Blackjack Glossary: Important Blackjack Terminologies To Be Kept In Mind

Blackjack is very popular among casino games around the world. It has amassed a fair amount of jargon and terminology over the decades. Understanding every movement may often mean the distinction between losing and winning your hand. Recognising the most frequent words used at the blackjack table can make you a more informed land-based as well as online casino player. It is also crucial to grasp the basic terms used in blackjack so that you can comprehend what the dealer or fellow players at the table are saying.

We have put together a convenient glossary of the most essential terminology in the game of 21, complete with explanations so we can understand the game better:

Deck

52-card deck of standard-rated cards

Hand

The cards that a participant or the dealer is dealt.

Shoe

A device that holds 4 or even more decks of cards and is used by the dealer to deal the cards.

Chip Tray

This corresponds to a tray placed in front of the dealer that is used to retain chips that have been lost, pay out winners, and dispense chips to players who have purchased chips with cash.

Dealer

A blackjack dealer is a casino employee who is in charge of handing the cards at any blackjack table. They are also responsible for dealing at any live blackjack too.

Toke

A little tip for the croupier or dealer.

Blackjack

The first 2 cards dealt to a player are an Ace as well as a 10-value card.

Ace

Can be counted as 1 or 11. Unless your hand reaches a tally of 21, in that situation the ace might return to a count of 1, an ace in the hand is believed to count as 11.

Upcard

The dealer’s first two card hand is given face-up with the hole card facing up.

Down Card

Any card dealt face down, including the dealer’s hole card. 

Back Counting

A strategy in which a player stands at a blackjack table before playing and keeps track of the count with the intention of coming into the game when the odds favour the player.

Card Counter

A player who keeps note of certain cards when they’re dealt in order to figure out when the edge swings in his favour.

Unbalanced Card Counting System

When all of the card counting labels do not add up to zero.

Entry-Level Card Counting System

An easier-to-learn and use but less powerful card counting method.

Hi-Lo

Balanced and a popular card counting system.

Continuous Shuffling Machine

After each round, an automated shuffling mechanism tosses the discards in with the leftover cards at random. Generally used at online casinos while  playing online blackjack, which makes shuffle tracking almost impossible.

House Edge

The proportion of a player’s stake that the casino anticipates to win (or lose) in theory.

Bankroll

The quantity of funds that a player wagers.

Bankroll for the session

Amount of money laid aside by a player for a single game session.

Buy-In

Money is exchanged for chips.

Action

The entire sum of money gambled on all of your hands.

Bet Spread

The maximum stake divided by the lowest bet.

Casino Manager

A casino executive is in charge of the casino’s operations.

Advantage Player

A gambler who outnumbers the casino in terms of mathematics.

Barring

When a casino official informs a player that he would be banned from playing blackjack at the casino for the rest of his life.

Sit and Go

Rapid blackjack tournaments that are frequently available at online or mobile casinos.

Basic Strategy

Depending only on the player’s cards and the dealer’s upcard, a series of playing options are the statistically best method to play each hand.

Chip Counting

In a tournament, eyeballing the stack to calculate the worth of a stack of chips.

Bust

When a hand’s count surpasses 21.

Chips

Casinos utilise clay tokens to allow players to place bets called chips.

Checks

Chips from a casino are often known as checks.

Black Chips

Casino chips that are generally black in colour and have a worth of $100.

Greens

A green coloured chip is often worth $25.

Balanced Card

System of counting when all of the card counting labels add up to zero.

Count

In card counting systems, the value of the count.

True Count

The total number of decks left is divided by the total number of running counts. 

Deviation

Modifying the core approach, which is based on a count.

Comp

The casino provides a complementary product or service to its loyal consumers.

Doubling Down

After getting the initial 2 cards, the player can place a supplementary stake up to the initial bet sum and obtain only one more draw card. This is known as doubling down.

Even Money

Blackjack players who hold the dealer’s ace might be certain of getting an equal payment prior to seeing their own down card, which is like taking insurance.

Martingale

A progressive betting method in which a player’s investment is typically doubled after a defeat and then returned to his original bet after a victory.

DOA

The term DOA or doubling on anything refers to any first 2 cards.

Bet Sizing

Calculating the size of your wager based on your mathematical edge over the casino.

Early Surrender

Just before the dealer examines if he/she has a blackjack, a player can surrender his hand (and forfeit half of his wager).

Late Surrender

After the dealer verifies if a player has a blackjack, he/she might surrender his/her hand (and forfeit half of his/her wager). 

Insurance

Another blackjack side bet on the dealer possessing blackjack. When the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, players can place an insurance bet (worth up to half of the initial stake) on the hand. The insurance bet pays 2:1 if the dealer holds a blackjack.

Natural

A blackjack is also known as a natural.

Splitting pairs

Permits a player to split a two-card starting hand comprising a pair to 2 hands. When splitting black pairs, the player needs to make a secondary stake equal to the first bet.

Progressive Betting

A betting method that is dependent as to whether the present hand will win or lose.

First Base

This player is the 1st to move on his hand since he has the very first blackjack seating on the dealer’s far left side.

Third Base

The very last player to play before the dealer.

Hit

When a player demands another card or when the dealer is required by the rules to do so.

Stand

The decision to forgo receiving more cards as made by a player.

Soft 17 (S17)

The dealer must stand on a player’s all aggregates of 17, even soft 17, according to a rule.

Countdown

After a specific number of hands, the casino tallies all the chips of competitive players to see who won.

Standard Deviation

A statistical phrase that describes the variability of findings around the average value, which is a risk indicator.