How Much Is Ace Worth in Blackjack?

Ace is worth 1 or 11 points in blackjack, depending on which value the player chooses. If the player chooses to have the ace worth 11 points, then the player is said to “have a soft hand,” because the ace can be counted as either 1 or 11.

If the player chooses to have the ace worth 1 point, then the player is said to “have a hard hand,” because the ace cannot be counted as 11.

The decision of whether to count the ace as 1 or 11 is up to the player, and it depends on what other cards are in the hand. For example, if a player has an ace and a 9, counting the ace as 11 would give the player a hand value of 20.

But if the player counted the ace as 1, then the hand value would be 10 (ace + 9 = 10). In this case, it might be better for the player to count the ace as 1, because then the player would not risk going over 21 (the point at which a player would “bust”).

Generally speaking, it is better for a player to have a soft hand rather than a hard hand, because it gives the player more options. But there are exceptions to this rule, and it ultimately depends on what cards are in the hand and what the dealer’s up-card is.