Face cards are the jack, queen and king, and what each one is worth depends on the game in front of you. A standard pack holds 12 of them, three in each suit. This page gives their value in blackjack, baccarat and poker side by side, and treats the ace separately because it behaves differently from all three. It is one part of the full set of card games compared.
What each face card is worth in three games
The same card reads differently in each game. Compare the rows before you sit down.
Card
Blackjack
Baccarat
Poker
Jack
10
0
Above the ten, below the queen
Queen
10
0
Above the jack, below the king
King
10
0
Above the queen, below the ace
Ten (not a face card)
10
0
Below the jack
In blackjack the three court cards and the ten are interchangeable, which is why 16 of the 52 cards count as 10. In baccarat they are worth nothing, so a hand holding a king and a 7 totals 7. In poker they carry no number: only their rank matters, and a king beats a queen.
How face cards shape a blackjack hand
A face card plus an ace makes blackjack, the strongest starting hand. A face card plus a six totals 16, the awkward total where the dealer’s card decides whether you hit or stand. The full routine, from the deal to the dealer’s draw, is in the dealer’s routine in blackjack.
Starting hand
Total
What it means
King and ace
21
Blackjack
King and queen
20
A strong hand, usually stand
King and six
16
The awkward total
Because so many cards count as 10, a ten-value card is the most common single value in the pack. That is why your starting total so often lands on a number between 12 and 20.
The ace card: low, high or both
The ace card is the odd one out, because it is not a court card and still outranks every one of them. It changes value to suit the hand, and the game decides how.
In blackjack the ace is worth 1 or 11, whichever keeps your total at 21 or under.
In baccarat the ace is worth 1.
In poker the ace is the highest card, and it can also act as a low card in the straight ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Only in poker does the ace carry a rank. In the other two it is a number, and the card’s picture plays no part.
Face cards at a table with side bets
Some blackjack tables run a side bet that looks at your first two cards, such as the Perfect Pairs and its three pairs. Two kings count as a pair there, even though they are worth 10 each in the hand itself.
First two cards
Pair for the side bet?
King of hearts, king of spades
Yes, a mixed pair
King of hearts, king of diamonds
Yes, a coloured pair
King of hearts, queen of hearts
No, the ranks differ
If you want a game where no cards matter, how a roulette wheel and layout work runs on a wheel and a ball. For a card game, learn the values above and open the table’s info screen before you stake.
FAQ
Which cards are the face cards?
The jack, queen and king of each of the four suits, which is 12 cards in a standard 52-card pack. They carry a picture of a person, which is where the name comes from.
Is the ace a face card?
No. The ace has no picture of a person, so it counts apart from the court cards. It is the one card with two values in blackjack, 1 or 11.
Is a 10 a face card?
No, but in blackjack it is worth the same as the jack, queen and king. Together those four ranks are the ten-value cards.
Do face cards matter in roulette?
No. Roulette uses a wheel and numbers, with no playing cards at all.
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