The best and worst blackjack hands are often ranked by their totals, but the number alone doesn’t tell you how valuable a hand really is. A starting 20 looks strong, while a hard 16 can leave you with two unfavorable choices. Yet the dealer’s visible card and the table rules can change both situations.
If you’re exploring Noxino Casino online, understanding those differences is a useful starting point. This guide examines strong and weak hands, soft and hard totals, basic strategy decisions, and how the hands compare when ranked by expected value.
The Best Hands to Be Dealt in Blackjack
A strong starting hand either has a high chance of beating the dealer or offers favorable opportunities to improve your position.
The casino promotions page covers available offers, although promotions don’t affect the mathematical strength of your cards. The hands worth examining are natural blackjack, totals from 20 to 17, starting 10 and 11, and pairs of aces, eights, or tens.
Blackjack: The Strongest Starting Hand
A natural blackjack consists of an ace and a 10-value card, giving you 21 with your first two cards.
At tables paying 3:2, a winning blackjack returns 1.5 units of profit for every unit wagered. A 6:5 table pays only 1.2 units, making the payout rule particularly important.
If the dealer also has a natural blackjack, the result is normally a push, and your original wager is returned.
Michael Shackleford’s blackjack payout analysis at Wizard of Odds explains why the difference between 3:2 and 6:5 meaningfully affects long-term returns.
Strong Totals: 20 Down to 17
Starting totals of 17 through 20 are commonly called pat hands, meaning they are generally strong enough to stand without drawing another card.
A 20 can only lose to a dealer’s 21 and ties another 20. A 19 remains competitive, while 18 beats dealer totals of 17 and pushes against 18.
Hard 17 is less comfortable. It cannot beat a dealer finishing on 18 or higher, but taking another card creates substantial bust risk.
These totals are usually played by standing under standard blackjack rules, although their expected values differ considerably.
Starting Totals of 10 and 11
A starting 10 or 11 is valuable because drawing a 10-value card can produce 20 or 21.
These totals also create favorable opportunities to double down, increasing the wager in exchange for receiving just one additional card.
Under the Wizard of Odds four-to-eight-deck basic strategy, with the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling is recommended for:
- Hard 10 against dealer cards 2 through 9.
- Hard 11 against dealer cards 2 through 10.
Against stronger dealer cards, hitting may provide better expected value. Rules requiring the dealer to hit soft 17 can also change specific doubling decisions.
Strong Pairs: Aces, Eights and Tens
Pairs create an important choice: keep the combined total or split the cards into two separate hands.
Basic strategy generally recommends splitting aces because each new hand begins with an ace. Splitting eights turns a difficult hard 16 into two starting eights with better playing potential.
Keeping a pair of tens is usually preferable because 20 is already strong.
Splitting requires an additional wager for the second hand. That cost is worth considering separately from any 100% welcome bonus offer you may be reviewing.
These recommendations follow standard multi-deck strategy. Some rule variations, particularly those involving surrender and dealer behavior on soft 17, create exceptions.
The Worst Hands to Be Dealt in Blackjack
The worst blackjack hands aren’t necessarily those with the fewest points. A low total gives you room to draw, while a middle-range total can leave you at risk whichever decision you make.
Two particularly difficult groups are hard 16 and the other stiff hands, usually hard totals from 12 to 15.
Hard 16: The Worst Starting Total
A hard 16 is widely considered one of blackjack’s weakest starting totals.
Standing leaves you unable to beat any completed dealer total of 17 or higher. Hitting offers a chance to improve, but drawing a card worth six or more immediately busts the hand.
Your best decision depends heavily on the dealer’s upcard.
In the Wizard of Odds multi-deck strategy where the dealer stands on soft 17:
- Stand against dealer cards 2 through 6.
- Hit against 7 through ace when surrender is unavailable.
- Surrender a hard 16 against 9, 10, or ace when late surrender is offered, excluding a pair of eights.
Surrender gives up half the original wager rather than risking the entire amount.
These recommendations aren’t universal. The number of decks, specific card composition, and surrender rules can change the preferred play.
Stiff Hands: Hard 12 to 15
Hard totals of 12 through 15 are known as stiff hands because drawing another card carries bust risk, yet standing often leaves the player with a weak final total.
Against a dealer showing 4, 5, or 6, standing on hard 12 is generally recommended in standard multi-deck strategy. The dealer has a relatively greater chance of busting.
Hard 13 through 15 are normally stood on against dealer cards 2 through 6 and hit against stronger upcards, subject to surrender exceptions.
The distinction matters because a hard 12 facing a 6 is a different problem from a hard 12 facing a 10.
Soft Hands: How They Work and How to Play Them
Soft hands are valuable because they offer greater flexibility when drawing another card. However, their strength depends on the total and the dealer’s upcard.
A soft 19 is already a strong position, while a soft 13 may still require substantial improvement. The presence of an ace doesn’t automatically make a hand favorable.
What Makes a Hand Soft
A soft hand contains an ace that can count as either 1 or 11 without exceeding 21.
For example, an ace and a 5 create a soft 16. Drawing a 9 changes the total to 15 because the ace switches from 11 to 1.
This flexibility lets you draw without immediately risking a bust on the next card.
How to Play Soft Hands
Soft totals generally allow more aggressive decisions than comparable hard totals because the next card cannot immediately bust the hand.
Under four-to-eight-deck basic strategy with the dealer standing on soft 17:
- Soft 13 through 17 are generally hit unless a favorable doubling opportunity exists.
- Soft 18 is usually stood on against dealer cards 2, 7, and 8.
- Soft 18 is doubled against 3 through 6 when permitted, and hit against 9, 10, or ace.
- Soft 19 and 20 are normally stood on.
A dealer who hits soft 17 can change some doubling decisions.
Once you understand these distinctions, the games lobby provides a place to explore available games. Check each game’s rules before applying a particular strategy.
Hard Hands: The Risks and How to Play Them
Hard hands offer less flexibility because their totals cannot be reduced by changing an ace’s value.
That makes drawing another card increasingly risky as the total rises. Still, risk alone doesn’t determine the correct move. The dealer’s upcard and the value of improving your hand must also be considered.
What Makes a Hand Hard
A hard hand either contains no ace or contains an ace that must count as 1.
For example, a 9 and a 7 produce a hard 16. Drawing a 6 would bring the total to 22, causing an immediate bust.
Unlike a soft 16, there is no adjustable ace to prevent that outcome.
How to Play Hard Hands
Basic strategy divides hard hands into useful ranges.
Low totals, 8 or less: Hitting is generally appropriate because one additional card cannot take the total beyond 18.
Hard 9 through 11: Doubling becomes an option against suitable dealer cards. In the standard multi-deck, stand-on-soft-17 chart, hard 9 is doubled against 3 through 6, hard 10 against 2 through 9, and hard 11 against 2 through 10.
Hard 12 through 16: The dealer’s upcard determines whether hitting, standing, or surrendering offers the better mathematical result.
Hard 17 through 21: Standing is the standard decision because the bust risk outweighs the potential benefit of drawing.
These guidelines follow published basic strategy rather than promising a winning result on any individual hand.
What Makes a Blackjack Hand Good or Bad?
A blackjack hand’s value depends on three things: your starting cards, the dealer’s upcard, and the table rules.
A hard 12 isn’t impressive by itself. Against a dealer’s 6, however, standing can be reasonable because the dealer must continue drawing until reaching at least 17.
The same hand against a 10 is weaker because the dealer has a greater chance of reaching a strong total.
There’s also a difference between a good starting hand and a winning final hand. Any total that beats the dealer without busting is good for that round. But an initial 11 can have positive expected value despite being too low to win if you stopped playing immediately.
How the Dealer’s Upcard Changes What Your Hand Is Worth
The dealer’s visible card provides important information about the likely final result.
Cards 5 and 6 are especially vulnerable because the dealer often needs several cards to complete a hand.
For example, hard 13 against a dealer’s 6 is generally a stand under standard multi-deck rules. Standing on that same 13 against a dealer’s 10 is usually unfavorable, making hitting the better option.
A hard 16 follows a similar pattern. Standing against 6 is standard, but hitting or surrendering may be preferable against 10.
Published Wizard of Odds dealer probability tables confirm that the dealer’s bust probability changes significantly with the upcard and rule set.
How Table Rules Change Which Hands Are Best
Blackjack strategy is not identical at every table. Several rules affect expected returns.
- Blackjack payout: A 3:2 payout is better for the player than 6:5 because a winning natural blackjack returns more.
- Number of decks: Fewer decks generally improve player returns when other rules remain the same.
- Dealer soft 17: Requiring the dealer to hit soft 17 generally increases the house edge compared with standing.
- Surrender: Allowing late surrender reduces the expected loss on certain difficult hands, particularly hard 15 and 16 against strong dealer cards.
These differences are quantified in the Wizard of Odds blackjack rule variation analysis.
Always check the rules of the game you’re playing before using a strategy chart.
Best and Worst Hands Ranked by Expected Value
Expected value (EV) measures the average profit or loss associated with a hand over repeated play using the specified strategy. It is not a prediction of the next round.
The figures below come from Michael Shackleford’s Expected Returns with Infinite Decks, published by Wizard of Odds.
Rule assumptions: An infinite-deck mathematical model, dealer stands on soft 17, double after splitting permitted, unlimited resplitting, and one additional card dealt to each split ace. The calculation uses standard blackjack payouts and optimal decisions within the modeled rules. The dealer’s upcard is not yet known, so each value averages across possible upcards.
| Hand | Dealer Upcard Assumed | Expected Value (per unit bet) | Source |
| Blackjack (natural) | All upcards, weighted | +1.4290 | Wizard of Odds |
| Starting 20 | All upcards, weighted | +0.5796 | Wizard of Odds |
| Starting 11 | All upcards, weighted | +0.2925 | Wizard of Odds |
| Pair of aces | All upcards, weighted | +0.2772 | Wizard of Odds |
| Soft 18 | All upcards, weighted | +0.0313 | Wizard of Odds |
| Hard 12 to 15 | All upcards, weighted | −0.3160 to −0.3958 | Wizard of Odds |
| Hard 16 | All upcards, weighted | −0.4174 | Wizard of Odds |
A value of +0.2925 means an average profit of approximately 0.2925 units per initial unit wagered in that modeled situation. Negative figures represent expected losses.
These values are conditional on receiving each starting hand, not the overall expected return from playing blackjack. They are theoretical reference figures, not verified payouts for a specific Noxino game. Different rules, including surrender availability, can change them.
Myths About Good and Bad Blackjack Hands
A few common blackjack beliefs fail to hold up under basic strategy analysis.
“You should split every pair.” Splitting aces and eights is generally recommended, but separating tens usually weakens an already strong 20.
“You should always stand on 16.” The dealer’s upcard matters. Against strong cards, hitting or surrendering may produce a better expected result.
“A winning card is due after several losses.” Previous outcomes don’t guarantee a particular next card. The actual cards remaining in a finite shoe can affect probabilities, but a losing streak does not create a guaranteed favorable draw.
“A high total always means a good hand.” Hard 17 against a dealer’s 10 can have negative expected value even though 17 is usually a standing hand.
These distinctions are supported by published Wizard of Odds basic strategy and expected-return tables.
Frequently Asked Questions
A natural blackjack, consisting of an ace and a 10-value card, is the best starting hand. It normally receives a higher payout than an ordinary win. A starting 20 is the strongest runner-up because it beats most completed dealer totals.
Hard 16 is generally considered the worst starting total because standing is weak and hitting carries substantial bust risk. Michael Shackleford’s published expected-return figures place it below other hard totals from 12 to 15 under the specified mathematical model.
No. A natural blackjack usually wins unless the dealer also has blackjack, which normally results in a push. The payout also varies by table. Common payouts include 3:2 and 6:5, with the former providing a better return on a winning natural.
A soft hand contains an ace that can count as 11 without causing a bust. A hard hand has no such flexibility. For example, ace-6 is soft 17, while 10-7 is hard 17. Their playing decisions can differ substantially.
Not necessarily. Playing two hands increases the amount wagered per round and can change how results are distributed, but it doesn’t eliminate the house edge. Understanding the best and worst blackjack hands matters regardless of how many hands you play. Two hands also increase your total financial exposure.