Hard 11 vs dealer ace: hit, stand, or double down?
It depends on the soft 17 rule. If the dealer hits soft 17, double down (hit if you cannot double). If the dealer stands on soft 17, hit.
- Dealer hits soft 17Double downIf you cannot double: hit
- Dealer stands on soft 17Hit
- Hit: take one more card.
- Double down: take exactly one more card, then stand. Only allowed on your first two cards.
Why
Dealer hits soft 17. 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 ace doubling down does better on average than a plain hit.
Dealer stands on soft 17. Hard 9, 10, and 11 are the doubling totals, but only against dealer cards that are weak enough. Against a dealer ace, a plain hit does better on average than doubling down, so take one card and play on.
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 ace busts about 20% of the time when the dealer hits soft 17 and 17% when the dealer stands on soft 17, counted after the dealer has checked for blackjack.
- A hard 11 cannot bust on one card.
| Dealer rule | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Bust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer hits soft 17 | 8% | 21% | 21% | 21% | 10% | 20% |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | 19% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 8% | 17% |
| Play | Dealer hits soft 17 | Dealer stands on soft 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Double down | +0.11best | +0.12 |
| Hit | +0.11 | +0.15best |
| Surrender (where offered) | -0.50 | -0.50 |
| Stand | -0.60 | -0.67 |
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. Close call: the best play leads the next best by only 0.008 when the dealer hits soft 17 and 0.026 when the dealer stands on soft 17, so the next best play gives up very little.
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 ace
What is the correct play for hard 11 against a dealer ace?
It depends on the soft 17 rule. If the dealer hits soft 17, double down (hit if you cannot double). If the dealer stands on soft 17, hit. Both assume 4 to 8 decks.
Does the soft 17 rule change hard 11 against a dealer ace?
Yes. If the dealer hits soft 17, double down (hit if you cannot double). If the dealer stands on soft 17, hit. Only a handful of hands on the chart change with that rule, and this is one of them.
What if I cannot double down?
If the dealer hits soft 17 and you cannot double, hit. If the dealer stands on soft 17, hit whether or not you can double down. 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 ace when the dealer hits soft 17?
When the dealer hits soft 17: 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 ace doubling down does better on average than a plain hit. When the dealer stands on soft 17: Hard 9, 10, and 11 are the doubling totals, but only against dealer cards that are weak enough. Against a dealer ace, a plain hit does better on average than doubling down, so take one card and play on.
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 this assume the dealer has already checked for blackjack?
Yes. In US-style games the dealer checks for blackjack when showing an ace before you act, so this play applies once the dealer is known not to have one. In games where the dealer does not check, some plays change.
Should I take insurance when the dealer shows an ace?
No. Basic strategy always declines insurance: insurance is a bad bet.
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.