While playing a natural eighteen in blackjack is a no-brainer, playing eighteen when you have a pair of nines dealt to you or a soft eighteen can sometimes be tricky. When dealt eighteen, a player should stand regardless of the dealer’s up card, unless the eighteen is soft or you have eighteen a pair of nines. In these cases, one must act based on what the dealer’s up card reveals.

Playing the soft eighteen

Even though there are only three totals that the dealer can hold that beat the eighteen (and one that causes a push), there are few instances where standing on a soft eighteen is the correct blackjack play. A blackjack player should only choose to stand with a soft eighteen when a dealer holds a two, seven or eight as their up card, as standing is the most profitable move. Should the dealer hold a three, four, five, or six, the blackjack player should double down. The likelihood of the dealer drawing to a bust, combined with the player getting a favorable card on their hit outweighs the likelihood that the player will be beat on the double down.

If the dealer holds a nine, ten, or ace as their up card, an online casino blackjack player is best served taking a hit. If taking a hit with a soft eighteen, the player should then reassess their situation with the new total of their hand before deciding whether to proceed. For example, if the blackjack player holds Ace – Seven and the dealer shows a nine, the player hits. If the player receives an ace, ten, two, or three, they will automatically stand. If the player gets a nine, they will stand with seventeen. Should the blackjack player receive an eight, seven, six, five, or four however, they will have to take a hit when the dealer shows an up card of nine, face, or ace, as they are more profitable drawing another card than they are standing.

Playing the 9-9 in Blackjack

When a player is dealt nines out of the gate in blackjack, they are wise splitting them in all but three scenarios. When the dealer shows an Ace, face card, or a seven – the player can safely stand. If the dealer’s up card is anything other than an ace, face, or seven – the player should split the pair and play the split hand accordingly, as the likelihood of making a stronger or more playable hand is more likely.