Blackjack is the most popular game in casinos. The game also identifies as 21 as has been the feature game in prominent films. The game requires high-level strategies which explore the minds of players whether amateur or professional. Most people feel a certain level of intimidation when it comes to playing blackjack. This feeling most relies on the nature of the game. However, a wide majority of newcomers feel an element of confusion due to the terminologies of the game itself. This article will work as a problem-solving guide for the game by providing a comprehensive glossary for the blackjack terms.
A
Ace: the ace card in blackjack can count as either 1 or 11 depending on the total count of the card.
Action: different than other gambling terms, action in blackjack refers to the amount of money that has been bet. It can refer to the single turn betting or the total of the amount.
Advantage: as the name suggests, advantage refers to the lead a player has over their opponents. In some cases, the player gains this advantage with the aid of a trump card.
Advantage player: this refers to a player who has an edge over their opponent by playing strategically.
Anchor: in a blackjack table seating the anchor is a position which is on the immediate left of the dealer.
B
Back counting: an observing technique which spectators adopt while watching a game of blackjack. This involves keeping a tally of the cards which the dealer deals in order to predict the occurrence of the upcoming cards.
Back off: in the event when the casino starts going in loss due to a player’s playing style, they ‘politely’ ask the player to ‘back off’. This means the player can stay at the casino but is not welcome to play blackjack.
Balanced count: another strategy of counting cards which begins and ends with a sum equalling zero. The counting technique involves adding even and odd numbers.
Bankroll: this is the total amount of money which a player dedicates for playing blackjack.
Bar/barred: when the casino suspects a player of card counting they can bar the player from the casino consequently forbidding them from playing blackjack at their property.
Basic strategy: in blackjack terms, basic strategy refers to using specific techniques which are specified in charts sometimes handed out at the casinos. Using these strategies is a sure way to excel at blackjack.
Bet spread: another way of saying betting limits. Bet spread is the minimum and maximum bets a player makes during a round of blackjack. These numbers are directly proportional to the payouts in a blackjack game.
Betting ratios: a sneak technique in use by the casinos which observe the ratio at which a player bets. If there is a drastic change in the betting amounts the casino can deduce that the player is counting cards.
Black book: a metaphorical name for a list in databases of casinos which has all the names of players who have been previously barred from the casinos.
Black chip: the $100 chip in casinos is called the black chip.
Blackjack: other than the game being called blackjack, this term is also used when the total of the cards is 21. This usually happens when the player gets an ace with any 10 value card, which is also famous as a natural blackjack.
Bottom dealing: the regular way to deal cards are from the top of the deck. However, if a dealer gets down to cheating, they can sneak a bottom card to the players. This bluffing identifies as bottom dealing.
Box: the place in front of each player where all the bets go.
Brown/chocolate chips: a $5000 chip.
Burn card: the top card from the deck which is removed in case a player might have seen it accidentally. This motion carries out after the shuffling of the deck.
Bust: in blackjack terms a player or the dealer busts when the total of their cards goes over 21.
Bust card: the card which causes a bust identifies as the bust card.
C
Camouflage: as the name suggests, camouflaging is to put on a disguise or an act which confuses the casino. Casinos are awfully paranoid of players who are playing exceptionally well. Hence, to not raise suspicion players to adopt certain tactics to throw off the casinos.
Card counting: blackjack and card counting goes hand in hand. This strategy is as famous as blackjack itself. Card counting takes a lot of time to excel at. This involves keeping track of the cards in order to predict which ones cards remain so the player can bet accordingly. Casinos are not fond of the card counting strategy.
Card sharp: a blackjack term referring to someone who is very skilled at handling cards.
Cut: the act of splitting the deck with the aid of a cutting card.
Cut card: in blackjack terms, a cut card is a card which is used to cut the deck after shuffling. When this card reaches the surface again, it is time to shuffle the deck.
D
D’ Alembert system: a system which follows the Martingale system closely. D’Alembert requires the player to double their bets after a loss and decrease the amount after a win. This system proves successful for a lot of amateur players.
Deal: when the dealer distributes cards to the players and himself, this identifies as a deal.
Dealer: a person appointed by the casino who hosts blackjack players and is responsible for dealing with cards and chips.
Deck penetration: in blackjack terms, deck penetration is the ratio of cards dealt out before the deck is eventually reshuffled.
Deviations: a playing style which is not consistent in terms of using basic strategy. The player can deviate from strategy to strategy to keep their game going.
Discard tray: in other terms, this also identifies as the muck pile.
Draw: another way of asking for another card which more commonly identifies with the term ‘hit’ or ‘hit me’.
Double down: a player who believes they can win the hand may double their bet to get back more payout. After a player signs for a double down the dealer deals them another card.
D9: an action in blackjack which allows players in an advantageous position to double down. In the case of D9, a 9 the action double down carries out.
DA2: the act of doubling any two cards.
DAS: an action which follows the splitting of a hand. DAS is an abbreviation of DAS.
E
Early surrender: a player-friendly option which allows the player to save 50% of their bet by surrendering after the first two cards. The player then does not participate in any action following surrender.
Even money: when the odds read 1:1 a player will receive an even amount of money which will be equal to their bet.
Expected value: this is the value which is the current ratio of win or loss with regard to the bet.
F
Face cards: cards with illustrations on them. Face cards include Jack, Queen, and King of all suits.
Facedown game: in a different less famous version of blackjack, the second card which all players receive is face down.
Face up game: the more common variant of blackjack where all cards dealt with the players are face up.
First base: in blackjack terms, this is the position which is on the immediate left of the dealer. The player in this position is the first one to receive their cards.
First basing: this is a way of sneakily looking at the cards of the player which will help the player in determining the course of their action. This motion carries out from the position of first base.
Flat bet: repetition of bets on consecutive turns.
Play BlackJack at the 1xBET Casino
G
Green chip: in blackjack terms, a green chip has the value of $25.
H
Half shoe: the unfortunate moment for card counting players when the casino gives the order to the dealer to cut the shoe in half. This eliminates any advantage that a player has over the casino.
Hard hand: a hard or soft hand depends on the ace in the hand. If the hand uses the value of ace as 1, this refers to as a hard hand. If it uses the value of 11 instead, this hand identifies as a soft hand. Also, a hand without an ace qualifies as a hard hand.
Hard total: a total of any two cards which does not include an ace.
Heads up/on: the situation where only a single player is playing against the dealer at a blackjack table.
Hit: one of the most famous blackjack terms is hit. When a player motions to hit, another card is dealt to the player in order to increase the chances at a better hand.
Hole card: a card which the dealer distributes to themselves identifies as a hole card. This card is face down.
I
Insurance: an action option which becomes available for the player after the dealer’s hole card turns out to be an ace. The player then gets an option to place an insurance bet which will rescue half of the original bet in case of a natural blackjack for the dealer.
L
Late surrender: in case a player decides they do not wish to continue till the end of the game they can do a late surrender. This way the player loses half of their bet. This carries out after the dealer checks for blackjack.
N
Natural blackjack: a blackjack which occurs due to the combination of a 10 value card and an ace.
P
Pat hand: a hand which does not require an additional card or a ‘hit’. This is usually the case when the player owns a hard total of 17.
Pink chip: a pink chip has a value of $2.50.
Ploppy: an amateur player who does not know the art of counting cards.
Purple chip: the purple or barney chip has a value of $500.
Push: a push or a tie results when both the dealer and the player end up with the same totals. In this scenario, the player neither wins nor loses their bet.
R
Red chip: a chip worth $5.
Resplit: a split occurs when a player owns a pair. A resplit can happen if the player again manages to make a pair in either of the hands.
Risk of ruin: the chance of losing money over a specific time period during one sitting identifies as the risk of ruin.
Round: a single round of blackjack starts from placing bets and ends with distributing winnings and collecting losses.
S
Shinner: a device which is used to cheat in blackjack. This is a device which uses shiny surfaces in order to get a look at the reflection of the dealer’s hole cards.
Shoe: an elongated box which holds multiple decks at a blackjack table.
Shoe game: in blackjack terms, a shoe game is the one which uses a shoe to hold the cards.
Shuffle: the act of mixing cards to throw off the players counting cards.
Soft hand: a soft hand comprises an ace in hand which holds the value of 11.
Split: this option becomes available to the player when they receive a pair. The player can split their cards and create two separate hands.
Stand: the opposite of hitting. If a player believes hitting will get them over 21, they can choose to stand with the existing hand.
Stand off: another one of the blackjack terms for a tie.
Stand or stay: a term which signifies that the player will stick with the hand they have. Consequently, the dealer will not deal with them any more cards.
Stiff hand: a player dealing with low chances of winning due to the hand they own.
T
Tell play: a strategy which requires observational skills on part of a player to speculate the hand of their opponent.
Third base: another way to say, anchor.
Tie: a tie is a situation when both the player and dealer have the same total. A tie also identifies as a push.
Twist: an alternate term for ‘hit’ which is most commonly in use by another variant of blackjack ‘pontoon’.
W
Wonging: a player who uses the back counting strategy to determine when it is the best time to enter the table. This strategy identifies as wonging.
Y
Yellow chip: a $1000 chip.
Click here to visit the 1xBET Casino to head the virtual BlackJack tables
