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Lesson 1.1 Blackjack basics
The Goal of Blackjack and How to Count Any Hand
After this lesson you will know what you are trying to do in blackjack: finish with a higher total than the dealer without going over 21. You will also count any hand fast – number cards, ten-value cards and aces – and tell a soft hand from a hard one.
The goal: a higher total than the dealer without going over 21
You play against the dealer – the person or software that deals the cards and plays for the casino. You and the dealer each build a hand, a set of cards with a total.
You want a higher total than the dealer. If your total goes over 21, you bust – you lose the bet right away.
Your hand: 10 and 9 make 19.
The dealer's hand: 10 and 7 make 17. Your 19 is higher, so you win.
- Your total is higher than the dealer's: you win.
- You go over 21: you lose, even if the dealer busts later.
- The dealer goes over 21 and you did not: you win.
- You have the same total: a push – you get your bet back.
An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack. It usually pays 3:2.
What each card is worth
Every card has a point value. Suits do not matter.
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | The number on the card |
| J, Q, K | 10 |
| A (ace) | 11, or 1 if 11 would put the hand over 21 |
Add the values to get your total. K and 7 make 17.
5, 4 and 8 also make 17.
See every card on one page in blackjack card values.
Aces: soft and hard hands
An ace counts as 11 unless that would put you over 21. Then it counts as 1.
A soft hand has an ace counted as 11. One more card cannot bust it, because the ace can drop to 1.
An ace and a 6 is soft 17: it is 7 or 17.
You take a 9. With the ace as 11, the total would go over 21, so the ace now counts as 1.
1 + 6 + 9 = 16. This is hard 16.
A hard hand has no ace, or has an ace that must count as 1.
Count the ace as 11 first. If the total goes over 21, take 10 off.
- An ace and an 8 = soft 19 (9 or 19).
- Two aces and a 9 = 21 (one ace counts 11, the other counts 1).
- A 10 and a 6 = hard 16 (no ace).
Why soft and hard matter
Soft 17 and hard 17 have the same total, but the basic strategy chart plays them differently. The chart is a table of the move to make with every hand against the dealer's up card – the dealer's face-up card.
To double down is to double your bet and take exactly one more card.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
Soft 17: hit against a dealer 2, double down against 3 to 6 (hit if doubling is not allowed), and hit against 7 to ace.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
Hard 17: stand against every dealer up card.
Say the full name of your hand – soft 17 or hard 16 – before you pick a move. Practice counting hands in the trainer below.
The full chart is on the blackjack strategy chart page. Words you do not know are in the glossary.
Practise: 25 hands
Only hands from this lesson. Your first answer counts.
The lesson on one card
- Goal: finish with a higher total than the dealer without going over 21.
- Over 21 is a bust – you lose the bet.
- Cards 2 to 10 count their number; J, Q and K count 10.
- An ace counts 11, or 1 if 11 would take you over 21.
- Soft hand: an ace counts as 11. Hard hand: no ace, or the ace counts 1.
- Soft 17 and hard 17 are played differently on the strategy chart.
Check yourself
1. What are you trying to do in blackjack?
Finish with a higher total than the dealer without going over 21
Right. Correct. You win with a higher total than the dealer, and you lose if you go over 21.
Take more cards than the dealer
Not quite. The number of cards does not matter. Only the total counts.
Get a total higher than the dealer's, even if it is over 21
Not quite. Any total over 21 is a bust. You lose the bet right away.
2. You hold an ace and a 7. What is your hand?
Soft 18 – it counts as 8 or 18
Right. Correct. The ace counts as 11 without going over 21, so the hand is soft 18.
Hard 18
Not quite. A hard hand has no ace or an ace that must count as 1. Here the ace can still count as 11.
8 only
Not quite. The ace counts as 11 when that does not put you over 21. 11 + 7 = 18 is fine.
3. You hold an ace and a 5, then take a 9. What is your hand now?
Hard 15
Right. Correct. With the ace as 11 the total would go over 21, so the ace counts as 1: 1 + 5 + 9 = 15, a hard hand.
Bust, because the total is over 21
Not quite. You do not bust, because the ace drops from 11 to 1 and the total becomes 15.
Soft 15
Not quite. A soft hand has an ace counted as 11. Here the ace must count as 1, so the hand is hard.