Soft 13 vs dealer 5: hit, stand, or double down?
Double down (hit if you cannot double). Soft 13 against a dealer 5 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 soft hand cannot bust on one card. A dealer 5 busts about 42% of the time, so doubling down does better on average than a plain hit or stand here.
Soft 13 means an ace is counted as 11 without busting. With two cards it is an ace and a 2.
The numbers
- A dealer 5 busts about 42% of the time.
- A soft hand cannot bust on one card, because the ace drops from 11 to 1 if it has to.
| Dealer rule | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Bust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Either dealer rule | 12% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 42% |
| Play | Either dealer rule |
|---|---|
| Double down | +0.14best |
| Hit | +0.14 |
| Stand | -0.16 |
| Surrender (where offered) | -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. Close call: the best play leads the next best by only 0.002, 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: Soft 13 vs dealer 5
What is the correct play for soft 13 against a dealer 5?
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 soft 13 against a dealer 5?
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 soft 13 against a dealer 5?
A soft hand cannot bust on one card. A dealer 5 busts about 42% of the time, so doubling down does better on average than a plain hit or stand here.
Does the play change if soft 13 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.