How much does H17 cost me?
About 0.2 percent of every bet compared with the same game under S17. At $25 a hand and 60 hands an hour, that is about $3 an hour.
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Dealer Soft 17 Rules: H17 vs S17 Explained
Updated
Every blackjack table posts either 'Dealer must stand on all 17s' (S17) or 'Dealer must hit soft 17' (H17). The difference sounds trivial but it changes the house edge by about 0.2 percent and alters a few cells of the basic strategy chart. The trainer models S17, the player-friendlier rule.
Soft 17 is an ace counted as 11 plus a 6, or any combination that totals 17 with an ace still at 11. Under S17 the dealer stops there. Under H17 the dealer must take another card, which can only improve the hand or convert it to a hard total between 12 and 16 that the dealer then plays out.
Why hitting soft 17 helps the dealer
Soft 17 is a weak made hand. Against a player standing on 18 or more it loses; against 17 it pushes. Giving the dealer a free, bust-proof card from soft 17 lets the dealer improve to 18 through 21 about 38 percent of the time while risking nothing on that first draw. The cost of the subsequent draws when the hand turns hard is less than the gain.
The net effect is roughly 0.2 percent added to the house edge. That is about a third of the entire edge of a good S17 game, so an H17 rule should be weighed as seriously as the number of decks when picking a table.
Which strategy cells change under H17
Because the dealer's ace and 6 become slightly stronger under H17, the player becomes a little more aggressive against them. In a multi-deck H17 game you double hard 11 against an ace (the trainer already does this), double soft 18 against a 2, double soft 19 against a 6, and if surrender is offered you also surrender 15 and 17 against an ace.
Everything else stays the same. If you learn the S17 chart from the trainer and then play an H17 game, those three or four cells are the only adjustments to make, and even playing them the S17 way costs only a few hundredths of a percent.
Where you will find each rule
S17 is standard in most of Europe, in many Atlantic City games, and at higher-limit tables generally. H17 has become the default on the Las Vegas Strip and at most low-limit tables in North America. Online casinos vary by game provider; the rule is always listed in the game's help panel.
The rule is printed on the felt near the dealer's chip tray or on a placard at the table. If it is not visible, ask. 'Dealer hits soft 17' is H17; 'Dealer stands on all 17s' or 'Dealer must stand on 17' is S17.
Choosing between an H17 and an S17 table
All else equal, choose S17. The 0.2 percent is real money over a session. But all else is rarely equal: an S17 table paying 6:5 is far worse than an H17 table paying 3:2, and an H17 game with surrender and double after split can be better than an S17 game without them.
A useful rule of thumb: payout first, then soft 17, then double after split and surrender, then deck count. The house edge table on this site shows how the pieces combine for the trainer's own rules.
S17 vs H17 At A Glance
| Aspect | S17 (Trainer Rule) | H17 |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer with A,6 | Stands on 17 | Must take another card |
| House edge difference | Baseline | About +0.2% |
| Hard 11 vs ace | Double (trainer) or hit | Double |
| Soft 18 vs 2 | Stand | Double |
| Soft 19 vs 6 | Stand | Double |
| Surrender 15 and 17 vs ace | No | Yes, if offered |
FAQ
Can I use the trainer's S17 chart at an H17 table?
Yes, with four small changes: double 11 against an ace, double soft 18 against a 2, double soft 19 against a 6, and surrender 15 and 17 against an ace if surrender is offered. Ignoring those changes costs very little.
Does the dealer hitting soft 17 ever help the player?
Occasionally the dealer busts after hitting soft 17, but over all hands the rule favours the house. There is no situation in which a player should prefer an H17 table over an otherwise identical S17 table.
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