Hands in Blackjack are typically thought of as the cards that are being dealt, and the hands that are being played. However, hands in Blackjack can also refer to all of the player’s cards, including any exposed cards that are not currently being played.
This includes any card that is face up or face down, and any card that is presently in a player’s hand. .
The traditional strategy for playing Blackjack is to try to get as close to 21 as possible before either hitting or drawing. In order to make this strategy work, it is important to know what each hand consists of, and what each card does.
For example, a basic Ace can be used to get closer to 21 if it is turned over as the first card of a new round. However, if it is turned over as the second or third card of a round, it will not help much since it only counts as a two-card total.
Similarly, a two or three can be used as filler when needed, but they will not add much value when compared against other cards.
Similarly, fours through ten are all worth one point each when counting towards a total, but they all count as two points when used in hand. This means that if a player has four clubs in their hand, they will count as four points towards their total (two plus the one point for each club).
However, if they have a ten-club hand (ten clubs), they will only count as one point towards their total (ten minus the one point for each club).
Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not any of the player’s hands contain an exposed card that is not currently being played. For example, if someone flips over an Ace while someone else is still playing five cards (including their face-down card), then their five-card hand would now consist of an Ace and four other cards (the five revealed cards).
This would be considered an “exposured” hand since one of its cards is no longer hidden.
Since hands in Blackjack can refer to all of the player’s cards – including any exposed cards – this can be important information to keep track of during play. If someone has an exposed Ace in their five-card hand and another player flips over a ten while they are still playing four cards (including their face-down card), then their four-card hand would now consist of an Ace and three other cards (the four revealed cards).
Overall, understanding what each card does and how it affects other cards in the deck can be critical for successful play at Blackjack.
