The value assigned to cards in Blackjack differs slightly from other casino games like poker or Baccarat. In Blackjack the values of the picture cards (King, Queen, Jack) is 10, The Ace can be valued as 1 or 11, all other cards have same value as is printed on them. See our examples below.

How Cards Score In Blackjack

Here’s our quick guide to card values.

All the cards above are worth the the values written on them. 2,3,4,5,6 etc etc.

All the cards above (King, Queen, Jack and Ten) are worth 10.

The Ace can be worth 1 or 11, suits such as Heart or Clubs have no bearing in a game of Blackjack.

Examples Of Blackjack Hands

Here are some simple examples of hands you might get dealt in Blackjack.

The hand above (7, King) scores 17, with a total of 17 you would normal stand and take no more cards.

The hand above (8, 3) scores 11, with a low total like this you would be wise to take another card from the dealer. As a deck of cards contains more cards with a value of 10 (4 Kings, 4 Queens, 4 Jacks and 4 Tens) than any other number, the odds are you’ll hit a 10 card making a total of 21!

The hand above ( Ace, 8 ) can be worth two different amounts, if you remember that the Aces can be 1 or 11, then the hand is worth 9 or 19.

The hand above (Queen, Ace) scores 21, this is known as a ‘Natural Blackjack’ you will be paid out more for a natural Blackjack.

The basic rules of blackjack are very simple, the casino dealer stands behind the table and distributes two cards to each player in the game and two cards to himself, one of the dealers cards is dealt face down. To win the players must get a card total adding up to 21 or a card total higher than the deals cards to win.

The player can ask for extra cards if he feels his card total is too low to beat the dealers hand. If these extra cards push the players hand total over 21 then he ‘busts out’ and loses his bet. New Blackjack players often make the mistake of trying to get 21, you don’t need 21 to win! you just need a higher total than the dealer.

It’s also worth noting that the dealer in Blackjack must always take an extra card for himself if his original two card total is 16 or lower, he must also stand on 17 and above. Some casinos have slightly different rules on ’soft’ and ‘hard’ 17’s but we won’t go into those just yet.

• Blackjack can be played with one or more players.
• You play against the casino dealer not each other.
• The player must get 21 or as close as possible to 21 with two or more cards and to obtain a higher score than the dealers hand.
• If the player gets 21 with his first two cards this is known as ‘Blackjack’.
• The player has two main choices in the game ~ To ‘Stand’ which means take no more cards or too ‘Hit’ which is to ask for another card.
• The dealer must continue to draw cards as long his score is 16 or under.
• The dealer must stand at 17 or more.
• You lose your bet if you fail to get a higher total than the dealer or you cards total more than 21.
• If you and the dealer end up with the same card total (known as a ‘Push’) then you don’t win but your bet is returned.
• If your hand beats the dealers you’ll win the same amount as you bet, So bet £10 and you’ll get £10 back from the dealer and you keep your original £10 bet.
• If you beat the dealers hand with 21 in two cards (Blackjack) then you get a bigger payout, normally this is 3:2. So if you bet £10 you’ll win £15, plus you’ll keep your original £10 bet = £25

So now you know the basic rules of playing Blackjack why not take a look at how to value the cards in the game, or learn about the advanced plays you you can make such as ‘Double Down, Splitting Cards and Insurance Bets.

Blackjack has consistently been one of the most popular casino games in the world. Blackjack’s origins can be traced back to 16th century Spanish card game “veintiuna” which translates as 21. When the game was first introduced into America it wasn’t very popular. American casinos decided to add a bonus payment to players with hands containing an Ace and any Black Jack, the big bonus payments eventually died out but the name ‘Blackjack’ stuck like glue.

In this section of ‘Blackjack Tips’ we are going to take you through everything you need to learn about playing Blackjack. Our free guide will give you a general overview of the game, details on the rules, how to value the cards and some great tips to help you play better Blackjack and identify the mistakes you need to avoid.

Learning to play Blackjack is essentially very easy, learning to win at Blackjack is a little harder but it can still be done by anybody armed with a little knowledge and basic maths skills. Most people have a good understanding of how a Blackjack is play, if you don’t then you should check out the ‘Blackjack Rules’ section first – Click Here.