Strategy charts · Hi-Lo

S17 Blackjack Deviations: the Stand-on-Soft-17 Chart

The full Hi-Lo deviation chart for the 6-deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17 (DAS, late surrender). Every index is drawn into its hand-vs-dealer cell: a two-tone cell shows the basic-strategy play below the index and the deviation once the true count reaches it. Generated by the same engine that grades decisions in the free blackjack trainer. Playing an H17 table instead? Use the main blackjack deviation chart.

31 index plays
6 decks
Dealer stands on soft 17
Double after split
Late surrender

Drill the Illustrious 18

6-deck S17 chart with deviations

8 indices change

HHitSStandDDoublePSplitRSurrenderHS ≥ 0Index cell: corner is the play at the index · tap for details Amber = H17 differs.

Hard totals

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8	H	H	H	H	HD ≥ +2 8 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +2Double HTC below +2Hit	H	H	H	H	H
9	HD ≥ +1 9 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double HTC below +1Hit	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ +3 9 vs 7 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +3Double HTC below +3Hit	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ +4 10 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +4Double HTC below +4Hit	HD ≥ +4 10 vs A Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +4Double HTC below +4Hit
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ +1 11 vs A Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double HTC below +1Hit
12	HS ≥ +3 12 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ +3Stand HTC below +3Hit	HS ≥ +2 12 vs 3 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ +2Stand HTC below +2Hit	HS ≥ 0 12 vs 4 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ 0Stand HTC below 0Hit	HS ≥ -2 12 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -2Stand HTC below -2Hit	HS ≥ -1 12 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -1Stand HTC below -1Hit	H	H	H	H	H
13	HS ≥ -1 13 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -1Stand HTC below -1Hit	HS ≥ -2 13 vs 3 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -2Stand HTC below -2Hit	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	HR ≥ +3 14 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +3Surrender HTC below +3Hit	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	HR ≥ +2 15 vs 9 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +2Surrender HTC below +2Hit	HR ≥ 0 15 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RSurrender offered, TC ≥ 0Surrender SNo surrender, TC ≥ +4Stand HTC below 0Hit	HR ≥ +1 15 vs A Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +1Surrender HTC below +1Hit
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	HR ≥ +4 16 vs 8 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +4Surrender HTC below +4Hit	RS ≥ +5 16 vs 9 Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +5Stand HNo surrender, TC below +5Hit	RS ≥ 0 16 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ 0Stand HNo surrender, TC below 0Hit	RS ≥ +5 16 vs A Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +5Stand HNo surrender, TC below +5Hit
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft totals

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	HD ≥ +1 A,6 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double HTC below +1Hit	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A,8	S	S	SD ≥ +3 A,8 vs 4 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +3Double STC below +3Stand	SD ≥ +1 A,8 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double STC below +1Stand	SD ≥ +1 A,8 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double STC below +1Stand	S	S	S	S	S
A,9	S	S	S	SD ≥ +5 A,9 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +5Double STC below +5Stand	SD ≥ +5 A,9 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +5Double STC below +5Stand	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	SP ≥ +3 9,9 vs 7 Hi-Lo index play PTC ≥ +3Split STC below +3Stand	P	P	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	SP ≥ +5 10,10 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play PTC ≥ +5Split STC below +5Stand	SP ≥ +4 10,10 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play PTC ≥ +4Split STC below +4Stand	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

* Only at tables without surrender — the starred stand indices are the hit/stand crossovers for when you can't give the hand up. Where surrender is offered: 16 vs 9/10/A keep surrendering at every count, while 15 vs 10 follow the Fab 4 index in the cell — surrender at the index and above, hit below it (the deck is small-card rich, so playing the hand out beats the flat half-bet loss).

S17 vs H17: which indices actually move

A dealer who stands on soft 17 is less dangerous with an ace up — the hand that would have been re-drawn into a stronger total under H17 simply stops at 17. That makes a few of the aggressive plays against an ace unnecessary, so their indices move or disappear under S17. These are the only rows that change; every other cell in the chart is identical between the two games. A dash means no standard index exists under that rule.

Indices that differ between H17 and S17
Hand	Play	H17 true count index	S17 true count index
11 vs A	Double	≥ -1	≥ +1
10 vs A	Double	≥ +3	≥ +4
12 vs 6	Stand	≥ -3	≥ -1
16 vs A	Stand	≥ +3	≥ +5
15 vs A	Stand	≥ +5	—no index
A,8 vs 6soft 19	Double	≥ 0	≥ +1
A,9 vs 6soft 20	Double	≥ +4	≥ +5
15 vs A	Surrender	≥ -1	≥ +1

Make the play at the index or beyond; otherwise play basic strategy. Tap a row to find it in the chart. Amber = H17 differs.

The Fab 4 surrenders under S17

The surrender indices at tables offering late surrender. Watch 15 vs A — it's the Fab 4 play the soft-17 rule moves most: surrender from true count −1 under H17, but only from +1 under S17, because a dealer who stands on soft 17 makes far less with an ace up.

Fab 4 surrender deviations with H17 and S17 true count indexes
Hand	Play	H17 true count index	S17 true count index
14 vs 10	Surrender	≥ +3	≥ +3
15 vs 9	Surrender	≥ +2	≥ +2
15 vs 10	Surrender	≥ 0	≥ 0
15 vs A	Surrender	≥ -1	≥ +1
16 vs 8	Surrender	≥ +4	≥ +4

Make the play at the index or beyond; otherwise play basic strategy. Tap a row to find it in the chart. Amber = H17 differs.

The Illustrious 18 with S17 indexes

Don Schlesinger's ranked list with the S17 column as your reference. The order still holds under S17 — insurance at true count +3 first, the 16 vs 10 stand second — and the early rows still carry most of the value.

Illustrious 18 deviations with H17 and S17 true count indexes
#	Hand	Play	H17 true count index	S17 true count index
1	Insurance vs A	Insure	≥ +3	≥ +3
2	16 vs 10	Stand	≥ 0	≥ 0
3	15 vs 10	Stand	≥ +4	≥ +4
4	10,10 vs 5	Split	≥ +5	≥ +5
5	10,10 vs 6	Split	≥ +4	≥ +4
6	10 vs 10	Double	≥ +4	≥ +4
7	12 vs 3	Stand	≥ +2	≥ +2
8	12 vs 2	Stand	≥ +3	≥ +3
9	11 vs A	Double	≥ -1	≥ +1
10	9 vs 2	Double	≥ +1	≥ +1
11	10 vs A	Double	≥ +3	≥ +4
12	9 vs 7	Double	≥ +3	≥ +3
13	16 vs 9	Stand	≥ +5	≥ +5
14	13 vs 2	Stand	≥ -1	≥ -1
15	12 vs 4	Stand	≥ 0	≥ 0
16	12 vs 5	Stand	≥ -2	≥ -2
17	12 vs 6	Stand	≥ -3	≥ -1
18	13 vs 3	Stand	≥ -2	≥ -2

Make the play at the index or beyond; otherwise play basic strategy. Tap a row to find it in the chart. Amber = H17 differs.

S17 deviations, answered

Do I need a separate chart for S17?

Only barely — and that's the point of the difference table above. Learn the standard set, then the handful of rows the soft-17 rule moves. If you play both games, drill the H17 chart and treat the S17 differences as exceptions.

Is S17 a better game than H17?

Yes — dealer standing on soft 17 is worth roughly two-tenths of a percent to you, one of the biggest single-rule differences on the placard. Price your exact table with the house edge calculator.

Does basic strategy change under S17 too?

A few cells, yes — mostly doubles and surrenders against an ace. The H17 vs S17 basic strategy comparison lists every one, and this chart's grid already has them baked in.

How do I practice these?

Set the trainer to an S17 table and turn on deviations — it deals real hands, tracks the true count, and grades every index play against this exact chart. The trainer is free, no account needed.

Next step

How to actually learn these

The trainer keeps a live Hi-Lo count and grades every play against this chart. Preview which cells flip at any count in the interactive chart, or see what each spot is worth in the EV heatmap.

Drill the Illustrious 18