Updated 2026-07-30 · 8 decks · S17 · DAS · methodology

Soft 19 (A,8) vs dealer 10: the verdict

Q: Hit or stand on soft 19 against a dealer 10?

Basic strategy says Stand. A genuine coin-flip — the gap is under half a cent per $1. Your chance of winning with the best play is about 47.1% (push 12.1%). Full EV math for every action is in the table above.

STAND

The verdict is stand. Against a dealer 10, soft 19 (a,8) does best by letting the dealer take the risk of busting.

The numbers

Action	Win	Push	Lose	EV per $1
Stand	47.1%	12.1%	40.8%	+0.063
Hit	39.9%	11.4%	48.7%	−0.088
Double	39.8%	8.7%	51.5%	−0.235

Why stand is correct

A dealer showing 10 busts 23.0% of the time, and that bust chance is doing the work here: standing wins 47.1% 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 10 finishes on 17–20 about 73.3% of the time, on 21 3.7%, and busts 23.0%. 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 $378 per 100 such hands at $25 a hand (−0.151 EV per dollar). The genuinely expensive error here is double: −0.299 per dollar, or roughly $746 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.

Get this verdict at the table in one tap.Free Telegram mini-app: instant verdicts, drill trainer and rule-aware charts — no install, opens right in chat.

Related spots

soft 19 against other dealer cards:

vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5 vs 6 vs 7 vs 8 vs 9 vs Ace

Other key hands vs a dealer 10:

16 vs 10 12 vs 10 15 vs 10 soft 18 vs 10 8,8 vs 10

Frequently asked

Do you stand on soft 19 against a dealer 10?

Yes — stand is the basic-strategy play for Soft 19 (A,8) vs 10 (EV +0.063 per $1). Hit is the second-best option at −0.088.

What are the odds of winning with soft 19 vs 10?

Playing it correctly (stand), you win 47.1% of hands, push 12.1% and lose 40.8%.

Is it the same if the dealer hits soft 17?

Yes — under H17 rules the verdict is still stand.

Hit or stand on soft 19 against a dealer 10?

Basic strategy says Stand. A genuine coin-flip — the gap is under half a cent per $1. Your chance of winning with the best play is about 47.1% (push 12.1%). Full EV math for every action is in the table above.