Bits & Odds

Double Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart: Dealer Hits Soft 17

The right play for every hand with two decks, dealer hitting soft 17. Follow it and the house keeps 0.39%.

Double Deck, dealer hits soft 17, double after split, no surrender

Hard2345678910A
5–7 HHHHHHHHHH
8 HHHHHHHHHH
9 DDDDDHHHHH
10 DDDDDDDDHH
11 DDDDDDDDDD
12 HHSSSHHHHH
13 SSSSSHHHHH
14 SSSSSHHHHH
15 SSSSSHHHHH
16 SSSSSHHHHH
17 SSSSSSSSSS
18+ SSSSSSSSSS
Soft2345678910A
A,2 HHHDDHHHHH
A,3 HHDDDHHHHH
A,4 HHDDDHHHHH
A,5 HHDDDHHHHH
A,6 HDDDDHHHHH
A,7 DsDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8 SSSSDsSSSSS
A,9 SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs2345678910A
2,2 PPPPPPHHHH
3,3 PPPPPPHHHH
4,4 HHHPPHHHHH
5,5 DDDDDDDDHH
6,6 PPPPPPHHHH
7,7 PPPPPPPHHH
8,8 PPPPPPPPPP
9,9 PPPPPSPPSS
10,10 SSSSSSSSSS
A,A PPPPPPPPPP
  • H Hit
  • S Stand
  • D Double, or hit if you can’t
  • Ds Double, or stand if you can’t
  • P Split

How to read it

Find your hand down the side and the dealer's face-up card across the top. Hard totals have no ace, or an ace that has to count as 1. Soft totals have an ace counting 11. Pairs come first: with two 8s, read the 8,8 row, not hard 16.

If the dealer stands on soft 17

3 cells change, and the house edge moves from 0.39% to 0.19% (−0.20 points):

Double deck, dealer stands on soft 17 chart

Against the 6 and 8 deck chart

4 of the chart's cells differ from the 6 and 8 deck, dealer hits soft 17 chart. More decks mean the cards in your hand matter less to what comes next, so the chart drifts toward the shoe one.

6 and 8 deck, dealer hits soft 17 chart

What the rules cost on two decks

RulesHouse edge
Double after split, no surrender0.39%
Double after split, late surrender0.33%
No double after split, no surrender0.54%
No double after split, late surrender0.47%
Double after split, blackjack pays 6:51.76%

Anything else? The calculator prices any rule set.

Frequently asked questions

What do H, S, D, P and R mean on the chart?
Hit, stand, double, split and surrender. D means double if the rules let you, otherwise hit; Ds means double, otherwise stand. Rh, Rs and Rp mean surrender if you can, otherwise hit, stand or split.
What is the house edge with this chart?
0.39% with double after split and no surrender, blackjack paying 3:2. Perfect play, changing strategy for the exact cards in your hand, gets it to 0.38%. If blackjack pays 6:5 it rises to 1.76%.
Does the chart change if the dealer stands on soft 17?
In 3 cells, for example soft 14 (ace and 3) v 4: hit, not double. The house edge moves from 0.39% to 0.19%: see the double deck, dealer stands on soft 17 chart.
Should I take insurance?
No. Insurance pays 2:1 when the dealer's ace has a ten under it, and from two decks that happens 31.1% of the time. That makes it a 6.8% house-edge bet, many times worse than the hand itself.
Why split 8s against a 10 when it still loses?
Because everything else loses more. Per dollar bet, hitting 16 against a 10 loses about 51 cents and standing 54; splitting the 8s loses about 46.

Other charts

Single deck, dealer stands on soft 17Single deck, dealer hits soft 17Double deck, dealer stands on soft 176 and 8 deck, dealer stands on soft 176 and 8 deck, dealer hits soft 17 Practise it in the trainer Blackjack hub