ProEdge

6-Deck Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart — Dealer Hits Soft 17

This is the chart for the game you'll find on most US casino floors: a shoe of 4 to 8 decks with the dealer hitting soft 17. The plays are identical across 4, 6, and 8 decks, so this one chart covers every standard shoe game — if the little placard at the table says "Dealer must hit soft 17," you're in the right place.

Hard totals

Your handvs dealer2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
10DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhHH
11DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhDh
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHRhRh
16SSSSSHHRhRhRh
17SSSSSSSSSRs
18+SSSSSSSSSS

Soft totals

Your handvs dealer2345678910A
A,2HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,3HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,4HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,5HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,6HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
A,7DsDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSDsSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS

Pairs

Your handvs dealer2345678910A
2,2PhPhPPPPHHHH
3,3PhPhPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPhPhHHHHH
5,5HHHHHHHHHH
6,6PhPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPRp
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10HHHHHHHHHH
A,APPPPPPPPPP
H
Hit
S
Stand
Dh
Double if allowed, otherwise hit
Ds
Double if allowed, otherwise stand
P
Split
Ph
Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise hit
Rh
Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
Rs
Surrender if allowed, otherwise stand
Rp
Surrender if allowed and double after split not allowed, otherwise split

Chart assumes double after split is allowed and doubling on any two cards. Where a play depends on a rule your table doesn't offer, the code gives the fallback — e.g. Rh means surrender if you can, otherwise hit.

What the H17 rule changes

A dealer who hits soft 17 makes more strong hands and adds roughly 0.2% to the house edge. The chart fights back around the dealer's ace — these are the plays that differ from the S17 version:

  • Surrender 15 and 17 against a dealer ace. Yes, surrendering a made 17 is correct here — the dealer ace is that dangerous when soft 17s get another card.
  • Double soft 18 against a 2 and soft 19 against a 6. The dealer busting more often makes these aggressive doubles profitable.
  • Surrender 8,8 against an ace (rather than splitting) when double after split isn't allowed.

Playing a different game?

The correct plays change with the deck count and the dealer's soft-17 rule. Grab the chart that matches your table, or start with the complete basic strategy guide.