Blackjack H17: A Rule Giving Casinos Two Bites at the Apple

The rules of blackjack used to be hard and fast. After all players have played their hands, the dealer flips the hole card. If the dealer’s two cards add up to 17 -- say Ace and 6 – the dealer loses to all players with 18 or higher, pushes with 17, and collects the bets from the rest. But things have become complicated since 1980s (?). H17 is almost the common rule at most of the lower-limit tables in many casinos nowadays (unless prohibited by state regulations such as in Pennsylvania).

When Moraine first discovered the rule change from S17 (dealer stands on soft 17) to H17, and asked why the rule change in that casino, the pit boss said the change was to make the game more interesting, and to make players with 16 or less a chance to win.

Oh, really??? Consider that the basic strategy says soft 17 is always a hit or double down, never a stand. If players' hitting on soft 17 will benefit them, dealer's hitting on soft 17 must also benefit the casino too. By how much? The H17 rule increases the house’s advantage by about 50% thru changing from S17 to H17.