Should you hit soft 18 against a 10?
Hit. Against a 2 through 6 the book doubles soft 18. Against a 7 or 8 it stands, and against a 9, 10 or ace it hits.
Why
Soft 18 feels like a hand to keep. Against a 10 it isn't: the dealer ends on 19 or better 52.7% of the time, after checking for blackjack, and ties your 18 another 12.1%.
Hitting can't break soft 18 on the next card, since the ace drops to 1 when it has to. A card can leave you worse off, and the book hits anyway: against a 10, standing on 18 does worse.
When the answer changes
This one doesn't change. Every rule set the chart covers hits soft 18 against a 10: one, two, six or eight decks, the dealer hitting or standing on soft 17, with or without double after split and surrender.
The full basic strategy chart for six decks, dealer hits soft 17, with every other rule set a tap away.
Questions
Should you hit soft 18 against an ace?
Yes. Against an ace the book hits soft 18. A dealer showing an ace goes over 21 20.1% of the time, after checking for blackjack.
Is it different at a single-deck table?
No. At the app's table with a single deck, the book still hits. So does every rule set the chart covers.
More hands
- Should you hit soft 18 against a 9?
- Should you hit soft 18 against an ace?
- Should you hit soft 17 against a 7?
- Should you stand on soft 18 against a 2?
- Should you double soft 19 against a 6?
- Blackjack hands, one at a time
Guides
Know the book before you sit down.
