Glossary of Blackjack Terms

Table of Contents

1. What is Blackjack

2. What Makes Blackjack a Must-have for Online Casinos

3. Blackjack Terminology

Introduction

While talking about casino games, it’s impossible to leave Blackjack out. After all, it’s one of the most loved casino games in the world! For every casino, whether it’s land-based or online, having Blackjack as one of the offerings has become a must. It’s one of those card games that has created the most hype, and if that was not enough, it has been featured in several Hollywood movies with the top-drawer cast, just to create more hype!

But even though it’s one of the most popular games, it comes with several words associated with blackjack that can be difficult to understand. It contains blackjack lingo that can leave even professional gamblers scratching their heads. Hence, to help you out, we have created the most comprehensive glossary of Blackjack terms that will help you understand the game even better. But first things first. Let’s understand what exactly is Blackjack.

The history of Blackjack is quite controversial. Many say that it was invented by Romans, but several researchers agree that it was originally invented in France, around 1700. The cards were known as “Vingt-et-Un”, which translates to 21. The game gained immense popularity and made its way to America through French colonists in the 18th century. Though a handful of rules were quite different from what we see today, needless to say, Americans accepted the game with open arms.

So what exactly is Blackjack? We all know it’s a card game but, what else is there? Well, we’ve got the answers for you. Blackjack is a game that not only renders players thrill but also enables them to strategize. Players who can count and play mathematically can win a fortune with the help of this unlikely game.

The game of Blackjack can consist of single or multiple players. The game also consists of a dealer and every single player on the table plays against the dealer. The game is played with the decks of 52 cards and each player receives 2 cards. That’s right, just 2. These could face up or down. In the case of the cards that the dealer gets, one faces up and the other faces down. The face cards hold the value of 10, Aces can have a value of 1 or 11, and the value of a hand is the sum of the card’s value.

Now that we have the basic idea of the game, let’s understand why it’s a must-have for any online casino.

Blackjack is immensely popular. But what makes it popular among gamblers of all ages? There are several factors that contribute to the popularity of this game. Some of these factors are:

• Easy to Play

  Blackjack is not rocket science. It is easy to understand and easy to play. Players with varying skill levels can get started quickly at this game.

• Low House Edge

  Know your cards? Know how to create effective strategies? Well then, you can win big cash prizes! If the player knows how to play Blackjack, the game offers a low house edge, which increases the chances of winning.

• Three To One Payout

  When the player gets a Blackjack, he wins. Simple. But even if he doesn’t, he still gets multiple shots to win the game. Another reason for gamblers to love Blackjack even more.

• Skills & Strategies

  Blackjack enables players to use their skills and deploy their strategies. The winning doesn’t depend on luck but on the skills of the player.

  Blackjack enables players to use their skills and deploy their strategies. The winning doesn’t depend on luck but on the skills of the player.

  Blackjack is loved around the world. The game is immensely popular in countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, South Africa, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, and many more countries.

  In addition to this, gamblers love playing Blackjack online. Why? So many reasons!

• Several Variations Online

  The best thing about playing the game of Blackjack online is that one can find several variations. These include from Classic Blackjack to Spanish 21, from Progressive Blackjack to Super Fun 21, there are several variations available online.

• Live Dealer Games

  Players can now play with live dealers who make the game even more engaging. Players play against real dealers that take the fun factor up a notch.

• Bonuses and Promotions

  Another reason to love online casinos. Online casinos and dedicated Blackjack platforms provide their customers several rewards and bonuses which enable them to get started quickly.

• Comfort

  Gamblers don’t have to travel thousands of miles to enjoy a game of Blackjack. Now they can use various devices to log into online Blackjack game apps and play the game of Blackjack from the comfort of their home.

  Now that we know what Blackjack is, why it’s popular and why it is a must-have for online casinos, let’s dive straight into the blackjack glossary of terms.

• Ace:
  The value of the Ace card is both, 1 or 11.
• Action:
  The sum of money that has been wagered is known as action.
• Advantage:
  The advantage is calculated as the percentage of the bet, it’s also known as the edge one side consists over the other side. In most cases, the casino gets the advantage but the card counting can provide the advantage to the player.
• Advantage Player:
  The player who makes use of tactics and strategy to gain an advantage mathematically over the casino.
• Back Counting: A common Blackjack terminology, also referred to as wonging. It’s when cards are counted from behind the table to dodge negative counts.
• Back Off: Another common Blackjack term. When casinos back off and don’t want the player to play anymore. It’s usually conveyed in a diplomatic manner such as “your game is too strong for us”.
• Balanced Count: When the sum of positive cards comes equal to the negative cards, then it’s called a balanced count.
• Bankroll: The sum of money that’s available to the player for betting is called bankroll.
• Barney Chip: A popular blackjack slang that refers to a $500 chip.
• Big Player: One of the most used Blackjack phrases. The member who belongs to the card-counting team and places big wagers whenever the count becomes favorable.
• Black Book: The online database that consists of the names of all the banned players.
• Black Chip: A common term from the blackjack vocabulary. The $100 chip is referred to as a Black chip.
• Blackjack: When a two-card consists of a 10 value card and an Ace, it’s known as Blackjack.
• Brown: A popular term from blackjack slang. A $5000 chip is known as a Brown. It’s also known as a chocolate chip.
• Burn Card: The very first card picked from a freshly shuffled deck of cards is known as a burn card.
• Bust: One of the most common Blackjack terms. When the dealer’s or player’s hand exceeds the total value of 21, it’s known as a bust. The card because of which the sum goes over 21 is known as a bust card.
• Camouflage: When a player tries to hide their strategies by using certain behavior disguises, it’s known as camouflage.
• Card Counting: Card counting is one of the common blackjack phrases. It is a strategy where players track already played high as well as low cards.
• Chip Down: When the player decides to decrease the wager as compared to the last hand.
• Chip up: When the player decides to increase the wager as compared to the last hand.
• Cut Card: A cut card is a plastic card that cuts the card deck at the end of shuffling.
• D9: D9 cannot double soft hands but only can double 9,10, and 11.
• DA2: DA2 can double any of the two cards.
• DAS: DAS stands for a double after the split which benefits the player.
• Deck Penetration: The percentage of cards that have been played out of the card deck before they’ve been reshuffled.
• Deviations: Another widely used term from the Blackjack vocabulary. As the name suggests, when a player deviates from basic strategy depending on the count, it’s called deviation.
• Double: When the player decides to increase the bet to double the original value, it’s known as double.
• Early Surrender: A popular term from the glossary of Blackjack terms. When a player surrenders right after receiving the cards and before the dealer checks his own cards, it’s called early surrender.
• Even Money: A gambling proposition that consists of even odds which means, the player may win or lose the same sum of money, then it’s known as even money.
• First Base: Widely used Blackjack terminology in the casinos. The seat that’s available on the far left of the dealer is called first base. When the player is able to spot the hole card from this seat, then it’s called first basing.
• Flat Bet: When the player bets the same sum of money on each sequential bet, then it’s called the flat bet.
• Green Chip: Another common term from the Blackjack glossary. A $25 chip is also known as a green chip.
• Half-shoe: Widely used Blackjack lingo. When the dealer is instructed by the casino to wreck the player’s edge by cutting the shoe in half, it’s known as half shoe.
• Hard Hand: When a hand consists of an Ace card with value 1 or does not consist of any Ace card.
• Hard Total: When the total of cards is counted with the Ace of value 1.
• Hit: One of the most commonly used Blackjack phrases. When a player decides for the dealer to deal a different card into his Blackjack hand, that’s called a hit.
• Hit 17: It’s a rule in Blackjack that when the dealer has a soft 17, he is required to take the hit.
• Hole Card: Another common term from the Blackjack vocabulary. The face-down card belonging to the dealer is known as a hole card.
• Hole Carding: When the player is able to see the dealer’s hole card and create an effective strategy around it.
• Insurance: The insurance bet is a side bet that’s provided to the dealer. It’s treated as an independent bet apart from the main wager.
• Late Surrender: Late surrender allows the player to surrender only if the dealer does not hold the natural.
• Monkey: One of the most common terms from the Blackjack glossary. A card with an overall value of 10.
• Natural: When the player gets an Ace and another card of value 10 when the cards are dealt, it’s known as a natural 21 or simply, Blackjack.
• NDAS: NDAS stands for no doubles after the split.
• NRSA: NRSA stands for no resplit aces.
• Paint: A part of common Blackjack lingo. A picture card is known as paint.
• Perfect Play: When the player plays his card as per Blackjack strategy.
• Pink Chip: Widely used Blackjack slang. A $2.5 chip is also known as a Pink chip.
• Preferential Shuffle: One of the most common words associated with blackjack used in land-based casinos. When the casino tries to wreck a player’s edge by shuffling the card deck as per their wishes.
• Ploppy: One of the widely used Blackjack terms that’s used to describe a poor Blackjack player.
• Red Chip:A $5 chip is also known as a red chip.
• ROR: ROR stands for risk of ruining where the player can lose his complete bankroll.
• Round: The round gets initiated when the player makes the bets. The cards aren’t dealt yet. Once the player is done, the cards are dealt and the round comes to a conclusion when the players bets are paid out.
• RSA: RSA stands for resplit aces.
• Running Count: The complete value, negative or positive of the count at the given time.
• Shoe: Another most common Blackjack term. The dealer’s shoe is used in casinos to hold several decks of cards.
• Shoe Game: Shoe game refers to the game of Blackjack that’s dealt directly from the shoe.
• Shuffling Tracking: Another effective strategy where the player organizes the card deck for the next shoe. The high cards are kept in the front and big bets are placed from the very start.
• Soft Hand: The hand containing an Ace card that can double up as 11 or 1.
• Soft Total: Soft total refers to the total of a number of cards containing an Ace, whose value is 11. The total cannot exceed 21.
• Split: If the player gets the cards of equal value, he becomes eligible for the split.
• Stand: Stand is the playing decision that restricts the dealer from dealing more cards into the Blackjack hands of the player.
• Stand 17: Another rule in Blackjack that states, if the dealer is sitting on Soft 17, he is required to stand.
• Stand-Off: When the player’s hand value is equal to the dealer’s hand value, it’s known as a stand-off.
• Surrender: Surrender, as the name suggests, enables the player to give up half of the whole bet.
• True Count: The count per available deck is known as the true count.
• Two Rounds: When the dealer is told to shuffle the cards after two rounds to wreck the player’s edge.
• Yellow Chip:A $1000 chip is also known as a yellow chip or a pumpkin chip or an orange chip.

Sources

https://crescent.edu/post/the-history-of-blackjack#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20Blackjack%20is,were%20popular%20at%20that%20time.
https://bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/blackjack/
https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2020/02/10/63776/what-is-blackjack-and-why-people-like-it-and-play-it/