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Blackjack Terminology Stepping up to a Blackjack table can be like stepping into a new world. We thought we would at least help you learn the language. Here are some common terms you will run into playing Blackjack… Action - refers to the total sum of money bet in a specific time period. For example, 20 bets of $10 each is $200 of action. Anchor - (also referred to as 3rd base) refers to the last player on the Blackjack table, to the dealer’s right.
Bankroll - refers to the total sum of money that the player has to bet with.
Basic Strategy - refers to a proficient playing system that sustains a prolonged session and maximizes potential success for the player. Bet Count – refers to the count at the time the player makes their wager. This is the only thing the player knows with any accuracy about the hand they are about to get. Betting Limits - refers to a minimum and maximum amount of dollars a player can wager at a certain Blackjack table. Betting limits will vary from table to table and casino to casino. Betting Spread - refers to the player's betting range during a given shoe. Also sometimes placing more than one bet prior to the cards being dealt. Black Chip - refers to a $100 chip. Blackjack - refers to a two-card hand, an ace and a ten. (A Blackjack is only possible on the player’s first two cards and not after splitting Faces & Aces). Burn card - refers to the single card that the dealer takes from the top of the deck, and places into the discard tray. The card can be either face up or face down. A card is burned after every single shuffle. Bust - refers to the player’s, or dealer’s hand total, exceeding the sum of 21, resulting in a loss. Cage - refers to the cashier’s cage. This is where playing chips are exchanged for cash. Card Counting - refers to a system employed by the player to improve his odds of winning. The player places certain “weights” to each card that he is counting (face-cards for example), and keeps a running total of the “count” as each new card is placed face up on the table, or revealed. This “count” is what the player will use to determine if it is favorable for him to increase his wager, or modify his playing strategy. Chip/Check - refers to the tokens casinos use at gaming tables, instead of money. Color Up/Out - refers to the process of exchanging smaller denomination chips for larger denomination chips. (20 $5 chips for 1 $100 chip). Comp - is short for “complimentary” and refers to the free goods or services that a casino may give the player. It is based on the amount of money a player plays at a table over time, and usually consists of free food or free rooms, etc. CSM (Continuous Shuffling Machine) - refers to a machine that shuffles the cards continuously as in a Continuous Shuffling Machine. Counter - refers to a player who is known to count cards. Cut - refers to the act of dividing the deck into two parts using the cut card. Cut Card -
refers to the solid colored card (usually plastic) that is given to a player by the dealer after the shuffle to cut the cards.
Dallas Cowboy Fan - is the reason why 4 rather large security guards kicked us off a native reserve casino. (Oz Notes: Jr being intoxicated at the time I am certain had little to do with it....rrriiiiiiiiight. I must be honest though. We were removed for no other reason than we were Dallas Cowboy fans. That much is a fact! Being drunken Dallas fans amongst hundreds of Steelers fan after the Boys beat the Steelers likely did not help our cause.) DAS - refers to a House Rules allowing Double After Splitting. Dealer's Hand Summary - refers to a feature of the Playing 21 Program that tracks all dealer statistics. Double Down - is only allowed on two card hands, and refers to the instance in which a player is allowed to double his wager, and receive one (and only one) additional card to improve his hand. The player is not allowed to Double Down for more than his original wager. Double Down for Less - refers to the instance in which the player Doubles Down for less than his original wager.
Drop Percentage - refers to that percentage of the player’s money that the casino will eventually win because of the house percentage. Even Money - refers to the player taking insurance when he (the player) has a Blackjack, and the dealer potentially has one. Most casinos allow the dealer to pay the player without the player having to actually slide the insurance bet forward. The sum of “even money” is the sum of the player’s original bet. Expected Win Rate - refers to the percentage of the total sum wagered that a player can expect to win, or lose, over time. Face Cards - refers to the Jacks, Queens, and Kings of each suite. First (1st) Base - refers to the first player at the Blackjack table, to the dealer’s left. Flat Bet - refers to a bet made by the player that never varies. For example, betting $10 dollars a hand for every single hand for an entire session. Foreign Chip - refers to a chip that is issued by one casino being honored at another casino. This is not mandatory for the casinos, but a courtesy provided to the players between casinos that are geographically close together. French Deck - refers to the current 52-card deck used to play Blackjack. It consists of an Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen and King of Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs (the four suites). Green Chip - refers to a $25 chip. Grinder - refers to a player that wagers small amounts of money. Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer's Up Card - refers to a feature in the Playing 21 Program that tracks every possible hand vs. any possible dealer's up card at 21 different counts no mater how you count in over 25 billion ways. Also referred to as Blackjacks DNA. Hand Composition - refers to the make up of the cards in a hand. A hand consisting of a Face & 3 is different from a Hand of a 6 & 7, even though they both equal a Hard 13. Hard Hand - refers to a hand that does not have an Ace, or a hand in which the Ace must be counted as a 1 and not an 11. For example, a 3 and a 4 is a hard 7; and a 10, a 6 and an Ace is a hard 17. Head-On (Head's Up) - refers to being the only player at a Blackjack table, playing one on one vs. the dealer. Heat - refers to the inevitable pressure a casino will put on a winning player, especially one they suspect is a counter. This usually consists of the pit-boss hanging over the table, and general feelings of malaise directed toward the player. High Roller - refers to a player that wagers large amounts of money. Hit - refers to the player’s request for another card. The player can request a hit as many times as he wants, until he reaches 21 or busts. As a general rule, casinos will insist upon a hand signal to verify that a player wanted a hit. Hole Card - refers to any card that is face down. However, it is most often associated with the dealer’s single, face down card. House - refers to the casino. House Percentage - refers to the casino’s advantage (measured in percentage) in a particular game. Insurance - is offered when the dealer’s up card is an Ace. All players have two cards,
Junket - refers to an organized group of players that frequent a casino together. Junkets are sometimes subsidized by the casino to lure in other players. Marker - refers to an IOU or line of credit provided by the casino to a player. Mechanic - refers to a person who is very adept at manipulating cards, usually for less than honorable purposes. Multi Deck - refers to the game that uses 2 or more decks of cards to play. Natural - refers to a two-card hand totaling 21, a Blackjack. Over/Under - refers to an uncommon bet that the player can make on his first two cards; over 13, or under 13. Aces are counted as one. Pair - refers to the instance in which the player’s first two cards are numerically identical. Pat Hand - refers to a hand with a total from 17 to 21. Pit - refers to the area inside a group of gaming tables. Gaming tables are usually arranged in a somewhat circular/oval pattern, and the area inside this perimeter of tables is known as the pit. Pit Boss - refers to the casino employee who supervises a pit, it’s players, dealers, and other personnel. Play Count – is the count of the cards when the player plays their hand. It differs from Bet Count because it may change with the cards that are dealt out after we make our wager. Push - refers to a hand which sees the dealer and player tie. No win or loss. Red Chip - refers to a $5 chip. Rich Deck - refers to a partial deck that has a high percentage of face cards and aces or is rich in favorable cards depending on a counting method. Settlement - refers to the final action of a hand, the resolving of the wager. It will result in the dealer paying you for a win, taking your chips for a loss. Chips do not exchange hands in the event of a push. Shill - refers to a casino employee who sits at a table and games, pretending to be a regular player, in order to attract other genuine players to the game. McB Duplin believes they aren't as easy to spot as experts believe, but rest assured money is being bet recklessly. Shoe - refers to the small box-like device to the dealer’s immediate left that can hold up to 8 decks of cards. It is designed in such a fashion as to allow the dealer to slide out one card at a time. Shuffle Up - refers to the casino prematurely shuffling the cards to specifically harass, and attempt to throw off, a player they suspect is a counter. Single Deck - refers to the game that uses one deck of cards to play. Soft Hand - refers to a hand in which any Ace is being counted as 11 and not as 1. For example, an 8 and an Ace is a soft 19. Split - refers to the instance in which the player has a pair (in his first two cards) and wishes to “split” them to make two individual hands. The player must slide up a second wager, equal to the first. The dealer will then separate the cards, placing one wager behind each. The player now gets another card on each hand and plays them as regular hands. Should the player get another card equal to the pair he may split again if allowed. Most casinos will allow splitting up to three times (resulting in four hands). The exception is the Aces; unless otherwise advertised, they may only be split once. Spread - refers to the player's betting range during a given shoe. Also sometimes placing more than one bet prior to the cards being dealt. Stand - refers to the player declining another card, usually being content with his current total. Stiff - refers to a hand that has a small chance of winning regardless of how it is played. A hard 12 to 16 for example. Surrender - refers to the casino rule that allows the player to discontinue play after seeing his first 2 cards. The player loses half his wager by surrendering. There are two versions of surrender, early and late. “Early Surrender” allows the player to surrender after seeing the dealer’s up card. Late Surrender is basically the same except the player must wait until the dealer has checked for a Blackjack. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the player may now surrender and lose only half his original wager. SWAG Player - stands for “Scientific Wild Assed Guessing” player. Take the Casino - refers to doing very well monetarily, at the casino’s expense. “Taking the casino for $10,000.” Toke - refers to the slang term for tipping the dealer. Tough Player - refers to the player that takes the casino. A very intelligent and knowledgeable player. Unit - refers to the dollar amount of one basic bet, one chip. Wager vs Win - refers to the fact that a player's wager is more important than a player's win. Five hands won or lost with one unit bet in each is different from 2 hands won or lost with 7 units bet. WAG Player - stands for “Wild Assed Guessing” player. Are you a WAG or a SWAG? Win/Loss Report - refers to a feature of the Playing 21 Program that shows players where in the count they are turning a profit for over 25 billion counting strategies and allows players to alter their betting at these counts to turn a profit in the overall game. Card Counting TerminologyBack Counting - Counting cards and waiting for the count to become favorable before sitting down to play. Usually done standing in back of the players. Balanced Count - Any counting system that has a count starting at zero when the cards are shuffled, and ending at zero when all cards in the deck(s) have been exposed. Most counting systems use a balanced count. Bet Count – refers to the count at the time the player makes their wager. This is the only thing the player knows with any accuracy about the hand they are about to get. Bet Spread - The ratio between maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $20 maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 4:1 bet spread. Betting Correlation - A measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player's favorability when the cards are seen by the player and removed from the deck. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system. Card Weight - The "value" assigned to each card face. This weight is added to the "count" as each new card is exposed. Weights are usually small integer values like -1, +1, or +2. Count - (Noun) -- a number that represents the player's estimate of how favorable or unfavorable. Cover Bet - A bet (usually large) placed at the "wrong" time, in order to fool the pit critters into thinking that the player is not counting cards. Insurance Correlation - A measure of how well the card weights correlate to the change in the player's favorability for placing insurance bets. This gives an estimate of the accuracy of the card counting system for predicting when to take insurance. Penetration - The number of cards that are dealt before the cards are shuffled. Penetration is usually expressed as a percentage of the cards, as in "75% penetration". Good penetration is extremely important to card counters. Play Count – is the count of the cards when the player plays their hand. It differs from Bet Count because it may change with the cards that are dealt out after we make our wager. Playing Efficiency - Effectiveness of strategy variations in tracking the optimal playing strategy as the deck composition changes. Efficiency is given by E = AG / PG, where AG is the actual gain from making the strategy changes, and PG is the possible gain that could be made by using a playing strategy that is "computer perfect". Running Count - The total of the weights of all cards that have been exposed since the cards were shuffled. Shuffle Tracking - A system to predict which sections of the deck/shoe will be favorable to the player, based on the locations of favorable sections of the previous deck/shoe, and on studying the method used to shuffle the cards and may also be used for Continuous Shuffling Machines with the clear fronts. Side Count - A count in addition to the "main" count, usually involving a single card face, as in "ace side count". Strategy Variations - Varying from basic strategy when the count indicates that it is profitable to do so. Ten Poor - A deck that has a lower than average density of tens and face cards. Ten Rich - A deck that has a higher than average density of tens and face cards. True Count - A count that is adjusted according to the number of un-dealt cards, usually by dividing the running count by the number of un-dealt *decks* (or half-decks). A SWAG player can do this with accuracy. Unbalanced Count - Any counting system that has a count that starts or ends on a non-zero value (see "balanced count"). Red 7 is an example of an unbalanced count. Wonging - Improving the player's edge by placing bets only when the count is favorable for the player, and "sitting out" when the count is unfavorable.
Blackjack AbbreviationsThe acronyms that are often used in Blackjack are listed below. Abbreviations:
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and the dealer offers insurance before peeking at his down card. If a player wants to insure his hand, he must slide an amount equal to half of his original wager up to the half-circle marked insurance (right on the table). If the dealer has Blackjack, the player wins 2x1 on the insurance bet, but loses his original bet. The net result is even, no loss or gain. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and taken by the dealer, and the hand is played out as usual. A player does not have to take insurance. 