When counting cards, the dealer deals two face down cards to each player, then one face up card. The player with the highest card (ace, 2, 3, 4 or 5) flips over the top card of their deck to determine their hand. If that card is an ace, they keep the ace and give up all other cards in their hand.
If it is a two or three, they “soft” (count) the card and replace it in their hand with another two or three from their deck. Four or five is “hard” (don’t count) and brings them out of counting mode and into regular blackjack play. .
In games that use a point system for betting (as opposed to fixed-betting), aces are worth one point and two through six are worth face value. So an ace would be worth 10 points, two would be worth 5 points, three would be worth 2 points and four would be 1 point.
If a player has an ace AND a two in their hand, they would say “hard 16,” meaning they are counting both cards and will not replace the two with another two from their deck.
If a player has a four in their hand and the dealer’s top card is an ace (hard 16), they would say “soft 17.” This means they are keeping the four but replacing the ace with another one from their deck.
In games that don’t use point systems for betting, aces are always considered hard (counted). So if you have an ace and any other number in your hand, you would say “hard 16,” no matter what the dealer’s top card is.
