The Gamble Club

The rules of gameplay in blackjack are very specific for the dealer and he must observe the rules closely and cannot play as he chooses. There are two commonly used rules, one of which states that a dealer must continue hitting till his hand value totals 17 or higher. While this is the variation followed by most casino houses, in some places another regulation may be followed. This stipulation that states that ‘Dealer hits soft 17’ is almost similar to the other rule with the single exception which explains what the dealer’s choice of action is when his hand value totals soft 17.

So, whether the dealer has a hand holding an ace and a 5 card (=16) or a pair or aces and a 4 card (=16) or an ace card, a 2 and a 4 card (=17), in each of the situation his hand strength is holding a value that is equal to soft 17. The rule states that in such cases, the dealer must continue to draw and when on hitting his hand value becomes either soft 18 or more than that, or hard 17 or a value higher than that. Once this is reached, the dealer stands.

Although not used extensively by the casino houses, this rule gives a better house edge for the casino against the players. But, under no condition does the dealer have any free choice of playing his hand and must follow the rules of he house. Moreover the dealer’s gameplay gets cramped by the fact that he is not allowed to split pairs and is compelled by the rules to go on hitting till his hand strength attains the value of at least 17 or gets busted by reaching more than 21. If the dealer’s hand value equals 21 with constant hitting, he can now stand but it may be pointed out that such a hand value is not a blackjack but simply a total of 21.