A blackjack card is a simple rectangular piece of cardboard with printed symbols on one side and a number on the other. The symbols are either suits or numbers, and the number tells you what rank the card is in the deck.
There are two basic types of blackjack: table games and casino games. In table games, each player is dealt two cards face down, and then they compare their hands. The player with the higher hand (counting any Ace as 1) wins the bet, and gets to keep both cards.
In casino games, each player is dealt two cards face down, and then they compare their hands. The player with the higher hand (counting any Ace as 1) wins the bet, and gets to keep one card. .
The rank of a blackjack card tells you how it should be played. A 2 is played like a 4 in standard blackjack, because it’s two points below a 4 in the deck.
A 6 is played like any other card, because it has no special meaning.
In regular blackjack, if you have an Ace plus another card of the same rank (two 2s, for example), you’re said to have “combo.” If you have another card that equals or beats the value of the Ace (a 3 for example), you’re said to have “point” or “natural.”
If you have an Ace plus another card of a different rank (a 2 for example), you still have a “combo,” but now it’s worth three points instead of just two. If you have another card that beats the value of the Ace (a 3 for example), you’ve got “aces up,” and you can either hold onto your combo or put it into play by playing another card that equals or beats the value of your Ace (in this case, a 4).
In short: A blackjack card has symbols on one side and a number on the other. The number tells you what rank it is in the deck- two through ten- while the symbols tell you what kind of hand it might be- either suited or un-suited. If you have an Ace plus another card with that same rank (two 2s for example), that’s called a “combo.
” If your hand has another equal or better value than an Ace (a 3 for example), that’s called “point” or “natural.” And finally, if your hand has another different rank than an Ace (2 for example), that’s called an “aces up” hand and can either be held as is or played with another equal or better value than an Ace (in this case, a 4).
