Hard 11 vs dealer 3: hit, stand, or double down?
Double down (hit if you cannot double). Hard 11 against a dealer 3 is played the same way whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
- Dealer hits soft 17Double downIf you cannot double: hit
- Dealer stands on soft 17Double downIf you cannot double: hit
- Hit: take one more card.
- Double down: take exactly one more card, then stand. Only allowed on your first two cards.
Why
A hard 11 cannot bust on one card, and 7 of the 13 card ranks (7 through king) take it to 18 through 21. It is the strongest doubling total, and against a dealer 3 doubling down does better on average than a plain hit.
Hard 11 means no ace is being counted as 11. Two-card ways to make it: 9 + 2, 8 + 3, 7 + 4, 6 + 5 (a 10 can be a 10, jack, queen, or king).
The numbers
- A dealer 3 busts about 38% of the time when the dealer hits soft 17 and 37% when the dealer stands on soft 17.
- A hard 11 cannot bust on one card.
| Dealer rule | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Bust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer hits soft 17 | 13% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 38% |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | 13% | 13% | 13% | 12% | 11% | 37% |
| Play | Dealer hits soft 17 | Dealer stands on soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Double down | +0.53best | +0.53best |
| Hit | +0.26 | +0.26 |
| Stand | -0.24 | -0.25 |
| Surrender (where offered) | -0.50 | -0.50 |
Scoring: a win scores +1, a loss -1, a tie 0, and a doubled hand counts twice. Surrender scores -0.50. Hit means take a card, then play on as well as possible. These are averages over many hands from the strategy audit behind the app, rounded and approximate. Any single hand can go either way.
Rules assumed
- 4, 6, or 8 decks (the chart is the same for all three)
- The dealer checks for blackjack when showing a 10 or an ace, before you act
- Double down is allowed on any first two cards
- Double after split is allowed
- Late surrender is offered, as your first decision only
- Split up to four hands; split aces get one card each and cannot be resplit
One-deck and two-deck games, tables without surrender, and dealers who do not check for blackjack change some plays. Check your table's rules before relying on any chart.
Both soft 17 rules are shown. The two charts differ on only 6 of 360 hands: see the dealer hits and dealer stands charts. The plays come from the verified 4 to 8 deck tables behind the Blackjack Trainer app (bs_4to8_h17_peek and bs_4to8_s17_peek).
Common questions: Hard 11 vs dealer 3
What is the correct play for hard 11 against a dealer 3?
Double down (hit if you cannot double). This is basic strategy for 4 to 8 decks, and it is the same whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Does the soft 17 rule change hard 11 against a dealer 3?
No. The play is the same whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Only a handful of hands on the chart change with that rule, and this is not one of them.
What if I cannot double down?
Then hit. Double down means taking exactly one more card, and it is only allowed on your first two cards.
Why double down with hard 11 against a dealer 3?
A hard 11 cannot bust on one card, and 7 of the 13 card ranks (7 through king) take it to 18 through 21. It is the strongest doubling total, and against a dealer 3 doubling down does better on average than a plain hit.
Does the play change if hard 11 has more than two cards?
Yes. Double down and surrender are only available on your first two cards, so with three or more cards, hit.
Does basic strategy guarantee a win?
No. It picks the play with the best average result, but any single hand can go either way, and the house keeps a small edge. This site and the Blackjack Trainer app are for practice only.