Should you double soft 14 against a 4?

Why

Soft 14 isn't a hand to stand on: the dealer never stops below 17, so standing wins only when the dealer goes over 21, which with a 4 showing is 39.8% of the time.

A 4 is weak, but not weak enough to double soft 14 into. The book doubles it against a 5 or 6, where the dealer goes over 21 more often. Here, take a card: it can't break a soft hand.

When the answer changes

At the app's table (six decks, the dealer hitting soft 17, double after split and late surrender) the book hits soft 14 against a 4. With a single deck, or with two decks and the dealer hitting soft 17, the book doubles instead. Every other rule set plays it the way the app's table does.

The full basic strategy chart for six decks, dealer hits soft 17, with every other rule set a tap away.

The same chart with a single deck.

Questions