A
system used in
bridge for evaluating the worth of a
hand.
In this system, each ace counts as 4 points, each king 3, each queen
2, and each jack 1. The full deck thus contains 40 points; 10 points is
an average hand.
This system is sometimes extended by adding points for distribution;
a void counts as 3 points, a singleton 2, and a doubleton 1. But
don't count points for a singleton/doubleton and the high cards
contained within that suit, unless they're the top cards (i.e.,
ace singleton or ace king doubleton). Also, there are situations
when these points should not be considered, most notably when you are
considering a no-trump contract.