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Blackjack Terminology:
basic strategy
a playing strategy that is designed to minimize the house edge as much as
possible without using techniques such as card counting, shuffle tracking,
or dealer tells. basic strategy is used as a foundation for card counting,
but is also used by many non-counters.
bust
after a "hit", the player is said to "bust" if the new card causes the
player's total to exceed 21.
card counting
a system for improving the player's edge by assigning "weights" to each
card face and summing the card weights as each new card is turned face up.
The "count" indicates when the game is favorable for the player, so that
the player can place larger bets and/or make changes in playing strategy.
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. Many casinos allowing doubling only with a two-card total of 10 or 11. It is
very rare to find games that allow doubling of hands that have more than
two cards.
first base
the first player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting
at "first base".
flat bet
to bet the same amount on each successive hand.
hard hand
any hand that is not a soft hand.
heads up
playing at a table that has no other players.
hit
drawing a new card to add to the player's or dealer's hand.
hole card
the dealer's card that is placed face down.
insurance
a side bet, of up to 1/2 the original bet, that is offered when the
dealer's upcard is an ace. This bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a natural
21. (Also see "even money")
natural
a hand that totals 21 on the first two cards.
push
a tie hand, the original bet is returned to the player.
shoe
a "box" for holding the undealt cards, usually used in multi-deck games.
soft hand
any hand that includes an ace that can be counted as 11 without having the
value of the hand exceed 21. 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.
stand
to stop drawing cards.
stiff (hand)
any hand that has a small chance of winning regardless of how the hand is
played (usually 12 - 16).
surrender
the option to give back the player's first two cards in exchange for a
refund of 1/2 of the original bet (rarely allowed). Some hands, such as 16
vs. dealer's 10, are so bad that surrender is less costly than playing the
hand.
third base
the last player at a table to act on his/her hand is said to be sitting at
"third base".
upcard
the dealer's first card, dealt face up. The correct playing decision often
involves some consideration of the dealer's upcard.
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