What is Soft hand?
A soft hand in blackjack is a hand containing an ace counted as 11 without exceeding 21, so drawing one more card cannot make it bust.
An ace and a 6 is a soft 17: it can count as 7 or 17. If the player draws a 10, the ace becomes 1 and the hand becomes a hard 17 rather than busting. That flexibility makes soft hands safer to draw to and good candidates for doubling down in certain situations.
Basic strategy treats soft hands differently from hard ones. Soft 17 or less should always be hit or doubled, never simply stood on, while soft 18 is played according to the dealer's upcard.
The soft hand concept also governs a key table rule: whether the dealer must hit or stand on soft 17. Tables where the dealer hits soft 17 carry a slightly higher house edge.
