Blackjack Card Values
Cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Jack, queen, and king are each worth 10. An ace is worth 1 or 11 — whichever helps your hand. Suits don't matter at all.
Blackjack has the simplest scoring in the casino: add up your cards and get as close to 21 as you can without going over. The only thing you have to know first is what each card is worth — and there are really just three rules.
The card-value chart
| Card | Value in blackjack |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | Face value (a 7 is worth 7, a 10 is worth 10) |
| Jack (J) | 10 |
| Queen (Q) | 10 |
| King (K) | 10 |
| Ace (A) | 1 or 11 |
That's the entire system. There's no card worth 12, no bonus for suits, no special scoring — the number on the card is its value, the three face cards are all 10, and the ace is the one card that bends.
Number cards: worth exactly what they show
The 2 through 10 couldn't be simpler — each is worth the number printed on it. A 4 is a 4, an 8 is an 8, a 10 is a 10. Add them to whatever else you're holding. Two 8s make 16; a 7 and a 5 make 12.
Face cards: jack, queen, and king are all 10
This is the one that trips up new players: every face card is worth 10 — a jack, a queen, and a king are identical to a 10 and to each other. There's no hierarchy like in poker.
It matters more than it looks, because it means each 52-card deck holds sixteen 10-value cards — four 10s plus four each of jacks, queens, and kings. That's why a 10-value card is the single most likely card to be dealt, why the dealer so often makes 20 with a ten showing, and why a starting total of 11 is so strong (you'll frequently draw a ten for 21). If you ever get into card counting, all four of those 10-value ranks count the same.
The ace: worth 1 or 11 (you never choose)
The ace is the only flexible card, and it's what makes blackjack interesting. An ace counts as 11 by default, but if counting it as 11 would put you over 21, it automatically drops to 1. You never have to announce which — the game always uses the value that helps you.
- A hand where the ace is still counted as 11 is a soft hand. Ace-6 is a "soft 17" — it can't bust on the next card, because the ace can slide down to 1 if needed.
- Once the ace has to be 1 to avoid busting, the hand is hard. Ace-6-9 is a hard 16 (the ace is now worth 1).
- An ace plus any 10-value card is a blackjack — an instant 21 that beats a regular 21 and normally pays 3:2.
That flexibility is why aces are the most valuable card in the deck for a player, and why splitting a pair of aces is almost always correct.
Suits don't count
Hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades — none of it affects a blackjack hand. A hand's total depends only on the number values of the cards. Suits only ever matter in optional side bets like Perfect Pairs and 21+3, which are separate wagers from the main game.
Putting the values to work
Once you know what the cards are worth, the whole game is just comparing totals: you want to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over 21 (a "bust"). Your two cards give you a starting total, you decide whether to take more, and the dealer plays by fixed rules. The full flow is in how to play blackjack, and once you can add the cards up, the real skill is knowing when to hit or stand.
Frequently asked questions
How much is each card worth in blackjack?
2 through 10 are worth their face value, all face cards (J/Q/K) are worth 10, and an ace is worth 1 or 11 — whichever helps your hand. Suits don't matter.
Is an ace worth 1 or 11?
Both. It counts as 11 unless that would bust you, in which case it drops to 1 automatically. A hand where the ace still counts as 11 is a "soft" hand.
What are the face cards worth?
Jack, queen, and king are each worth exactly 10 — the same as a 10. That gives every deck sixteen 10-value cards.
Do suits matter in blackjack?
No — only the number values count. Suits only appear in optional side bets like Perfect Pairs or 21+3.