Recently we've been looking at the various plays available to you at the Blackjack table to further your understanding of basic strategy and improve your knowledge of the odds of the game to refine your decision making abilities while you play.

In this article we'll be looking at the difference between "soft" and "hard" Blackjack hands and the different strategies available to you for each.

Hard hands are those in Blackjack that do not contain an ace. So for example a Jack + 7 are referred to as a "hard 17". This means that the total is fixed and your play is always determined by the dealer's up card and basic strategy. Hard hands do not give you a lot of flexibility and you have to be careful as you are always a chance to bust your hard if you hit another card.

In contrast, soft hands in Blackjack are simply those that contain an ace. So a "soft 17" would be an Ace + Six. It's called a soft hand because it's not a fixed 17 as it can be played as either a 7 or 17.

The great thing about soft hands is that hitting another card will not bust you, thanks to the magical ace which can be played as a one or an eleven! This is a great position to be in, and one that you can really take advantage of with some aggressive strategy and betting.

The first thing to consider when playing your soft hands is the dealer's up card. If the dealer is showing a 5 or 6 then he is a strong chance to bust, which offers a great opportunity for you. In the knowledge that you cannot bust if you hit, and the dealer is likely to bust himself, this offers a great opportunity to maximize your bet by doubling down. You may spike a great card to give you a strong 19, 20 or 21, but if not then it's not a big deal as the dealer is still a good chance to bust anyway.

If you hold and Ace + Eight for a "soft 19" or Ace + Nine for a "soft 20", then you should probably just stand rather than double down as you already have a very strong hand that is likely to win anyway, so there is no need to risk that solid position by doubling down and potentially weakening your position. However for every other soft hand you should be doubling down anytime the dealer shows a 5 or 6.

This may seem a little aggressive for the casual player, but the reality is that mathematically over thousands of computer simulations, it is the most profitable play over the long term.

Remember that you can only ever double down on the first two cards. So if you just hit another ace and your hand is still "soft", you cannot then double down. However you should usually continue to hit your weak soft hands until they become hard hands as you are not going to bust and could hit the right card to give you a stronger holding.

Understanding the importance of soft hands versus hard hands is an important skill for the serious Blackjack player. Play your soft hands aggressively when the dealer has a weak holding to maximize your profits.