Blackjack Glossary
If you’re struggling to get your head round Blackjack terminology, help is at hand with Gaming Supermarket. Here, you’ll find all the information you need to understand blackjack terms.
A
Action
The action is the amount of money which is risked by a player across their whole session playing Blackjack.
B
Betting Limits
The betting limits are the minimum and maximum amounts which are allowed to be wagered on each bet.
Blackjack
To achieve Blackjack, a player’s initial hand of two cards must total 21.
Burn Card
The burn card is the card placed on the bottom of the deck after the cards have been shuffled and cut.
Bust
As in to go bust. This happens when your cards exceed a total of 21.
C
Card Counting
Card Counting is a strategy employed to monitor which cards have been played since the shuffle in order to best decide what cards will come out next.
Chip/Check
Tokens used in the game to replicate money.
Cut
Cutting the deck is dividing it into two parts following shuffling.
D
E
Early Surrender
When a player chooses to surrender early, they give up after seeing their first two cards but before the dealer checks his or her hand. The player will lose half of their bet if this takes place.
Expected Win Rate
The expected win rate is the percentage of the total amount wagered that each player can expect to win or lose.
F
Face Cards
The face cards are the King, Queen and Jack of each suit: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades
First Base
First base is the first seat to the left of the dealer.
G
H
Hard Hand
A hard hand is any hand which does not have an ace in it. In this case, the ace must be valued at eleven.
Hit
To hit is to take an additional card.
Hole Card
The hole card is the dealer’s face down card.
I
Insurance
An insurance bet is a side bet which can be offered when the dealer’s upturned card is an ace. If the hand turns out to be a natural 21, the player will be paid double.
J
K
L
M
N
Natural
A natural or natural 21 is a hand where the first two cards total 21. This is also known as a Blackjack.
O
P
Push or Tie
A Push or Tie takes place when the player and dealer have equal hands. This means that both hands must have the same points total. In the case of this happening, no money changes hands.
Q
R
S
Shoe
The shoe is the vessel which holds multiple decks of cards to be dealt during Blackjack gameplay.
Soft Hand
A soft hand is any blackjack hand with an ace that is valued at 11 rather than 1.
Stand
To stand is to refrain from taking any further cards and sticking with the hand you have been dealt.
Surrender
To surrender is to give up half of your wager to avoid completing your hand.
T
U
Upcard
The upcard is the dealers hand which appears face up.
V
W
Whale
A whale is a commonly used term to denote a big game player in Blackjack.
X
Y
Z
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