Blackjack Card Values and Hand Values Explained

As a novice player, there are several things one needs to know about Blackjack to play the game effectively. And of them is the Blackjack cards values.

In this article, we explain to you how different cards are valued in Blackjack. Also, we offer an insight into the concepts of soft and hard hands in Blackjack. Continue reading!

Blackjack card values you need to know

Just like other card-based online casino games, calculating the value of your Blackjack hand is crucial for you as a player. Luckily, the process of calculating your Blackjack hand value is easy. So you don’t need to worry much about that. First, you need to know how different cards are valued in Blackjack – many of them are self-evident, but others aren’t.

Almost all Blackjack games at live casinos use standard card decks, meaning each card deck has 52 cards. Here, the numbered cards carry the value that’s printed on them. That way, a number two card is valued as two; a number three card is valued as three, and so on. As the numbered cards are between the range 2-10 and a card deck is made up of four suits, there are 36 cards total.

The Jack, King, and Queen form the face or picture cards in Blackjack. Each of these face cards carries a point value of 10 in Blackjack. Again, as there are four suits in a card deck, the total number of face cards in Blackjack is 12.

Now there’s one card left – the Ace. Unlike the number and picture cards that carry a fixed value, the Ace card has two possible values – it can either be valued as 1 or 11. In most live and online Blackjack games, players choose whether their Ace card should be counted as 1 or 11. As you’d guess, a Blackjack card deck has four Aces.

It’s worth noting that the suit type doesn’t matter in Blackjack. So, your card values will be the same as mentioned above, regardless of the suit of the cards in your Blackjack hand.

The concept of soft hands in Blackjack

All Blackjack players receive two cards at the start of each Blackjack round. If any of these cards is an Ace and can be counted as 1 or 11, then the hand is referred to as a soft hand. Below are examples of some soft hand combinations you can have when playing Blackjack at our new mobile casino:

• An Ace and a seven
• An Ace, a two, and a three
• An Ace and a five

Many Blackjack players prefer having a soft hand as it gives them flexibility in choosing the value of their Ace card. Also, it assures them that their next hit won’t go bust. However, this doesn’t have to say that a player must always hit upon having a soft hand. For example, if their initial hand consists of an Ace and a nine, it makes sense to avoid hitting.

The concept of hard hands in Blackjack

In Blackjack, a hard hand does not include an Ace or has an Ace that isn’t flexible. In other words, the Ace card is valued as a single point here. Below are some examples of Blackjack hard hands:

• A ten and a seven
• An ace, a three, and a five
• An ace, a five, and a six

As evident from the above examples, some Blackjack hands start as Ace and then become a hard hands. This is because after going over the ten-point threshold, any Ace card worth 11 would result in a bust. So, it’s counted as one instead of eleven. You can use the help of the Blackjack calculator to know the correct way to play a hand, both hard and soft.

House edge in Blackjack

Blackjack is renowned as a casino game with one of the lowest house edges. Based on your chosen Blackjack variant, the casino advantage in Blackjack can range between 0.25% and 2%. This means that, on average, you can expect to receive £98 for every £100 wagered.

Many Blackjack players use a basic playing system and other strategies to keep the house edge to its minimum and improve their winning chances. But Blackjack is a game of chance at the end of the day. So, it’s important to remember that using a betting strategy won’t always help you in Blackjack or any other casino title.