card!

You only hit soft 18 when the dealer shows a 9, Ten or Ace.

I can name 4 casinos that have single deck where they stand on soft 17.

Double soft 17 & soft 18 against 3 - 6 whenever the opportunity and rule avails itself.

You need to get yourself a basic strategy chart for the exact game you are going to be playing. Check out Sterling Levell's site. Link below.

I did have a basic strategy chart from sterlperl website...with the rule of "6 Decks, H17, DA2, DAS, OBO, No surrender", the chart told me to "double 3~6,o/w hit" on soft 17 and "Double 2~6,stand7,8, hit 9,10,A" on soft 18....so which one is right???

Another beginner question...if dealer has a 10,and I have A,3...so I hit,then get a 4,which makes me 8/18...should I treat it as a 8 to hit again or a 18 to stand???

on soft 17 (A and six) you shold double 3~6,o/w hit
on soft 18 (A and 7) you should Double 2~6,stand7,8, hit 9,10,A
(Not sure if the double vs 2 is correct though)
Another beginner question...if dealer has a 10,and I have A,3...so I hit,then get a 4,which makes me 8/18...should I treat it as a 8 to hit again or a 18 to stand???
Treat that as an A and 7 & follow that strategy