Ben Cain has always enjoyed the buzz of the casino, completing his croupier training at a relatively young age. After a lengthy career working at casinos on various cruise ships, he traded a life on the sea for a life as an editor in 2018. Now, he’s using the knowledge he picked up as a croupier to provide the best casino & betting strategy tips around.
Understanding blackjack basics is crucial if you want an effective strategy. Among the basics, you should learn about what blackjack card values and blackjack hands. Anyone wanting to learn about blackjack can use this guide.
Blackjack is a variant of poker that uses 1-9 decks with 52 cards in a pack. Each card has its value in the game. The aim of blackjack to score 21 or as close as possible without going over 21. It is for that reason that blackjack is also alternatively known as 21.
The closer your blackjack hands are to 21, the stronger they are, irrespective of which cards you have. If your total value of cards exceeds 21, you instantly lose; known as a bust. In a game of blackjack, you’re primarily competing against the dealer but can also compete against other players.
Players bet that their blackjack hands will be better than those of the dealer. The payouts for these bets vary based on the outcome of each hand.
The blackjack card values of Numbered cards
Numbered cards are the cards in a deck that have numbers on them. These are 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10 of each suit. Their numerical value equals their blackjack card values meaning that the card value of 2 is 2, and the card value of 3 is 3 and so on.
The blackjack card values of Faced cards
Faced cards are the royal cards in a deck. These are your Jacks, Queens, and Kings for each suit. Like with poker card values, your Jacks, Queens and Kings have blackjack card values in 21 are 10.
The blackjack card values Ace cards
The ace card is the card with an ‘A’ on it. This card is unique because it can either have a blackjack card values of 1 or a card value of 11. Which value it has is dependent on the player’s choice.
Blackjack hands
Now that you understand the value of the different cards, it is time to learn the different hands in the game.
Soft blackjack hands
A blackjack combination that has an ace in it is known as a soft hand. Aces have two values; hence they’re known as soft blackjack hands.
Blackjack hands with an ace and 7 are known as a soft 18. If the ace card value is 11, then these blackjack hands will be valued as 18. However, if the ace is considered as the card value of 1, then these hands will only be valued as 8. The soft 18 is as denoted as 8/18.
A blackjack combination that doesn’t have an ace in it’s known as hard blackjack hands. There’s no ambiguity around the value of the side. An example of this will be if you’re dealt a 3 and a 6.
The blackjack hands value of each card is equal to its numerical value. The cards 3 and 6 could only be valued 9 (3+6).
Blackjack hand valued 2
The lowest possible starting blackjack combination total you can have. It also makes for one of the most complex starts in the game.
Some blackjack double down if the dealer is showing a value of 5 or 6. These values are considered weak for the dealers.
A hand with an ace in it is referred to as a soft hand. This is because of the double value that the ace has. There is no set way to play a soft hand; each hand is case-specific. What this means is how you play that hand is dependent on what card the dealer has.
Blackjack hand valued 4
This happens when you have an ace and a 3 or a pair of twos. In the cases where you have a couple you twos, you have the option of splitting. If this is a good option is dependent on what the dealer is showing.
Splitting 2s means that you could end up with a hand value of 12 or less than. Unless the dealer hits a bust, these are not favorable cards for you.
Whether you’re splitting your pair of twos or not, it still means that you’ve been dealt a weak starting hand. Our blackjack split guide explains this in more detail.
Blackjack hand valued 5
This happens when you have been dealt an ace and a 4 and a 2 and a 3. If you are dealt a 2 and a 3 combination, it is advisable to hit. This is even more so if your dealer has a weak card.
Blackjack hand valued 6
This happens when you are dealt an ace and a 5, a pair of 3s, or a 2 and a 4. If you are dealt a pair of 3s, treat it the same way you would if you were dealt a pair of 2s. A blackjack combination of 2 and 3 should be dealt with similarly as if you were dealt a hand of 2 and 3.
Blackjack hand valued 7
This happens when you have an ace and a 6, a 2 and 5, or a 3 and 4. In the scenario where you don’t have an ace, you should take a hit. An ace and 6 combination is also a soft 17. Stand or double down with this hand value.
Blackjack hand valued 8
Treat a couple of 4s in the same way you would treat a pair of 2s. For the scenario, take a hit from the dealer.
An ace and 7 is also a soft 18. Stand or double down with this hand.
If the dealer’s card is a 10 and you have a feeling that the face-down card will increase their hand value to a 19 or 20, then you should consider taking a hit from the dealer. It’s not the most prudent move to make, but it is still an available option.
Blackjack hand valued 9
If the dealer has a card valued less than 8, you should double down. You have a better chance of winning that hand. If not, take a hit.
An ace and an 8 is also a soft 19. If you chose to treat the hand as a soft 19, stay with this hand.
If you have a couple of 5s, don’t split it. If the dealer has a 10- valued card as well, then take a hit instead. This also applies to other scenarios that are valued 10.
An ace and nine combination is a soft 20. You have a high chance of winning with this hand, so stay.
Blackjack hand valued 11
Always double down when you are dealt a hand valued 11.
An ace and a 10-value card is blackjack, not 11. You’ve won the game if you are dealt these cards.
Blackjack hand valued 12
This is one of the more difficult starting valued hands in blackjack. If you have a couple of 6s, don’t split. Splitting will put you in a worse position.
When you are dealt a hand valued at 12, hit against a dealer with a high card if they’re showing a potential bust, stay. If the dealer is showing a 2, trust your instincts if you should blackjack rules that often work in the player’s favor. When a dealer can stand or hit are governed by these rules. The norm is that dealers hit until they get 17 and stand on any hand valued at 17 and above.
Some rules are specifically a both soft 17 or hard 17. If a dealer is dealt an ace and 6, then they are dealt a soft 17. If the rule states that a dealer can hit until a hard 17, then the dealer can hit another card. This would force the ace to be valued at one instead of 11. This could improve the value of the dealer’s hand, which would be to the player’s disadvantage.
Blackjack hand valued 13
In this scenario, you should hit against a high dealer and stay against a low card.
Blackjack hand valued 14
In the 14-valued combinations without 7s, you should hit against a high dealer and stay against a low card.
If you are dealt a pair of 7s, you should split your cards if the dealer has a card less than 7. If the dealer has a steady hand, don’t consider splitting your hand.
Blackjack hand valued 15
When you are dealt a starting hand that is valued 15, you should hit against a high dealer and stay against a low card.
Blackjack hand valued 16
In a 16-valued scenario with no 8s, you should hit against a high dealer and stay against a low card. If you’re dealt a pair of 8s, you should always split, no question about it.
Blackjack hand valued 17-21:
If you’re dealt a card that’s valued between 17 and 21, your best option is to stay irrespective of what the dealer’s showing.
One exception is if you’ve been dealt a soft 17-19, in these cases, you should double down. Another limitation is if you’ve been dealt a 21, and the dealer is showing an ace.
In this scenario, the dealer will offer you more money. This means that you’ll get the money you wagered instead of just your usual time and a half amount. This method gives you an edge over the dealer who would usually defeat you.
If you are dealt a pair of 10 valued cards, giving to a value of 20, you have the option to split your cards. If you are feeling adventurous, you could split your cards. You can take this route if the dealer has a weak hand. This is not advisable, though. It is safer, and thus more advisable, for you to stay when you have these pair of cards,
Players hand
The primary purpose of blackjack is to get as close as possible to 21 without going over 21. Another aim of blackjack is to get a hand that is better than the dealer’s hand, who is also trying to get their hand value as close as possible to 21 without going over 21.
This means that you can win the hand with a weak hand if the dealer goes over 21. It also means that you can win so long as your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand.
The best blackjack hands that you could get in a game of blackjack are called a natural blackjack hand. A natural blackjack is a blackjack combination of an ace and a 10 valued card. If you’re dealt this hand, it’ll be compared to the dealer’s hand. You have won the hand in this instance unless the dealer also has a natural blackjack.
If the dealer also has a natural blackjack, the hand is tied. Also known as a push. The dealer returns your original bet.
It is possible to get blackjack with 3 or more cards. It’s not advisable to force this because of the risk of going over 21.
Dealers hand
Dealers have to follow an essential set of blackjack rules that often work in the player’s favor. When a dealer can stand or hit are governed by these rules. The norm is that dealers hit until they get 17 and stand on any hand valued at 17 and above.
Some rules are specifically a both soft 17 or hard 17. If a dealer is dealt an ace and 6, then they are dealt a soft 17. If the rule states that a dealer can hit until a hard 17, then the dealer can hit another card. This would force the ace to be valued at one instead of 11. This could improve the value of the dealer’s hand, which would be to the player’s disadvantage.
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Conclusion – Your Hand to Win
Blackjack is a strategic game of chance. Blackjack is a game with one of the lowest house edges in casinos. Having a good strategy to approach the game will make this little fact beneficial to you. To build the best strategy, you need to know the basics of the card and hand values in blackjack.
Now that you have all the basics you need down, you can enjoy, and hopefully, find some success playing blackjack. You can now go and learn what it means to best online casino games USA have rules for dealers that can impact on your blackjack game against them. It is essential to pay attention to these rules so you can play your best game.
Lastly, blackjack is a game about strategy. Don’t play recklessly. Apply the strategies you’ve learned and think through each decision you make.
