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The GameThe MovesHard TotalsSoft TotalsPairsSurrender & RulesLive HandCard Counting

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Lesson 5 · Hard Totals

Hard 17-20 — Always Stand

From 17 up: stand almost always. The risk of busting by drawing outweighs any potential improvement.

Hard 17+ is the safe zone. The only notable exception: H17 vs A in some surrender rules.

Examples

Hard 20 vs A
10♦10♦10
J♥J♥J
YOU
VS
A♥A♥A
DEALER
✓ Stand

Stand — 20 beats almost everything. Never draw on 20.

Hard 17 vs A
7♠7♠7
J♥J♥J
YOU
VS
A♠A♠A
DEALER
✓ Stand

Stand (in S17). In H17 with surrender: Surrender/Stand.

Common mistake

Hitting hard 17 to chase a dealer's presumed 20. Hard 17-20 always stands: the bust risk dwarfs any possible gain, whatever the dealer shows.

Guided practice

Try 5 hands from the category you just studied before the quiz.

Hard
8♦8♦8
9♥9♥9
YOUR HAND
VS
Dealer
7♦7♦7
DEALER

Quiz

Answer 8 out of 10 correctly to continue.

Check this hand on the full chart →