---
title: 'Top 30 Blackjack Deviations for H17 Games'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=GZlYLqD4-Do'
video_id: 'GZlYLqD4-Do'
date: 2026-08-14
duration_sec: 1346
channel: 'A1 Blackjack'
---

# Top 30 Blackjack Deviations for H17 Games

> Source: [Top 30 Blackjack Deviations for H17 Games](https://youtube.com/watch?v=GZlYLqD4-Do)

## Summary

This video presents the top 30 blackjack deviations for H17 games, where the dealer hits on soft 17. The creator lists each deviation with its trigger true count, then explains the reasoning behind each play. It's a practical guide for card counters looking to refine their strategy.

### Key Points

- **16 vs. 9** [00:57] — Stand on 16 vs. dealer 9 at true count +4 or higher.
- **16 vs. 10** [01:09] — Stand on 16 vs. dealer 10 at any positive running count.
- **16 vs. 8** [01:22] — Stand on 16 vs. dealer 8 at true count +3 or higher.
- **15 vs. 10** [01:22] — Stand on 15 vs. dealer 10 at true count +4 or higher.
- **15 vs. Ace** [01:35] — Stand on 15 vs. dealer ace at true count +5 or higher.
- **13 vs. 2** [01:35] — Hit on 13 vs. dealer 2 at true count -1 or lower.
- **12 vs. 2** [01:49] — Stand on 12 vs. dealer 2 at true count +3 or higher.
- **12 vs. 3** [02:05] — Stand on 12 vs. dealer 3 at true count +2 or higher.
- **12 vs. 4** [02:05] — Hit on 12 vs. dealer 4 at any negative running count.
- **10 vs. 9** [02:18] — Hit instead of doubling on 10 vs. dealer 9 at true count -1 or lower.
- **10 vs. 10** [02:30] — Double down on 10 vs. dealer 10 at true count +4 or higher.
- **10 vs. 8** [02:44] — Double down on 10 vs. dealer 8 at true count +3 or higher.
- **9 vs. 2** [02:44] — Double down on 9 vs. dealer 2 at true count +1 or higher.
- **9 vs. 7** [02:56] — Double down on 9 vs. dealer 7 at true count +3 or higher.
- **8 vs. 6** [03:09] — Double down on 8 vs. dealer 6 at true count +2 or higher.
- **Soft 20 vs. 4** [03:21] — Double down on soft 20 vs. dealer 4 at true count +6 or higher.
- **Soft 20 vs. 5** [03:21] — Double down on soft 20 vs. dealer 5 at true count +5 or higher.
- **Soft 20 vs. 6** [03:35] — Double down on soft 20 vs. dealer 6 at true count +4 or higher.
- **Soft 19 vs. 4** [03:49] — Double down on soft 19 vs. dealer 4 at true count +3 or higher.
- **Soft 19 vs. 5** [03:49] — Double down on soft 19 vs. dealer 5 at true count +1 or higher.
- **Soft 19 vs. 6** [04:05] — Stand on soft 19 vs. dealer 6 at any negative running count.
- **Soft 18 vs. 2** [04:17] — Stand on soft 18 vs. dealer 2 at any negative running count.
- **Soft 17 vs. 2** [04:33] — Double down on soft 17 vs. dealer 2 at true count +1 or higher.
- **Soft 15 vs. 4** [04:33] — Hit on soft 15 vs. dealer 4 at any negative running count.
- **Soft 14 vs. 4** [04:46] — Double down on soft 14 vs. dealer 4 at true count +2 or higher.
- **Soft 13 vs. 4** [04:58] — Double down on soft 13 vs. dealer 4 at true count +3 or higher.
- **Split 10s vs. 4** [04:58] — Split 10s vs. dealer 4 at true count +6 or higher.
- **Split 10s vs. 5** [05:10] — Split 10s vs. dealer 5 at true count +5 or higher.
- **Split 10s vs. 6** [05:22] — Split 10s vs. dealer 6 at true count +4 or higher.
- **Insurance** [05:43] — Take insurance at true count +3 or higher in shoe games, +2.5 in double-deck, +1.5 in single-deck.

## Transcript

I got a tip for you guys today. These are going to be my top 30 deviations. Okay, this is going to be for an H-17 game, where the dealer hits on their soft 17, the most popular type of blackjack there is in the United States right now.
And with that said, the first part of the video might be interesting for you, might be helpful, in that you can listen to it on loop, on repeat, and just sort of drill in those deviations into your head. Or maybe you could listen to what the hand is,
and then pause it and see if you can say the deviation out loud. So either way, it's kind of a good way to drill or get those memorized so that you are ready to play as Antigone Blackjack. Last part of the video, I'm then going to go over kind of why we do what we do,
kind of my brief understanding of it. I'm not going to get too complicated or into the weeds with that, but I'll kind of explain a little bit of the why behind each of those 30 deviations. So without further ado, let's get into it. Starting with hard totals, a 16 versus a dealer's 9
is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 4 or higher. A 15 versus the dealer's 10 is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by standing at any positive running count. 16 versus the dealer's 8 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 3 or higher.
15 versus the dealer's 10 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing, when the true count is plus four or higher. 15 versus dealer's ace is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus five or higher. 13 versus dealer's two is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to hit at a true count of negative one or lower.
12 versus dealer's two is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus three or higher. 12 versus dealer 3 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to stand at a true count of plus 2 or higher.
12 versus dealer 4 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, at any negative running count, we're actually going to hit our hand. A 10 versus dealer 9 is normally a double down according to basic strategy.
However, instead of doubling, we're going to deviate by just hitting at a true count of negative 1 or lower. A 10 versus dealer of 10 is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus four or higher. A 10 versus dealer of eight is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus three or higher.
A nine versus dealer of two is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus one or higher. A 9 versus a dealer's 7 is normally a hit,
according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 3 or higher. An 8 versus a dealer's 6 is normally a hit, according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down
at a true count of plus 2 or higher. A stop 20 versus a dealer's 4 is normally a sting, according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 6 or higher.
The soft 20 versus dealer 5 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 5 or higher. The soft 20 versus dealer 6 is normally a stand according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 4 or higher. The soft 19 versus dealer 4 is normally going to be a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 3 or higher.
The soft 19 versus dealer 5 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 1 or higher. The soft 19 versus dealer 6 is normally a double down in an H17 game according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by standing at any negative running count. The soft 18 versus dealer 2 is normally a double down in an H17 game according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by standing at any negative running count. The soft 17 versus dealer 2 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 1 or higher.
The soft 15 versus dealer 4 is normally a double down according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by hitting at any negative running count. The soft 14 versus dealer's 4 is normally a hit
according to basic strategy. However, there's a deviation to double down at a true count of plus 2 or higher. The soft 13 versus dealer's 4 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down
at a true count of plus 3 or higher. A pair of 10s versus dealer's 4 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to split at a true count of plus 6 or higher. A pair of 10s versus dealer's 5
is normally a stand end according to basic strategy. However, at a true count of plus five or higher, then we're going to deviate by splitting our tens versus dealer five. A pair of tens versus dealer six
is normally a staying end according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate at true count of plus four or higher by splitting our tens. When the dealer is showing an ace, normally we don take insurance However we are going to take insurance at a true count of plus three or higher if we playing a shoe game a four six or eight deck shoe game And in a double deck game
we're going to take insurance at a true count of plus two and a half. If you're lucky enough to find a single deck game, it's at a true count of plus one and a half where you'd like to take insurance. So now that we know what those deviations are, the next part of the video is
I'm going to explain kind of why we make those decisions and deviate from basic strategy at those particular true counts. Before we do that, however, I want to show you these. These are my H17 deviation flashcards.
I know these are a lot of numbers to remember, and so I've made it really easy for you guys to memorize these. All right, here's kind of what they look like if I flip them over. You can see on the back side, we have kind of what basic strategy says at the top for each of these cards,
as well as what the deviation is in the middle. So, for example, if I look at this one, this was a 10 versus a dealer's ace. According to basic strategy, we should hit. That's what it says at the top there, kind of in green. Green means go, so hit.
And then down below, it says we should actually deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 3, and then there's a little arrow which means or higher. So if it was a true count of plus 7, we would still double down in that situation.
If that doesn't make sense, then below that, written out in words, It also says kind of what basic strategy is and what the deviation should be. Normally a hit double at a TC or true count of three or higher.
So it's kind of a really good way to memorize what these deviations are. If you purchase these on the back, there's also several that I have that are some expanded deviations
that maybe aren't included in the ones that you saw here, as well as I have kind of an information card with QR codes and things to link to different videos that show exactly how to use these flashcards.
So if you're interested in purchasing these flashcards, they're available at the link in the pinned comments of this video. All right, so again, this part of the video is going to be the deviation along with the explanation as to why we do what we do when it comes to these H17 deviations.
Starting with hard totals, a 16 versus dealer's 9 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 4 or higher. The idea behind this is if the true count is high enough, by taking another card, we would likely bust.
And so we're kind of hoping that the dealer might get a hand that would bust them instead. A 16 versus dealer's 10 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at any positive running count.
Again, the idea behind this one is by taking another card in that higher count, we would likely bust, and we're hoping that the dealer might have a low card underneath and then pull one of those high cards to bust their hand instead.
16 versus dealer's ace is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 3 or higher. Again, the idea is that in those higher counts, by taking another card,
we would likely bust our hand, so we don't want to do that, and we're hoping that the dealer might bust theirs instead. 15 versus dealer's 10 is normally a hit according to basic strategy, however we're going to
deviate by standing when the true count is plus 4 or higher. Like the previous ones, the idea is that in those higher counts, by taking another card we would likely bust our hand and we're hoping that the dealer might have a low card underneath
and then get a high card in order for them to bust instead. 15 versus dealer's ace is normally a hit according to basic strategy, however we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 5 or higher.
The idea behind this one is, again, in those higher counts, by taking other cards, we'd likely bust our hand, and we're hoping that the dealer might bust theirs instead. 13 versus dealer's 2 is normally a stand, according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to hit at a true count of negative 1 or lower. The idea behind this one is that those negative counts, there's going to be likely lower cards left, and by taking the other card, we probably won't bust our hand,
and the dealer, again in those lower counts, is likely to make a hand that's decent in those lower counts, and so we're trying to get a high enough total so that we can beat the dealer. 12 versus dealer 2 is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by standing at a true count of plus 3 or higher. The idea behind that one is that at that higher true count, by taking another card, There's a lot more 10s left in the deck, and so we could bust our hand,
and we're hoping that the dealer might bust theirs instead. 12 versus dealer 3 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to stand at a true count of plus 2 or higher.
The idea behind this one is that, again, at those higher counts, we could bust our hand by pulling the 10-valued card. We don't want to do that. We were hoping that the dealer might bust their hand instead. 12 versus a dealer of 4 is normally a sting hand according to basic strategy.
However, at any negative running count, we're actually going to hit our hand. The idea behind this one is that those negative counts, there's more low cards left, and so by taking another card, we probably won't bust our hand.
However, we're trying to improve it so that we can beat the dealer's total. A 10 versus a dealer of 9 is normally a double down according to basic strategy. however instead of doubling we're going to deviate by just hitting at a true
count of negative one or lower the idea behind this one is that those negative counts there more low cards left and so if we hit our hand and need to hit again we can against the dealer nine whereas doubling doesn allow that You only get one more card
A ten versus a dealer's ten is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus four or higher. The idea behind this one is that at that higher true count, we're likely to get more tens or aces.
and in either case here that would get us to 20 or 21 which is really good and therefore the double is worth it. A 10 versus dealer's ace is only a hit according to basic strategy however we're
going to double down at a true count of plus three or higher. The idea behind this one is that at that higher count there's more tens and aces left in either case that'd be really good for us. Also this one's a little bit lower it's at a plus three as opposed to a plus four when you had a 10
versus dealers 10 because the dealer has already checked for blackjack. We are no longer allowed to make any decisions if they do look and have blackjack, and so therefore this kind of assumes that they've looked already and we are able to make that double down decision. Nine versus dealers
two is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus one or higher. The idea behind this one is that with those higher cards left,
If we pull a 10 value card or even an 8, that's going to drastically improve our hand, and therefore the double down would be worth it against the dealer's 2. A 9 versus dealer's 7 is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 3 or higher. Again, the idea behind this one is at those higher counts, we're likely to get a 10 or an 8, and therefore that would improve our hand quite a bit,
and therefore that would make the double down worth it against a dealer's 7. An 8 versus a dealer's 6 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 2 or higher.
The idea behind this one is that at that higher true count, we're likely going to get a 10 or an 8, and that would result as a 19 or an 18, and therefore that would be really good against a dealer's 6.
Also at those higher counts, the dealer is likely to pull two high-value cards, and therefore that would probably bust their hand. So it's kind of both about your hand and the dealer's hand on this particular deviation.
A soft 20 versus dealer's 4 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 6 or higher. The idea behind this is kind of twofold, both about your hand and the dealer's hand.
So if you take another card in those really high counts, you're likely to get another 10. So you'd probably end up right back at 20. 2. The dealer is also likely to get a couple of 10s, or even if they got 10, 8, 10, that would still bust their hand.
And therefore, for those two reasons, you want to double down at a true count of plus 6 or higher. A soft 20 versus a dealer's 5 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus 5 or higher.
The idea is very similar to a soft 20 versus dealer's 4, where both our hand can't bust and the dealer is likely to bust in those really high counts. A soft 20 versus dealer's 6 is normally a stand according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 4 or higher. The idea behind this is kind of twofold. We cannot bust our hand by taking another card. and also it's worth that extra bet as the dealer in those higher counts
are likely to bust their hand when they are starting with a six. The top 19 versus dealer four is normally going to be a sting end according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by doubling down
at a true count of plus three or higher. The idea behind this is with our hand, we can't bust by taking another card and there's a chance we might even improve it. Also, the dealer in those higher counts is more likely to bust their hand when they're starting with a 4.
So the double down is worth it in that case. The soft 19 versus dealer 5 is normally a stand according to basic strategy. However, we're going to double down at a true count of plus 1 or higher.
The idea behind this one is we can't bust our hand, and the dealer in those higher counts is more likely to bust their hand. So kind of a two-fold reason there why that double down is worth it in those higher counts.
The top 19 versus dealer 6 is normally a double down in an H17 game, according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at any negative running count. The idea behind this one is that that extra bet is probably not worth it when you're already at a 19,
and the count is negative. So, yes, you could improve your hand, but the dealer is also very likely to make their hand. And so we're going to stand at 19, which is already pretty good,
and the dealer is showing a 6 in those negative counts. A soft 18 versus a dealer of 2 is normally a double down in an 8-17 game, according to basic strategy. However, we're going to deviate by standing at any negative running count.
The idea behind this one is that in those negative counts, the dealer is much more likely to make their hand, and so by taking another card, we could potentially go backwards. In that case, it's not worth that extra bet
in those negative counts to double down. The flop 17 versus dealer 2 is normally a hit according to basic strategy However we going to deviate by doubling down at a true count of plus one or higher The idea behind this one is kind of twofold One we are likely to either pull a ten and stay the same at seventeen or an ace in those higher counts and improve our hand
There's also a couple other cards that would improve our hand, starting with a soft seventeen, a two, three, four. There's not really many that would make us go backwards. Additionally, the dealer in those higher counts is more likely to bust than in the negative
counts, and so therefore, for both those reasons combined, at a true count of plus one or higher, it is worth the extra bet to double down. The soft 15 versus dealer four is normally a double down according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate by hitting at any negative running counts. The idea behind this one is kind of two-fold. One, by pulling a lower card, we are going to probably improve our hand. And two, the dealer also is going to probably pull some low cards in those negative counts,
and therefore they probably make a good hand. So we want to have the best fighting chance possible by building up our hand versus theirs. If that requires more hits, then that's possible if we don't double down and just hit in those negative counts.
The soft 14 versus dealer's 4 is normally a hit according to basic strategy. However, there's a deviation to double down at a true count of plus 2 or higher. The idea behind this one is kind of twofold.
One, you're probably not going to get a lower total than 14 by pulling another card with higher counts. If it was only an 8 or a 9, that would result in a lower total than 14. Two, the dealer is more likely to bust in those higher counts by pulling two high cards,
or even if they pulled 10, ace, 10, that would still bust their hand. And so for those two reasons, it's worth the extra bet to double down. The soft 13 versus the dealer's 4 is normally a hit according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to double down a true count of plus 3 or higher. Again, the idea with this one is you're probably not going to get a lower total than 13 unless you pull a 9. And so there's a lot of cards that will improve your hand.
Likewise, for the dealer at those higher counts, they're more likely to bust their hand when starting with a 4 as there's possibilities to get a couple of 10s and therefore a bust. And so we want to double down a true count of plus 3 or higher.
A pair of 10s versus a 4 is normally staying in according to basic strategy. However, we're going to split at a true count of plus 6 or higher. The idea behind this one is almost threefold in that at those high counts,
by splitting, we're probably going to win at least one of them. And if we were to lose the other, then we would end up pushing the hand and kind of no harm, no foul. Second reason is at those high counts, the cards we're going to probably get are 10s and aces.
Because of that, 20 is really good, and so is 21, of course. And so that's going to be really good against a dealer's 4. And that third reason is the dealer's card of a 4. At those high enough counts, at a true count of plus 6 or higher,
they're very likely to pull two 10 value cards and therefore bust their hand. A pair of 10s versus a dealer's 5 is normally a sting end according to basic strategy. However, at a true count of plus 5 or higher,
then we're going to deviate by splitting our 10s versus dealer's 5. The idea behind this one is similar to splitting against dealer's 4 in that at those high counts, if we win one and lose one,
we end up pushing the hand, so no harm, no foul there. Two, at those high counts, we're likely to get high cards, and therefore 20s and 21s are really good against the dealer's 5. The third reason is the dealer's 5.
they are likely to bust in those high counts by pulling two tens or a ten, an ace, another ten, and therefore that would bust their hand. A pair of tens versus dealer six is normally a stand according to basic strategy.
However, we're going to deviate a true count of plus four or higher by splitting our tens. The idea behind this is that at that high enough true count, if we win one and lose one, it's kind of no harm, no foul. We end up pushing the hand.
Two, at those high counts, we'll likely get tens and aces, which is really good against a dealer's six, and three against a dealer's six at those high counts, a dealer's much more likely to bust when they're starting at a six.
When the dealer's throwing an ace, normally we don't take insurance. However, we are going to take insurance at a true count of plus three or higher if we're playing a shoe game, a four, six, or eight-deck shoe game.
And in a double-deck game, we're going to take insurance at a true count of plus two and a half. If you're lucky enough to find a single-deck game, it's at a true count of plus one and a half. where you'd like to take insurance. The idea behind this one is that at those high enough true counts for those respective games,
there's a ratio of high to low cards that's high enough in that the one card that you haven't seen yet that's on the table is likely enough to be a high card, to be a 10-valued card,
and therefore, insurance becomes worth it as it gets paid out 2 to 1. Now, because it's paid out 2 to 1, that doesn't mean that you're going to win that bet 50% of the time. It's actually a little bit less than that, but because you get paid out 200%,
if you do that enough in the long run, the insurance bet will pay for itself at those high enough through counts. One last thing, guys, before I let you go, you might want to come back to this video again and again, so if you hit save to your watch later playlist or whatever you want to save it to, I'd appreciate that.
Additionally, please give me a thumbs up if you found this useful. Until next time, remember, this is A1 Blackjack. .