Soft numbers are cards that have values below 10. They can be any rank, but are usually 2 or 3.
When a soft number is drawn, the dealer must hit or stand. .
The main reason to use soft numbers is that they are less likely to result in a hard hand. When a card with a value of 10 or higher is drawn, it’s almost always hard to make a good hand without it.
With soft numbers, the dealer has more flexibility and can still make good hands even when playing against stiffer opponents.
Another benefit of using soft numbers is that they can help the dealer stay in the game longer. If the dealer has a pair of 2s or 3s, for example, it’s more likely that someone will hit if they draw one of those cards than if they draw a 5 or a 6.
But if the dealer only has one soft number, it’s much more likely that someone will hit if they draw it – especially if their hand is already bad.
One downside of soft numbers is that they’re less likely to produce big hands. If you’re playing against someone with a low hand rank (2 through 6), for example, you’re going to have a harder time hitting with soft numbers than you would with harder numbers.
But in most cases, whether your hand is good or bad isn’t going to be affected much by what cards you draw – so using softer cards usually isn’t too important.
In general, soft numbers are helpful in blackjack but aren’t as important as some other factors such as hand rank and suit.
