Hands for Counting

Write the following hands on the board one at a time or print them out (we suggest you use the version in Acrobat format, as it is one hand per page) and put them up one at a time; let them count in their own time and point out that it is better to count slowly and accurately than fast and wrongly (not least because the fifth hand has only twelve cards!).

Print version of Hands for Counting

Give them a method for counting: count the points suit by suit from left to right in your hand (for example).

Hand No. 1
A 9 6 3
K Q 7 5
K J 3
A 6

Hand No. 2
Q 7 2
J 5 4 3
10 8 7 5
K 4

Hand No. 3
A J 6
K Q 9 4
A Q 7 2
A K

Hand No. 4
Q 8 3 2
A J
K Q J 9
J 7 3

Hand No. 5
K Q 9
A J 5
K 10 7 2
A 8