Blackjack uses standard playing cards which value from the numbers 2 thru 10 and have the royal cards such as jacks, queens, kings and aces. The red and black suits include diamond, hearts, clubs and spades. In most cases, the suit doesn't matter unless you are playing a special variation of blackjack. The only important part is the point system that is set up.
Blackjack is played with one or more standard 52-card decks, with each denomination assigned a point value. The cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Kings, queens, and jacks are each worth 10, and aces may be used as either 1 or 11. Jacks, queens, and kings are each worth 10. Ace is worth 1, unless you draw an ace and jack / queen / king, in which the ace is worth 11 and that is blackjack. To start the game, next to the 'start:' text, place your bet, and the game will automatically start and end.
All of the cards from two through ten have points equal to those numbers. However, the jack, queen and king are worth 10 points. So in a standard 52 card deck, 16 of those cards are worth 10 points
The most powerful combination of cards are the aces and tens. A 'blackjack' is a term used when a player scores the highest possible points using only two cards, which would be a ten and an ace. This is why blackjack is sometimes known as the game 'twenty one (21)'. An ace can either be worth 1 point or 11 points. This card is almost like a wild card, the player gets to choose what the point value is.
Blackjack basic strategy assumes that there are more ten point cards in play than any other point value. Therefore, remembering this fact is crucial to building skills, winning blackjack and having a pleasurable gaming experience.
I would like to point out that the card counting system is rooted in keeping track of the 10 point cards. When you are dealt a hand and you happen to draw ten points, you have a much better chance of winning, especially if you are dealt an ace. Knowing that there are more tens in the deck, you can predict what the dealer may have. Such as if the dealer has a 6 card showing, there is a high probability that he will draw a 10 card and then have a high chance of busting during the next draw. In contrast, the dealer may have an ace showing (11 points) and you can use limited prediction that he will draw a 10 card and get a total of 21 points and win.
Card counting really isn't that complicated, you just need to keep track. Depending on how many decks are in play, you are just counting how many ten cards have been dealt throughout the game and compare that to how many there still are in the deck. Therefore when the dealer has that ace showing, you can determine how likely that a ten point card will be drawn. This is a very powerful advantage that can actually defeat the house edge! Imagine if the dealer has an ace showing, but you already determine that there are no more tens in the deck. You would not have to decide whether to use insurance and that the dealer is guaranteed not to get a blackjack.