What does dealer must hit soft 17 in black jack at casino mean?
The house rule is that the dealer must hit on 16 or below, and stay on 17 or above. In most casinos, however, the dealer must hit on a soft 17, that is, a count of 17 with an ace in it (because the count can be 7). This gives the house an added advantage (dealer can’t bust on the next card, and in fact a player should always hit a soft 17 no matter what). In your example, the dealer is not trying to beat the 20, he is being forced to hit on 16. You should stay on 15 (unless you have soft 15, in which case you should double down) when dealer shows 6, which is the worst upcard for him. The dealer doesn’t follow any strategy as he is bound by the house rules.
