The one idea
Blackjack is about totals. Each card has a value, you add up the values in your hand, and the aim is to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. That is the whole foundation. Everything else, such as doubling or splitting, is built on top of it, and none of it is needed to understand the basics.
What each card is worth
Here are the values used when adding up a hand:
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | Its number |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 each |
| Ace | 1 or 11 |
Suits do not matter. A king of hearts and a queen of spades both count as 10.
Some quick examples of adding a hand:
- 7 and 5 make 12.
- King and 6 make 16 (10 plus 6).
- 9 and 9 make 18.
- Jack and 10 make 20.
Aces: 1 or 11
An ace is flexible. It counts as 11 if that does not push the hand over 21, and as 1 otherwise. You do not have to announce which, because the total is worked out each time to give the best result for the hand.
- Ace and 6 make 17, counting the ace as 11. The hand can also be counted as 7 if needed.
- Ace, 6 and 9 would be 26 if the ace counted as 11, so the ace counts as 1 and the total is 16.
A hand where an ace is still counting as 11 is called soft, and any other hand is hard. A soft hand is safe to draw on once, because a single card cannot take it over 21 while the ace can drop to 1. Later pages cover how that matters for play.
Blackjack, the natural
A two-card hand of an ace and any 10-value card totals 21 and is called a blackjack, or a natural. It beats a 21 made of three or more cards, and it is usually paid at a higher rate than an ordinary win. How much higher depends on the table’s natural payout rule.
What busting means
If the total of a hand goes over 21, the hand has busted. Say you have 10 and 6, which is 16, and you take another card and it is a 7. The total is 23, and the hand is bust. A busted hand loses straight away. The player’s bust loses even if the dealer later busts as well. A dealer who busts, on the other hand, loses to every player hand still in play.
How likely a bust is depends on the hand. A total of 11 or less cannot bust on the next card, since the highest card is worth 10. That is why a bust is only possible from a hand worth 12 or more, apart from the flexibility of aces. The numbers behind the chances are the subject of the bust probability discussion elsewhere on this site, and are not needed here.
Comparing the hands
When everyone has finished, the totals are compared:
- Higher than the dealer, without busting: the player wins.
- The same total: a push, meaning the bet is returned.
- Lower than the dealer, or bust: the player loses.
What this guide leaves out
This is deliberately limited to the essentials. It does not cover decisions such as when to take another card, since that is strategy, and it does not cover table rules, which vary. Understanding the values, the ace and busting is enough to follow a hand as it is played.
Blackjack is a gambling game with a house edge, and no knowledge of the rules ensures a win. Only play with money you can afford to lose, and contact a local support service if gambling causes you difficulty.