Blackjack Terms Dictionary

This lesson at Learn to Play Blackjack for Blackjack Terms will not only prepare you for your next visit to the tables, but will enhance your knowledge of the game.

Blackjack Terms: A - B
Ace: is counted as 1 or 11 in blackjack.
Action: blackjack or 21 is a game where the player’s goal is to get closer than the dealer to 21 without going over. Blackjack pays 3 to 2 or $3 for every $2 bet.
Anchor: Player to the right of the dealer receiving the last card.
Aka Third Base.
Bank: Player’s bankroll or a team of players’ bankroll.
Barber Pole: Stack of chips consisting of a variety of colors.
Bet Spread: Referring to a player's minimum and maximum bet.
Betting Handle: Total money bet during a session of play.
Betting Limits: Casino rules of minimum and maximum amounts allowed for one bet.
Break: Term meaning to Bust or Go Over—the final count is over 21.
Breaking Hand: Card count of 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 that will Bust or go over 21 with one card. Aka ‘stiff hand’.
Burn: Term meaning dealer removes a small number (1-3) cards after the shuffle to be placed in the discard pile. Cards are also burned with the arrival of a new dealer.  
Bust Card: 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are Bust Cards referring to the dealer's up card. If the dealer has to hit with 12-16, he/she may go Bust.
Bust/Busted: Total count is over 21. This is a losing hand even if the dealer also busts. All players whose count is less than 21 win if the Dealer Busts.  
Buy-in: Exchange money for chips.

Blackjack Terms: C                        
Circle: Term meaning the area on the table layout where the player places a bet. Aka Betting Circle or Square.
Clump: Sequence of cards that favors either the house or player. Also a group of cards together within the deck(s) in play.
Cold: Winning cards have disappeared.
Color: Standard Chip Colors are $1=blue or white. $5=red. $25=Green. $100=Black.
$500=Purple.
Cover the Bet: Casino takes a bet to play. Aka Book the Action.
CSM: Term for Continuous Shuffling Machine. A machine that shuffles cards back into the deck(s) continuously rather than manually shuffling after deck(s) is finished. Disadvantage to card counters.
Cut: After shuffling, the deck is separated into two cards with a plastic cut card by a player and passed back to the dealer.
Cut Card: Plastic colored card passed to the player to cut the deck. The dealer then places the Cut Card near the end of the shoe to indicate the last hand to be dealt.

Blackjack Terms: D
Deal: Term for cards given to players during the game.
Dealer: Casino employee who deals and manages the game of Blackjack.
Decisions: The game of blackjack consists of the following Player decisions--hitting, doubling down, standing, splitting, insurance and surrendering.
Deck: consists of 52 playing cards. When blackjack is played with more than one deck, the cards are called a pack.
Deuce: Term for a card numbered 2.
Discards: Cards played since the last shuffle and placed in a discard tray.
Double Deck: utilizing two decks in blackjack. Casinos may also use 4, 6 or 8 decks.
Double Down or Doubling Down: Doubling the bet before being dealt one additional card. Blackjack rule for Doubling Down is that the player receives only one card after a DD decision. Player may bet up to his/her original bet, but not more and places this second bet behind the original bet. Some casinos allow Double Down only with a count of 10 or 11.
Draw: dealt additional card(s) to the 2 cards already dealt originally. Aka Hit, Draw Card or Hit Card.
Drop: Total dollar value bet in a casino or total value of money and/or markers cashed in by players.

Blackjack Terms: E - F
Early Surrender: Player loses 50% of bet if he/she decides to surrender after being dealt the first two cards.
Even Money: Refers to taking insurance on a blackjack hand when dealer shows an Ace. Player is paid even money on his/her blackjack whether dealer has hit blackjack or not.
Face Card: Term for Jacks, Queens, and Kings that have a value of 10 each in blackjack.  
Face Down: Blackjack game where player’s first card is dealt up and second card is dealt face down.  
Face Up:  Blackjack game where both cards are dealt face up.
First Base: Term for player to the left of the dealer and the first person to receive cards. Aka First Baseman.

Blackjack Terms: H
Hand: Round of play. Also cards held by the player or dealer.
Hard Hand: Those hands that do not contain an Ace or a hand where the Ace is valued at only 1 are Hard Hands as there is only one value. Opposite of Soft Hands.
Hard Total: Count for those hands that do not contain an Ace or a hand where the Ace is valued at only 1. Ex: 9 and 8 has a hard total of 17 and an Ace and 6 has a hard total of 7. 
Heads Up: Player against the dealer only with no other participants.
Hit: dealt additional card(s) to the 2 cards already dealt originally. Aka Draw, Draw Card or Hit Card. The decision to hit is indicated by a sweeping motion on the felt by the player or tapping the felt in a Face Up game. 
Hole Card: Dealer’s card dealt face down.
House Advantage or House Edge: Refers to the casino % advantage vs. the player.

Blackjack Terms: I - N
Insurance: When dealer’s up card is an Ace, there will be a call for insurance. The insurance bet is not recommended.
Late Surrender: Player loses 50% of bet if he/she decides to surrender after seeing the dealer’s up card.
Multiple Decks: More than one deck is in play here.
Natural: Aka as a Blackjack, a Natural occurs when the first two cards dealt are an Ace and Ten for 21. Pays 3 to 2.
Nickel: $5 Chip.
No Hole Card: Blackjack version where the dealer does not receive a second card until all the players have completed their hands.

Blackjack Terms: P
Pair: Two cards of the same value, e.g., pair of tens.
Pip: Card spots indicating the value of the card.
Playing Conditions: Casino options offered to players. The many options including Double Down rules, Early/Late Surrender and Splitting can vary widely between worldwide land-based casino and online casinos.
Push or Tie: occurs when both dealer and player have the same count neither of which is 21. Usually, the player’s bet is returned.

Blackjack Terms: R
Red Chip: $5 Chip.
ReSplit: Splitting pairs yet again.
Round: occurs when all players have completed their Blackjack hands.
Running Count: Total points from card-counting method beginning with first hand dealt after new shuffle and updated after each hand.
S17: Short form for ‘Dealer Stands on all 17’s.
Shoe: Design of holder, either wood or heavy plastic, of up to 8 decks in play.

Blackjack Terms: S
Shuffle: Blending the cards before dealing to players.
Side Bet: Additional bet along with the primary bet. Not recommended.
Soft Hand: Aka Soft Hand or Soft Total: holds an Ace that is counted as 11. Example: Ace-7 equals a Soft 18. However, if the value is changed to 1 later, it is consider a Hard Hand.
Soft Double: Doubling Down when one card is an Ace.
Spanish 21: Blackjack version where the 4-Ten cards are removed.
Split or Splitting Pairs: splitting a matched pair to play separately.
The extra bet is placed on one of the split cards. If a third like card is dealt, that too can be split based on casino rules.
Splitting Aces: When you split aces, you receive only additional card for each hand. However, based on casino rules you may split a third Ace if dealt.
Stand-Off: Aka tie or push. Occurs when both dealer and player have the same count neither of which is 21.
Usually, the player’s bet is returned.
Stiff or Stiff Hand: Card count of 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 that will Bust or go over 21 with one card. Aka ‘Breaking Hand’.
Streak: String of wins or losses.
Surrender: Choose surrender after receiving first two cards and you lose only 50% of the bet.

Blackjack Terms: T - U
Team Play: Several players who utilize one bankroll and are knowledgeable Blackjack players.
Tells: Signals in the form of gestures or attitude expressed by the dealer that may provide useful strategies as to the value of their hole card.
Third Base or Third Baseman: Player to the right of the dealer receiving the last card. Aka Anchor.
Tie: Aka Push or Stand-Off. Occurs when both dealer and player have the same count neither of which is 21. Usually, the player’s bet is returned.
Toke: Tip to the Dealer.
Twenty-One: Term for the game of Blackjack.
Up Card: Dealt face up, this is the dealer’s first card.

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