Blackjack Usual Terms

Note that some terms are not likely to be used when playing online, as there's no 'pit boss' when playing a download or browser game.

BASIC STRATEGY - a computer-developed method for playing blackjack that may be easily memorized by a player that is created and has the purpose to minimize the house advantage over the player as much as possible possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking, or dealer tells.

BURN CARDS - after the dealer shuffles the cards he will ask the player at his left to cut the cards and the cut card is "burned" by the dealer. This it means that this card is discarded and is not dealt to the players. Also, the players cannot see the value of the burned card.

BUST - when a player hits for another card and with the new card dealt he reaches a total greater than 21, the player is "busted" and he lost the hand.

BREAKING HAND (STIFF) - when a player has a hard hand with a total of 12, 13,14, 15 or 16 and he asks to be dealt only one card and the new card dealt brings him a total greater then 21 (break).

CARD COUNTING - this is the players talent to keep in his mind an accurate record of the cards that have been played by giving them special values. This system can allow players to have a relatively good idea of which cards remain in the shoe and to inidcate the, when the game is favorable for them so they can place bigger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy.

CUT CARD - a card that is used to cut the cards after they have been shuffled by the dealer.

DOUBLE DOWN - to double the initial bet and receive exactly one more card. The option to double is often allowed on the players first two cards only, although some casinos allow doubling after splitting a pair. It is very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than two cards.

DOUBLE FOR LESS - to double down with less than two times the original bet. Generally, when doubling is allowed, the player does not have to actually double his bet, but may increase it by any amount up to (but not more than) the original bet.

EARLY SURRENDER - surrender which is allowed even when the dealer has a "natural". Very valuable to the player, but rarely offered by the casinos.

EVEN MONEY - taking insurance when holding a blackjack results in a net gain of one bet. Some casinos will allow the player to be paid without actually placing the insurance bet. This is called "taking even money".

FIRST BASE - the first seat at the blackjack table, immediately to the left of the dealer.

FLAT BET - a player that bet the same amount of money on each succesive hand.

HARD COUNT - the true face value of the cards being played with.

HARD HAND - a hand without an ace, or a hand with an ace that can only be counted one way (for example, an ace, 6 and 9).

HEADS UP - playing at a table that has no other players.

HIT - when a player or the dealer wants to add another card to his hand.

HOLE CARD - the dealer's face down card.

INSURANCE - a side bet offered to the player by the house, when the dealer's face-up card is an ace, that the dealer has a 10 as his hole card, making blackjack. Pays 2 to 1.

LATE SURRENDER - surrender which is only allowed when the dealer does not have a natural. If the dealer has a natural 21, the player's bet still loses in its entirety. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the player loses half the bet and doesn't play the rest of the hand.

NATURAL - a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards. Those two cards must be a 10 value card and an Ace.

OVER/UNDER - a rare bet that the first two player's cards will total over 13, or under 13, when aces are counted as one.

PAT HAND - a hand with a total of 17 to 21.

PIT BOSS - the person in charge of the blackjack games.

POINT COUNT - the net value of the card count at the end of a hand.

PREFERENTIAL SHUFFLING - shuffling when the deck is favorable to the players, while avoiding a shuffle when the deck is unfavorable to the players.

PRESS - to increase the size of the subsequent wager.

PUSH - a tie hand, where the player and the dealer have the same hand total. In this situation the original bet is returned to the player.

SHOE - a "box" for holding the undealt cards, usually used in multi-deck games.

SOFT HAND - a hand that contains an ace, which can be counted as 11 (for example, an ace and 7 can be counted as 8 or 18). It is always possible to draw one card to a soft hand without busting.

SPLIT HAND - hands that start with two cards of the same rank can be split to form two independent hands. This option is exercised by adding a new bet to the second hand, and these hands are played independently.

SPREAD - to place more than one bet before the cards are dealt.

STAND - to stop drawing cards.

SURRENDER - the ability of the player to give up only half his bet when the player believes he cannot beat the dealer. Must be done before any cards are drawn. Some hands, such as 16 vs. dealer's ten, are so bad that surrender is less costly than playing the hand.

THIRD BASE - the last seat at the blackjack table, next to the right of the dealer.

TOKE - the tip or gratuity given to dealers from players.

UP CARD - the dealer's face up card. The correct playing decision often involves some consideration of the dealer's up card.