A face card is any jack, queen or king, the three cards in each suit that show a picture of a figure. A standard 52-card deck holds 12 of them. Their value depends on the game: 10 points in blackjack, nothing at all in baccarat, and high-ranking cards in poker. Below are the values, the counts and the odds.
Face cards are the jack, queen and king: 12 in a 52-card deck.
In blackjack each counts 10; in baccarat each counts 0.
The chance of drawing a face card from a full deck is 12 in 52, about 23.1%.
In the UK they are also called picture cards or court cards.
Cards
Jack, queen, king
Per 52-card deck
12 (3 per suit)
Blackjack value
10
Baccarat value
0
Chance on one card
12/52 (23.1%)
What a face card is
Face cards are the jack, queen and king of each suit. With four suits, a deck has 12 of them. In Britain you will often hear them called picture cards or court cards; the meaning is the same. The ace is not a face card, and nor is the ten, although tens often share the face cards’ value. Our ace entry covers that card’s special role.
Because the numbers are fixed, the probabilities are simple fractions of the deck:
A face card as the next card from a full deck: 12 in 52, or 3 in 13 (23.1%).
Any 10-point card in blackjack (tens plus face cards): 16 in 52, or 4 in 13 (30.8%).
A two-card blackjack from a single deck: 4 aces × 16 ten-value cards = 64 hands out of 1,326 possible pairs, about 4.83%.
A zero-value card in baccarat (tens plus face cards): 16 in 52, the same 30.8%.
These figures shift slightly in multi-deck shoes as cards are used, but each new round in an RNG game starts from a full, shuffled deck. Our casino probability basics page shows how to count outcomes like this.
Face cards in blackjack: a worked example
You bet £10 and are dealt a king and a queen: 20. The dealer shows a 6. Basic strategy stands on any hard 17 or more, so you stand rather than split the two 10-point cards, even though the rules usually allow splitting any two of them. Breaking up a 20 to chase two weaker hands throws away one of the strongest starting totals. If the dealer finishes on 18, you win £10 at even money.
Had you been dealt an ace and a jack instead, that is a natural blackjack, which usually pays 3 to 2 (£15 on £10) or 6 to 5 (£12) at some tables.
Games that change the face card mix
A few variants remove cards, which changes how often 10-point cards appear. Spanish 21 takes the four tens out of each deck but keeps the face cards. Evolution’s Power Blackjack (opens in a new tab) removes the 9s and 10s and leaves the picture cards in. Both shift the maths, which is why those games come with their own rules and payouts.
In card counting theory, the Hi-Lo system gives every 10, jack, queen, king and ace a value of minus one. That is history and theory only: RNG games reshuffle every round, so tracking cards has no use. See card counting in online blackjack.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the face cards in a deck?
The face cards are the jack, queen and king of each suit, so there are 12 in a standard 52-card deck. They are called face cards because each shows a figure. The ace and ten are not face cards, though tens often share their value. In Britain you may hear them called picture cards or court cards. Our blackjack card values page shows how they score in that game.
What is a face card worth in blackjack?
Every face card is worth 10 points in blackjack, the same as a ten. Paired with an ace as your first two cards, a face card makes blackjack, which usually pays 3 to 2. Together, tens and face cards make up 16 of every 52 cards, so about 30.8% of cards are worth 10. See our guide on what the best hand in blackjack is.
What is a face card worth in baccarat?
Face cards are worth nothing in baccarat; they count as 0, just like tens. Only the last digit of a hand’s total matters, so a king and a 7 make 7, and a queen and a jack make 0. Aces count 1 and other cards count their face value. Our how to play baccarat guide explains scoring and the drawing rules.
Is an ace a face card?
No, the ace is not a face card. Face cards are only the jack, queen and king. The ace has its own special values: 1 or 11 in blackjack, 1 in baccarat, and usually the highest card in poker, though it can also be low in a straight. Our ace glossary entry explains how it works in each game.
What are the odds of drawing a face card?
From a full 52-card deck, the chance of drawing a face card is 12 in 52, which simplifies to 3 in 13, about 23.1%. If you include tens, as blackjack effectively does, the chance of a 10-point card is 16 in 52, about 30.8%. Each draw from a fresh deck is independent. Our blackjack odds page covers the key probabilities in that game.
Should you split two face cards in blackjack?
No. Basic strategy says never split tens, and that includes any pair of face cards or a face card with a ten. A two-card 20 is one of the best starting hands, and splitting it swaps a likely winner for two hands that each start on 10. Many tables allow the split, but it costs money over time. See when to split in blackjack.
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