Face Card in Blackjack

A face card is a Jack, Queen, or King. All face cards are worth 10 points in blackjack—the same as a 10 card.

10-Value Cards

Face cards are part of the "10-value" group, which includes:

• 10
• Jack (J)
• Queen (Q)
• King (K)

In a standard deck, 16 out of 52 cards (about 31%) are 10-value cards. This high proportion is why:

• Blackjack (Ace + 10-value) is relatively common
• Busting on stiff hands (12-16) is likely when hitting
• Doubling on 10 or 11 is often correct

Pairs of Face Cards

A Jack-Queen or King-10 counts as a pair of 10s. However, you should never split 10-value pairs—20 is too strong to break up.