Updated 2026-07-22 · 8 decks · S17 · DAS · methodology
Hard 19 vs dealer 5: the verdict
Basic strategy says stand. Against a dealer 5, hard 19 does best by letting the dealer take the risk of busting.
The numbers
| Action | Win | Push | Lose | EV per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stand | 66.1% | 11.8% | 22.1% | +0.440 |
| Hit | 12.8% | 1.7% | 85.4% | −0.726 |
| Double | 12.8% | 1.7% | 85.4% | −1.452 |
Why stand is correct
A dealer showing 5 busts 41.6% of the time, and that bust chance is doing the work here: standing wins 66.1% of hands without ever risking your own bust. Drawing a card would improve the total sometimes, but the bust risk and the hands you’d ruin cost more than they gain.
For context, a dealer 5 finishes on 17–20 about 47.5% of the time, on 21 10.8%, and busts 41.6%. Those dealer outcomes are the same no matter what you hold — the whole game is choosing the action whose distribution fits them best.
What the mistake costs
Choosing hit instead of stand costs about $2914 per 100 such hands at $25 a hand (−1.166 EV per dollar). The genuinely expensive error here is double: −1.891 per dollar, or roughly $4729 per 100 hands at the same stakes.
Does the rule set change it?
No — stand holds across every common configuration: Vegas Strip, Atlantic City with late surrender, H17 games and European no-hole-card tables all agree here.
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19 against other dealer cards:
Other key hands vs a dealer 5: