How do Hands Rank in Blackjack?
No, you haven’t wandered into the poker section – there are indeed hand rankings for blackjack.
However, we admit that the concept of “Hand rankings” in blackjack can be confusing to new players. Since the term really has three meanings as it pertains to blackjack, many newcomers become puzzled. Hand rankings will make sense to you after this article, so read with us and we’ll get you up to speed in no time.
The first (and most common) definition refers to the value of the cards and natural blackjacks. The second definition refers to Hold ‘em Blackjack, which is either a blackjack or poker variant. The last refers to the profit value of your hand.
- Value of the Cards - In blackjack, we don’t have the large amount of hands we see in poker. Unless you’re playing one of the over one hundred blackjack variants, you’re really just going to add up the numbers (and hopefully your total is higher than the dealer without going over 21.) The highest ranked hand is a “natural blackjack” (or just plain old “Blackjack”) which is one card worth 10 points paired with an ace. A jack and an ace is a natural blackjack, for example. Natural blackjacks are an automatic win (and usually pay higher) unless the dealer has their own blackjack. In that case, the hand rankings are equal and neither one loses. However, a natural blackjack is still the highest hand rank because you still beat other combinations that total 21.
There is a second ranked hand that is allowed in some venues – the ‘five card Charlie”. This is when a player uses five cards without busting. It’s fairly rare, and thus, when it’s allowed, it’s usually an automatic winner. But besides “Blackjack” and Five Card Charlie, there really are no other official hand ranks.
- Hold ‘Em Blackjack – There’s another “Charlie” in Blackjack – it appears in the game Hold’em Blackjack, and it’s a Seven Card Charlie. It’s the most powerful hand in that game, but don’t count on seeing it often – the odds of drawing a seven card Charlie are over 11,000 to one.
- Profit - Another way to look at hand rankings is profit. Doubling down and winning makes your hand worth twice as much – essentially, you double its rank since it’s worth two winning hands. Doubling down will double your bet but you’re forced to draw another card. This is done when you believe another card will let you beat the dealer (or you think the dealer will bust), so you want to maximize your profit. Admittedly, this is more of a way of looking at things than it is an official rank (again, besides “Blackjack” and the Charlie brothers, there really aren’t any official ranks.) But you may hear people talk about how that hand ranked higher than another, so we want you to know what they mean.
So now that you understand hand rankings (and got to know the brothers Charlie – fine chaps they are), go out there and win some money! Good luck!
