There can be no talk of playing the world’s favourite casino card game without dedicating some time to learning Blackjack card values. When starting your journey into how to play Blackjack, card values are one of the first things you’ll learn, as the entire game revolves around them! Let’s dive into them here, from what each card is worth to how those values make up a hand and ultimately, how they can make or break your game.
What Are Blackjack Card Values?
Blackjack card values are the points assigned to each of the different cards used in the game. A standard 52-card deck is used in the game of Blackjack online, minus the jokers. Blackjack rules card values are expressed as points and assigned as follows:
| Card | Value |
| Ace | 1 or 11 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 6 | 6 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 9 | 9 |
| 10 | 10 |
| Jack | 10 |
| Queen | 10 |
| King | 10 |
As you can see, cards 2 to 10 take face value, the Jack, Queen and King each have a value of 10 points, and the Ace can be worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on your hand. That Ace will count as 11 as long as it doesn’t bust your hand (ie. exceed 21), otherwise, it counts as 1.
How Blackjack Card Values Make Hands
In the game of Blackjack, your goal is to beat the dealer with a hand points total of as close to 21 as possible without going over (busting). The points of each of your first two dealt cards are added together to give your hand value, which you can then use to decide what your next move should be (ie. stand, hit, etc.).
Here are a few examples to show you how to find your hand total:
5 J = 5 + 10 = 15
6 K = 6 + 10 = 16
7 Q = 7 + 10 = 17
J Q = 10 + 10 = 20
A 6 = 1 + 6 / 11 + 6 = 7 / 17
Hard vs Soft Blackjack Hands
So what’s the deal with the variable value of that Ace card? In Blackjack, the Ace is a very special card as it can be worth either 1 or 11, and it’s this variability that results in so-called hard and soft Blackjack hands. It really boils down to this: if a hand can be worth two different values (ie. because it includes an Ace), it’s a soft hand, otherwise, it’s a hard hand.
Here are some examples of hard and soft Blackjack hands:
5 Q = Hard 15
A 4 = 1 + 4 / 11 + 4 = 5 / 15 = Soft 15
J 6 = Hard 16
5 A = 5 + 1 / 5 + 11 = 6 / 16 = Soft 16
10 7 = 17 = Hard 17
A 6 = 1 + 6 / 11 + 6 = 7 / 17 = Soft 17
Wondering why Soft 17 sounds so familiar? There’s a very special rule in Blackjack called the Soft 17 rule that is based around this particular hand value, so be sure to check it out in your efforts to learn the game.
The Hand of Blackjack
Blackjack is so called because of the most valuable hand in the game. The Blackjack hand is made up of any 10 card and an Ace, namely:
A 10
A J
A Q
A K
This gives a points total of bang on 21, but because of the cards involved in the hand, it’s called Blackjack. A Blackjack hand differs from other hands totalling 21 because it only involves the two initial dealt cards. This hand is so strong that it even beats the dealer’s non-Blackjack 21 hand!
Note: Be aware that Blackjack split rules dictate that split Aces matched with any 10 cards are not deemed Blackjack hands, just 21.
Bust Hand Values
Adding up your points totals in Blackjack is the easy part. What’s a little more tricky is avoiding the bust! Busting is basically exceeding the all-important points total of 21. Do that and you’ll automatically lose the round!
Busting only ever happens when you’ve opted to be dealt an additional card (hit) in your efforts to get a higher value hand and beat the dealer. You can’t bust with your first two cards, which is why choosing whether or not to hit can be such a tricky decision.
Here’s a few examples of bust Blackjack hands:
J 4 8 = 22 = Bust!
4 5 5 2 J = 26 = Bust!
7 7 8 = 22 = Bust!
J 2 2 K = 24 = Bust!
The Importance of Blackjack Card Values
The crux of the game comes down to judging whether the next card is likely to bust you or not against whether your current hand is enough to beat the dealer’s. That’s it in a nutshell, which is why card values are so important in Blackjack and why the game in general is so much fun to play.
For more invaluable tips on how to master the game, be sure to check out our Blackjack guide.
FAQs
Blackjack card values are face value for cards 2 to 10 (eg. a 2 is worth 2 points, a 3 is worth 3 points, etc.), 10 points for Jack, Queen and King, and 1 or 11 for the Ace card.
No, jokers are not used in the game of Blackjack. A standard 52-card deck is used, minus the jokers.
The Ace can be either 1 or 11 in Blackjack, depending on the hand. The Ace is considered 11 as long as it doesn’t result in a bust hand, otherwise it’s worth 1.
The value of the Ace card is not determined by the player, but rather by the rules of the game. For example, consider the following hand: A 10 2. The Ace in this hand can never be considered an 11 as that would bust the hand. The only way this hand can remain in the game is if that Ace is worth 1. Your job as the player is to recognise that and play accordingly.
No, the Ace can either be a 1 or 11 for the dealer too, just like the player. Things can get interesting when it comes to the dealer’s Aces though, as explained by the Soft 17 rule, which determines whether the dealer has to hit or stand with a Soft 17.
If your Blackjack hand total exceeds 21, that’s called busting, which means you’ve lost the round.
Most players will agree that the golden rule of Blackjack is to stand on a hand total of 17 or more because in such a case, there are few cards you could be dealt that would result in a better hand. That said, there are plenty more Blackjack tips like this one ready to enhance your game.
