How proficient are you in the blackjack game? Are you familiar with the common blackjack terms?
Over the years, blackjack, the most famous casino game globally, has gained its fair share of slang and jargon. It is one of those games where there are numerous terminologies used at the table, especially by professional players.
Recognizing the key terms will make you more knowledgeable online as well as at the land-based casinos. It is vital to comprehend with them so that you know what the dealers and other players are talking about. Following are the common 21 game terms that no player, even a newbie, should miss. Let’s begin:
Anchor:
Also known as the anchorman. Describes the player who sits to the right of the dealer and is the last one to act. It is an important position as they are the last ones to make moves since the dealer deals the card from left to right.
Back Counting:
A card counting technique in which a player counts cards from while usually viewing the table from behind.
Blackjack Bankroll:
The money a player plans to gamble with.
Basic Strategy:
The best possible moves a blackjack player can make on the basis of the dealer’s up card and their hand.
Bet Sizing:
To size the bet in a proportion of your mathematical advantage over the casino.
Bet spread:
The amount of minimum and maximum bet a player makes during the gameplay.
Blackjack:
A combination of an Ace with a 10-value card of the player's first two cards. Blackjack usually pays 3/2 on most games, meaning you win ₹150 for every ₹100 bets.
Burn card:
After the deck of cards is shuffled and cut, the first card is removed by the dealer and placed face down in the discard tray. Neither the player nor the dealer uses this card.
Bust:
This is exactly what you should avoid - going bust. This occurs when a player takes another card and exceeds the total score of 21.
Buy-in:
To convert the cash into casino chips.
Card Counting:
Keeping track of the cards that are not dealt and using this information to assess whether you have better odds are favourable for the player or not. This is restricted in most of the casinos.
Chip counting:
To determine the value of the chip stack by eyeballing the stack, mainly in the blackjack tourneys.
Cut:
To split the deck of the cards into two parts before they are dealt.
Cut card:
A coloured plastic card that is commonly used to cut the deck of the cards after each shuffle.
Dealer:
An employee hired by a casino who runs the game and deals the card.
Blackjack Double Down:
A player can opt to double down after seeing the hand. They will double their bet and will receive an additional card. This decision is usually based on the hand the player has.
Draw:
Draw word is another word for saying ‘hit’. If a player selects to draw, they will obtain one more card from the dealer.
Early surrender:
The player decides to give up their hand before the dealer checks if they have a blackjack. In such a case, the player loses half of their bet.
Edge:
Edge is a mathematical percentage that a player stands to win or lose from each bet.
Even Money:
If a player has a natural blackjack and the dealer’s showing card is an ace, the player can choose an even-money side bet, i.e. half the original wager’s size. This move is similar to blackjack insurance. If you pick this, you will receive 1:1 payout and the round ends, irrespective of the dealer’s overall hand.
Blackjack Face Card:
These are the cards with faces (Jacks, Queens, and King) in a standard deck. These cards have a point value of 10.
Heads Up:
A blackjack game where a single player is competing against the dealer.
Hit:
Hit means that a player decides to add an additional card to their current hand (like draw)
Hole Card:
The dealer’s face-down card, which is not exposed, is known as the hole card.
Blackjack Insurance:
Blackjack insurance is a side bet offered to players when the dealer has an ace as their up card. This bet usually pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a blackjack.
Late surrender:
A player is allowed to surrender their hand after seeing the hole card of the dealer. The player loses half of their bet.
Pair Splitting:
Pair splitting gives a player an option to split their initial two-cards that are of the same value. When splitting a pair, a player must make a secondary bet which must be equal to the first bet.
Pat Hand:
A hand which is worth at least 17 points and the player holds a pat, meaning they will stand no matter what.
Push:
A push occurs when the dealer’s hand value is the same as the player’s. In such a situation, no one wins or loses the game. Usually, in this case, the house returns the player’s initial bet.
Re-split:
Following a blackjack split, a player has an option to re-split if they receive another hand in which there is a pair. Therefore, if they choose to re-split, the two hands become four separate hands following the split.
Risk of Ruin:
The chance that the player’s bankroll will be exhausted during a playing session.
Blackjack Shoe:
A device used to hold various decks of playing cards from which the dealer deals. It is always placed to the left of the dealer.
Soft Hand:
A hand holding an ace is valued as 11.
Split:
A blackjack split option allows players to split their hands of two cards into two separate hands.
Stand:
Standing is when a player refrains from getting any other card from the dealer and wants to stick to their current total hand.
Surrender:
A player folds their hand and loses half of their initial bet.
Tie:
Both the dealer and the player have the hand of the same total, and the player keeps bet.
Twenty-One:
Another name for blackjack
Upcard:
The first card that is dealt to the dealer is called an up card. Since every player can see, this is the card that makes decisions on the basis of which you will be making decisions when playing.
It is imperative to get acquainted with the blackjack glossary to fully understand and get familiar with as many of them as possible. Doing so will increase your confidence at the tables or when you play blackjack online. Although they are quite a lot, you would have the upper hand if you learn most of them. So, try to master them. With some luck and knowledge, you will become a real blackjack wizard!