Part I: Games & Gaming · Card Games — Baccarat & Blackjack

Hard Hand

Blackjack

A hand without an Ace, or a hand where the Ace must be counted as 1 to avoid busting. For example, 10-7 is a hard 17; Ace-6-10 is also a hard 17 (the Ace counts as 1). Hard hands have fewer strategic options than soft hands because drawing another card carries higher bust risk.

In practice

Basic strategy charts distinguish between hard and soft hands because the optimal plays differ significantly. A hard 12 through 16 is often called a “stiff hand.”

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.