Blackjack Glossary List
For a card game based on a two-card hand, blackjack has its fair share of specific terminology. Below you’ll find some of the more common terms used throughout the game:
- Banker – In a card game, this is the dealer or the players who book the action of the other bettors at the table.
- Basic Strategy – In blackjack, the set of actions or plays that you should make to maximize your advantage.
- Blackjack – Total of 21 on your initial two-card hand.
- Break – To exceed the hand total of 21.
- Bust – same as Break, to exceed the hand total of 21.
- Card Counting – Recording (in memory) played cards – usually high cards – so as to establish a conditional probability advantage on the remaining cards against the dealer.
- Charlie or Five Card Charlie – A rule variation where if you get five cards without busting, you win that hand.
- Cut – To split the deck of cards before they are dealt.
- Deal – To give out the cards during a hand.
- Double Down – a player can double their initial bet following the initial deal, but can hit one card only (you must take one additional card). To do this, the player turns over his first two
cards and places an equal bet along the original bet. - Early Surrender – A Surrender that’s allowed before the dealer checks for blackjack.
- Even Money – cashing in a bet immediately at a 1:1 payout ratio when you are dealt a natural blackjack and the dealer’s upcard is an Ace.
- Face Cards – these are Jacks, Queens, and Kings.
- Face Down Game – your first card is placed face up while the second one is placed face down.
- Face Up Game – Both your cards are placed face up.
- Five Card Charlie – A rule variation where if you get 5 cards without busting, you win that hand.
- Hard Hand (Also Hard Total.) – This is a hand without an Ace, or with an Ace valued at 1 is said to be Hard in that it can only be given one value (unlike a ‘Soft’ hand).
- Heads Up or Heads On – A head to head play with the dealer – no other players are involved.
- Hit (or Draw) – Call a card or adding a new card to your current hand.
- Hole Card – In blackjack, the facedown card that the dealer gets. In stud and hold ‘em poker, the facedown cards dealt with each player.
- Insurance – A side bet up to half the initial bet against the dealer having a natural 21. Insurance is offered only when the dealers up card is an Ace. The insurance bet wins double if the dealer has a
natural, but loses if the dealer does not. - Late Surrender – A surrender allowed only if the dealer does not have blackjack.
- Natural – In blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of 21 points. In baccarat, a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine.
- Pat – In blackjack, an unbusted hand worth at least 17 points. In draw poker, a hand that does not need any more hands.
- Perfect Pairs – this is a blackjack side bet played on a standard blackjack table and does not require the main game rules to be changed. All Perfect Pairs wagers are decided and acted on at the completion of the initial deal. There are 3 different types of pairs and the payout odds vary accordingly: Mixed pair, Coloured pair, and Perfect Pair.
- Point Count – (In card counting systems) The net value of the card count at the end of a hand.
- Push – (Also Tie or Stand-off.) Both player and dealer have the same hand total – player keeps bet.
- Running Count – (used in card counting systems) The count from the beginning of the deck or shoe. The running count is updated by the value of the point count after each hand.
- Shuffle – At the start of each game when the dealer mixes up the order of the cards is said to shuffle the cards.
- Shuffle Up – The premature shuffling by the dealer to discourage card counting.
- Soft Hand – A hand containing an ace counted as 11.
- Split Hand – Split the initial two-card hand into two and play them separately – allowed only when the two first cards are of equal value.
- Standing Hand – In blackjack, meaning a hand which hard-totals to 17 or more, which is very likely to bust if one more card is called and therefore the player is expected to stand.
- Stand-off – (Also Tie or Push.) Both player and dealer have the same hand total – the player keeps bet.
- Stand or Stay – Not requiring any more cards, to refrain from taking another card.
- Stiff Hand – A hand with little chance of winning. Stiffs include hard twelve through sixteen.
- Surrender – The giving up of your hand to lose only half the bet.
- Tie – (Also Push or Stand-off.) Both player and dealer have the same hand total – player keeps bet.
- True Count – (In card counting systems) The running count adjusted to account for the number of cards left in the deck or shoe to be played.
- Upcard – The dealer’s first dealt card, placed face up for all the players to see before they play their hands.
