When Does the Dealer Stop Hitting in Blackjack?

Simplicity and a low house edge are the main qualities that make blackjack online such a popular game. The rules are easy to pick up and the learning curve smooth so the road from amateur to expert is short.

In this guide we’ll focus on the question “When does the dealer stop hitting in blackjack?” but also “When does the dealer have to hit in blackjack?”. This is an important thing to understand when playing blackjack for real money at any online casino offering this game.

In both blackjack single deck and double deck blackjack players can hit as many cards as they like. They are not compelled to stand at 17 or any other hand value and the only concern is not to go over 21, hence go bust. Understanding the dealer rules for blackjack is vital to play the game successfully and improve the winning ratio while reducing the house edge.

Before going deeper with the blackjack dealer rules, let’s take a glance at the general rules of the game. The player’s goal is to make a hand better than the dealer’s, without exceeding a total of 21.

In blackjack when does the dealer stop hitting depends on the soft and hard hand totals. Many casinos prefer games where the dealer hits on soft 17, because this increases the house edge. Players who just learn how to play blackjack might find the differences insignificant, but they are important.

When crafting an advanced blackjack strategy, it is vital to seek the games with the lowest house edge. In conjunction with proper blackjack bankroll management, this can greatly increase the odds of winning.

Now that you are familiar with the blackjack rules for dealer, it’s worth exploring the main question in detail. When does the dealer stop hitting in blackjack, based on soft and hard 17 totals? For this purpose, we give two examples that should be useful in blackjack for beginners. A hand made of 10 and 7 is considered to be hard 17, whereas an Ace and a 6 is a soft 17. Soft hands are the ones that include an ace, no matter how many other low value cards are used to come up with the grand total.

Players are allowed to draw as many cards as they like, to create the best hands in blackjack. The croupier doesn’t have this option and the rules state when does a blackjack dealer have to hit. The house has an advantage if the dealer is allowed to hit on soft 17. This will give the dealer the chance to draw one more card, therefore beat a player’s higher hand such as 18, 19 or 20. It will even give him the chance to split in case of 21, unless the player made blackjack with an Ace and a 10-valued hole card.

When does the dealer stop hitting in blackjack based on soft and hard hands has a direct impact on odds. For instance, if the dealer is allowed to hit on soft 17, the house edge increases by 0.22%. In the long run, these numbers add up, so it’s preferable to find casinos where the dealer is compelled to stand at soft 17.

Blackjack is a fun game to play, easy to learn and difficult to master, but one carrying a very low house edge. Blackjack tips can help increase the odds of winning and choosing the right version of the game is essential. When does the dealer stop hitting in blackjack is an important question. Choose those blackjack variants where the dealer must stand at soft 17 to decrease the house edge as much as possible.

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