Blackjack

Understanding card value in the game of blackjack is a simple concept that must be understood in order to play or deal the game. The numbers are valued as follows:

2 through 9: Face Value
10, Jack, Queen, King: 10 Value Cards
Ace: 1 or 11; Whatever benefits the hand at the time

Aces are the most troublesome ones to understand in this lineup. Just remember the phrase, "They can be 1 or 11, whatever benefits the hand at the time."

Understanding how to count aces will only get better with practice. Counting speed is also crucial if you intend to deal this game. A good way to practice improving your counting skills is to take all the 10-value cards out of the deck and start counting until the total of the hand is 17 or higher then start over.

This will need to be repeated A LOT! In time, you will start to see patterns like 8 & 6 = 14. You will eventually get to a point that you stop doing the math and you simply begin to start remembering that 8 + 6 = 14. If you don't have the ability to just automatically know what the total is of any 2 cards, you need to practice more.