Definitions for "Hard Total"
Keywords:  ace, counts, nine, combo, hand
The total of any hand not containing Aces or the total of a hand where the Ace is counted as 1. So a 10 and an 8 is a hard total of 18, or a hard 18. An Ace and a 7 is a hard total of 8.
A hand with no Aces or where the Ace is counted as "1". For example, a nine-eight combination counts as a hard-17.
The point total of a hand using the aces as a one-point rather than eleven-point cards. (Example: a four-five-ace is worth twenty, but has a hard total of ten.)