A Guide To Casino Blackjack Card Values And Basic Hands

Blackjack is the absolute crown jewel of the casino table games pit, offering the best mathematical odds for the educated player.


To achieve this, you must understand exactly how every single card in the deck is valued and scored.

The Value of the Deck: Aces, Faces, and Numbers

In blackjack, the suits of the cards (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades) are completely irrelevant; only the numerical value matters.


An Ace can be counted as either 1 point or 11 points, depending entirely on which value helps your hand the most without busting.

A hand that contains an Ace counted as 11 is called a 'Soft' hand (e.g., Ace + 6 = Soft 17), meaning you cannot bust if you take one more cardA hand without an Ace, or where the Ace must be counted as a 1 to avoid busting, is called a 'Hard' hand (e.g., 10 + 6 = Hard 16)Because there are so many cards worth 10 points (10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings), you must always assume the dealer's hidden down-card is a 10
How to Play Your Blackjack Hand

If you want the dealer to give you another card to improve your total, you tap the table to indicate a 'Hit'.


If you are dealt a strong starting hand (like an 11), you can choose to 'Double Down'.

Advanced ActionThe Financial RiskThe Strategic RewardDouble DownRequires doubling your initial betMaximizes profit when the dealer shows a weak 'bust' card (like a 5 or 6)SplitRequires a second equal betTurns a terrible hand (like two 8s equaling 16) into two decent starting hands

Mastering these basic card values and hand definitions is the absolute prerequisite to becoming a profitable blackjack player.