Hard Hand

In blackjack, a hard hand is a term used to indicate a hand without an ace. The opposite of a hard hand is a soft hand. In many scenarios, a hard hand is preferable to a soft hand.

The two strongest starting hard hands in poker are a hard 11 and a hard 20:

• Hard 11: an ace-less hand worth 11 points (e.g. 6,5)
• Hard 20: an ace-less hand worth 20 points (e.g. K,10)

Hard hand:

• A blackjack hand that does not contain an ace.