Blackjack Hands

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Written by Ian Mac
Ian Mac
Ian Mac is a dedicated content writer and editor with consistent 5-star feedback when it comes to creating high-quality gambling content. He writes about casino bonuses, casino destinations and casino games including slots, roulette and blackjack.
, | Updated: September 25, 2025

One of the first things casino patrons need to learn in blackjack is how to value the cards and how hands are ranked. This is one of the simplest, most fundamental steps when you begin to play this casino classic. What becomes complicated, however, is deciding how to act based on the cards you’ve received and the cards in the dealer’s hand.

Card Values and Hand Ranking

Main Objective
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Main Objective

The objective of the game is simple: obtain a hand that is higher than the dealer’s without exceeding 21. The suits of the cards are irrelevant, so only their numerical values matter. All cards from 2 through 10 count at face value, while Jacks, Queens, and Kings count as 10. Aces are more flexible because they can be valued as either 1 or 11, depending on what benefits the hand.

The Strongest Hands

The strongest hand in the game is blackjack – an Ace and a 10-value card – which pays 3 to 2, or 1.5 times the wager. With a total of 21, it is the best possible hand and beats all other 21 totals. This combination is also called a “natural,” and it can occur only at the start of a round when the first two cards are an Ace and a 10-value card. The second-best result is any other total of 21, which may consist of more than two cards. After that, the most favorable hand is any total higher than the dealer’s that does not exceed 21 (avoiding a bust).

Payouts

While blackjack pays 3:2, a hand that simply beats the dealer pays even money. If the dealer busts, the payout is also even. When the player and dealer end with identical totals, the result is a “push,” meaning no one wins and the stake is returned to the player.

Soft and Hard Hands

There are two primary types of hands in blackjack – soft and hard hands. The presence and value of an Ace determine whether a hand falls into the first or second category. If the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without risking a bust, the hand is considered soft. All other hands are classified as hard totals.

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Soft Hands

Consider an Ace and a 7. This hand can total either 8 or 18, so it is called a soft 18. Another soft total can be made with an Ace, a 2, and a 3 – this hand can be counted as 6 or 16. If a player hits on an Ace-5 hand (soft 16) and draws a 6, the hand turns into a hard 12 because the Ace now counts as 1. Valuing the Ace as 11 would push the hand to 22, resulting in an immediate bust. A different example of a hard 12 is a 7-5.

Hard Hands

While hard hands are fixed, soft totals are more flexible and give players additional options when deciding how to play a hand. If the player’s first two cards are 7-9, a hard 16, the safest move is to Stand and avoid exceeding 21 (any card with a value of 6 or more would result in busting). However, the dealer can still easily beat this hard total of 16.

If the player’s initial hand is Ace-5, a soft 16, he can choose to Hit or Stand. Hitting is generally the best decision in this scenario, but what matters is the clear advantage soft hands offer to both the player and the dealer.

Pairs

1The Importance of Pairs in Blackjack

Another interesting type of hand in blackjack is the pair – that is, two cards with the same numerical value. The key aspect of pairs in this game is that they can be “split”. If players receive 9-9 at the beginning, for example, this is considered a hard 18, and they can choose to Stand, Hit, or divide the total into two separate hands of one card each. After the pair is split, the dealer deals another card to each of the new hands, which are then played independently. Of course, a second bet equal to the original stake must also be placed.

2Splitting

The rules for splitting pairs may vary, depending on the specific blackjack variation you are playing. Some games allow pairs to be split only once, even if the player receives another pair of cards. In other versions, players can split up to three times per round, while a rare variation permits an unlimited number of splits per round. In some games, splitting unlike 10-value cards is prohibited – you cannot split a Jack and a Queen, for instance.

It is also important to remember that, typically, Aces can be split only once, and in most variations players are not allowed to Hit on split Aces. Instead, they must Stand on whatever totals they receive. Moreover, when players receive an Ace and a 10-value card, this is treated as a regular total of 21 rather than blackjack.

The Best and The Worst Hands in Blackjack

The Best Hands in Blackjack
The Worst Hands in Blackjack
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It was previously mentioned that the strongest starting hand in this game is blackjack – when players receive an Ace and a 10-value card, they automatically win and the round ends. However, a natural blackjack is estimated to occur only 4.80% of the time. The next best outcome of the initial deal is when the player gets a hard 17-20, a soft 20 (Ace-9), or a pair of 10s. Such hands are quite hard to beat, which is why players are advised to always Stand on such totals. Receiving a hard 11 (9-2, 8-3, 7-4, or 6-5) at the beginning of the round also favors the player and the recommended action here is to either Double the bet or Hit.

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The single worst starting hand in blackjack is 16, followed by a total of 15. The reason for this is very simple – in standard blackjack, the number of 10-value cards is greater than any other type. There are 16 cards with the value of 10 in each deck, which means that players with totals of 15 or 16 can easily bust if decide to Hit and draw a 10-value card. At the same time, totals of 15 or 16 are simply not strong enough and the dealer is likely to beat them.

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Generally, soft hands are always preferred than hard totals as they allow players to draw more cards without the risk of busting. Soft totals of 13 through 17 are easier to play – depending on the dealer’s face-up card, players should always either Hit or Double. Overall, the best hands you can get in blackjack are those that are the closest to 21, followed by any soft totals, which bring more freedom.

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In fact, hard totals of 12 through 17 are quite hard to play and most casino patrons would find it difficult to decide how to proceed. Whether they should Hit or Stand would depend on their specific hand, as well as on the dealer’s upcard. However, such totals are statistically unlikely to win against the dealer. There is one exception, of course, and this is when players receive pairs of 6s, 7s, and 8s.

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As we have mentioned above, pairs can be split and to avoid the bad hands, players are advised to almost always split these hands. Two 8s should always be split, while pairs of 7s are split on dealer 2-7. If the dealer’s face-up card is 2-6 and the player holds a two 6s, he should Split them. In all other cases, players should Hit on pairs of 6s and 7s.

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