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Blackjack Glossary
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A: An abbreviation for Ace. AC: An abbreviation for Atlantic City. Ace side count: This is a count of Aces only, which is kept separately and in addition to the main count of cards. Ace Neutral Count: No value is assigned to Aces in this card-counting system. Ace rich: When a deck of cards is rich in Aces (i.e., contains more Aces than would be expected according to random chance). Action: This can refer to either one bet, or to a lot of betting. Advantage: Most often presented as a percentage of total money put into action, this term refers to a player's likely rate of winnings or loss. Anchor: This refers to the last seat taken on the dealer’s right. Back Counting: This is when a person who’s not actually playing in the game -- only watching it -- counts cards. Balanced Count: This refers to a card-counting situation in which the sum of the card point values for a whole deck of cards is 0, a number arrived at when there’s a perfect balance between plus cards and minus cards. Banker: This is the person who books the action of the bettors at the table. It can be the dealer, but can also be a player. Bankroll: The amount of money the player has brought to gamble with. A "total bankroll" is the overall amount. A "session bankroll" is the amount a player intends to use in just one session. Bar: Prohibiting a player from playing in a casino. Basic Strategy: A system of play, based on the total of the player's hand and the dealer's up card, upon which the player can rely to maximize his winning potential. Beat the Dealer: Ed Thorp’s groundbreaking book on the subject of card counting. Bet Spread: The difference between the amount of a player’s minimum and maximum bets. For instance, a bet spread of 4 (or 1-4) would indicate that the player’s maximum bet is four times his minimum bet. Betting Efficiency: Is your betting strategy making the most of the card counting system you’re using? If so, you have a high betting efficiency. Big Player: A Big Player is someone who employs “counters” to sit at the table, keep track of the count, and covertly indicate when it is high enough for the BP to enter the game and start betting. BJ: An abbreviation for Blackjack. BJFB: An abbreviation for Bryce Carlson’s book Blackjack For Blood. Black Chip: A chip whose value is $100. Blackjack: When your initial two-card hand equals exactly 21 points. BP: An abbreviation for Big Player (see above). BR: An abbreviation for Bankroll. Break: (or bust) Going over the hand limit of 21 points and losing. BS: An abbreviation for Basic Strategy. Burn card: A card removed from the top of the deck and put into the discard pile after the shuffle and cut. Bust: (or break) Going over the hand limit of 21 points and losing. Cage: The cashier’s “office,” at a casino. Camouflage: Any number of tricks or disguises meant to hide from the casino the fact that the player is counting cards. Card Counter: Someone who memorizes which cards have been played so as to know which cards remain to be played, and to make potentially lucrative bets based on this information. Card Sharp: An expert card player. Checks: Another word for chips. Cold: A word used to describe a bad run of cards. Color Up: Trading in many small chips in return for a few large ones. Something players do when they are getting ready to leave the game and don’t want to be bogged down with a lot of chips. Comp: Any goods or services the casino offers as “complimentary” gifts -- incentives to keep those players playing. Counter: A shorter way of saying Card Counter. Counting System: A system designed to calculate the odds of winning on the basis of number values given to the cards. Cut: Splitting the deck before it’s dealt. Cut Card: A plain plastic card without design or color used after the shuffle to cut the deck. The dealer then puts it near the end of the deck in the shoe so as to indicate the last hand to be dealt from that deck. D'alembert: A betting progression. The bettor raises the bet one unit after each loss and lowers the bet one unit after each win. A series of equidistant numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 4 is established. The player bets 1 unit. If he wins, he continues to bet one unit. If he loses, he cancels out the 1 and moves to the 2. Now the series of numbers is 2, 3, 4, 5. When the player wins his bet, he reduces it by one unit. If he wins enough bets, he can return to a one-unit bet and start over. When he loses, he cancels out the last number he played and tacks on another number to the series. There are many variations to this system, though none have been proven to win and in fact cannot win in any game with a negative expectation. DA/DA2: An abbreviation for doubling down on any first two cards. DAS: An abbreviation for a rule allowing players to Double After a Split. DD: An abbreviation for doubling down. Deal: When the dealer gives out the cards. Dealing Seconds: When the dealer sees that the top card is good for the player so he deals him the second from the top. Basically, a form of cheating! Deck Penetration: This is a term meant to express just how deeply the dealer penetrates the deck or shoe when he’s dealing. For instance, how many decks out of the total number of decks is he dealing out (if there are 5 decks, and 4 are dealt, that would be referred to as 4/5 penetration). Percentages are also used to refer to deck penetration (i.e., what percentage of all available cards are being dealt out – 50%? 60%?). Device: This refers to those “machines” – computers, calculators – that players can use to help them win. Discards: Cards which have been played since the last shuffle and placed by the dealer in a discard tray. Discard Tray: The tray that holds all the cards that have been played/discarded. It is on the dealer’s right side, which means that from the player’s perspective it is on the left. Double Only Any Two Cards: When doubling on any two playing cards is permitted by the casino. DOA: An abbreviation for Double Only Any Two Cards – the casino rule allowing doubling on any two playing cards. Double after Split: (or DAS) When doubling down is permitted after the player has split any pair. Double Deck: This is when two decks of cards are used (shuffled together and dealt) for 21. Other deck options for 21 are: single deck and four, six, or eight deck shoe. Double Down: This is when a player doubles his initial bet before taking another card. Once he does this he can only get one more card. The way he doubles down is by putting an amount either less than or equal to his original bet behind the original bet. Different casinos have different rules about when the doubling down can occur. Most often he can only do it after he gets the first two cards. Some casinos allow doubling down after splitting. Some allow doubling only on 10 or 11. Double Exposure: When the player is allowed to see both dealer cards before he plays his hand. When this happens, other house rules are usually suspended to compensate. For instance, the player loses ties, or blackjacks are paid even money. This is by way of restoring the advantage the house loses by revealing both dealer cards. Downtown: Downtown Las Vegas (meaning, not the Strip). Draw: (or Hit). When you add cards to your original two-card hand. Drop: This term refers to the total amount of money that’s been wagered in a casino. DS: Another abbreviation (like DAS) for Double after Split. Early Surrender: This is when the casino allows the player to surrender after he’s received his first two cards but before the dealer has checked for blackjack. In this way, the player only loses 50% of his bet instead of the whole thing. Because Early Surrender is obviously to the player’s advantage, it is not allowed in most casinos. Edge: This refers to the advantage that either the player or the casino enjoys in a certain game, often expressed in a percentage. End Play: This is when a Blackjack player uses his knowledge of the last un-played cards at the end of the deck to win. Basically he manages to force the dealer to run out of cards and deal out the rest of the round from cards (reshuffled discards) whose composition is good for the player. ES: An abbreviation for Early Surrender. EV: An abbreviation for Expected Value. Even Money: 1) A bet that pays off exactly the amount which was wagered in the first place. 2) The result of your being dealt a natural blackjack and the dealer showing an Ace, in which case you immediately cash in the bet on a 1:1 payout basis. Expectation: How much the player or casino can expect to win or lose on any given bet or game – a figure based on statistical analysis and expressed in percent. Expected Value: Another way of saying Expectation (see above). Eye in the Sky: A video camera – most often affixed to the ceiling – used in casinos to insure that dealers and players are not stealing or cheating. Face Card: Jacks, Queens, and Kings, all of which have a 10-point value. Face Down Game: This refers to a game in which your first card is placed face up and the second face down. Face Up Game: In this game, both cards are placed face up. False Shuffle: When the dealer shuffles in such a way as to ensure that the cards don’t actually get mixed. Basically, cheating! First Base: This refers to both 1) the first player to be dealt cards at the table, and 2) the first seat taken to the dealer’s left. (From the player's viewpoint, of course, this seat is the farthest to the right). Flat Betting: Wagering the same amount of money on each bet during a particular playing session. Fluctuations: (or “flucs”). The ups and downs of your bankroll. Griffin: Blackjack author Peter Griffin, who wrote Theory of Blackjack. Griffin Book: A series of books, often including profiles and photos, which Griffin keeps in order to identify card counters and other unwanted players. Griffin Investigations: An investigative firm often used by casinos for the purpose of identifying and tracking cheats and card counters. H17: An abbreviation for the rule in Blackjack which requires the dealer to hit a soft seventeen. Hard Hand: A hand that either contains no ace, or one ace valued at 1. (A “soft” hand contains an Ace whose value can be changed). Hard Total: The total of a hard hand (i.e., one that contains no ace or an ace whose value is 1). So a 10 and a 7 is a Hard Total of 17, or a Hard 17. An Ace and an 8 would be a Hard Total of 9. Heads Up: (or Heads On) When one player goes head-to-head (or one-on-one) with the dealer, and no other players are participating. Heat: This refers to the pressure put on a winning player by the casino, especially when this winning player is thought to be a card counter. Hi-Lo Count: A counting system which assigns a value of +1 to cards 2-6 and -1 to 10’s, face cards and aces. Counting systems such as these are often referred to as “Balanced Level One Counting Systems.” Hi-Opt I: A counting system (also “Balanced Level One”) found in The World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble and Cooper. A value of plus one goes to 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's and minus one to cards valued at 10 points. High Roller: One who makes big wagers. Hit: (or Draw) When you take another card. The card itself is also referred to as a Hit. Hole Card: (or Pocket Card) The private facedown card dealt to the dealer in Blackjack. In other games, such as stud and hold’em, the players also get hole cards. Hot Deck: Good (“hot”) hands are being dealt from this deck! House Edge: The advantage that the casino has over the player, measured in percentages. Index Number: A term used by card-counters to identify the count. For instance, going by the Hi-Lo count, the index number for standing on a hard 16 when the dealer has a 10 would be 0. Insurance: This is a side bet in which the player is betting that the dealer has a natural 21 (or Blackjack). This is only an option when the dealer's up card is an ace, at which point the dealer will offer insurance. To make an insurance wager, you are allowed to place an amount up to one half your original bet on the insurance line. If the dealer has Blackjack you win. The insurance bet is favorable to the house. Junket: A trip, most often subsidized by the casino, that brings organized groups of gamblers to play in the casino together. Kelly Betting: A style of betting meant to minimize the bettors’ risks. It involves computing how much of your bankroll to bet in each specific situation once you’ve figured out the various potential outcomes. Most blackjack experts recommend using some form of this system to help minimize risks. Ken Uston: He wrote The Big Player. Knock-Out Count: Another counting system (“Unbalanced Level One”), which gives a plus one to cards 2-7, and a minus one to tens, face cards and aces. It is a system which is featured in the book Knock-Out Blackjack, by Olaf Vancurra (who developed it) and Ken Fuchs. Labouchere: (or, The Cancellation System) In this betting progression, the bettor chooses a series of two or more numbers which add up to the profit he plans on making, then bets the total of the two outside numbers in the series and, if he wins, cancels those numbers. He continues betting the two outside numbers (the uncancelled ones) until he is done with the series. If he loses a bet, he adds the number amount of his loss to the series. In effect, he will be canceling out two numbers for every one that he adds. Las Vegas Strip Rules: These rules apply to Blackjack with a single deck: 1) Dealer stands on all 17's. 2) Double is allowed on the two first cards dealt. 3) No doubling after splitting. Late Surrender: Under this blackjack rule, the player can forfeit half of his bet after seeing the dealer's up card. However, if it turns out the dealer has a blackjack, then the player loses his whole bet. Level: In the context of card-counting systems, the term “level” refers to the number of values given to the cards. For instance, a level one system assigns only one value: plus or minus one. A level two system assigns two: plus and minus one and two. LV: Abbreviation for Las Vegas. Martingale: This betting progression (one of the oldest around) requires a player to double his bet after a loss and to continue doubling his bets until he wins. Ostensibly this results in a profit that equals the original bet. However, if the goal is to win over the long run, this system is a loser! Mechanic: Shorthand for a cheating dealer! Money Management: What tactics a player uses to help him manage his bankroll most effectively (i.e., stop-loss, risk of ruin, standard deviation). Money Plays: Under this rule, a player can use dollar bills for betting, instead of chips. Multiple Deck: A multiple-deck game uses more than one deck of cards. (Most frequently applied to the game of Blackjack). Natural: When the first two cards dealt in the game of Blackjack total 21. A Natural can also be referred to as a Blackjack. It usually pays 3:2 odds. (In the game of Baccarat, a Natural is a two-card total of eight or nine). Nickel: A chip whose value is $5. No Double after Split: A casino rule which prohibits doubling after the player has split two cards. Paint: Another word for face cards (i.e., Jack, Queen and King). Past Post: Placing or adding to a wager after the time that no new bets or bet changes are allowed. This is considered cheating since new information as to the possible outcome of the game has become available (e.g. through the player having received his first Blackjack card). Pat Hand: (or Pat) A Blackjack hand equal to hard 17 or greater (but not busted) that doesn’t require a hit. (In draw poker, a Pat Hand is one which does not need more cards). Penetration: A measure (usually in percentages) of how deeply the dealer goes into the deck or shoe before he shuffles the cards. Pit: An area of the casino surrounded by table games, where one can usually find casino employees and the Pit Boss. Pit Boss: The job of the Pit Boss (a casino staff member) is to monitor all casino play in his pit area. Playing Conditions: These are the rules/options one must abide by when playing Blackjack (or other games) at a particular table or casino. A few examples would be: no double after split or double down on only 10, 11. These rules/options also include minimum and maximum table limits for betting. Plug: This is a shuffling technique used most often in card games (such as Blackjack) dealt from multi-deck shoes. Newly shuffled cards are brought back into play, but a significant number of them are kept out of play by virtue of a cut-card being inserted into the back of the deck (or shoe). Play will be stopped when the cut-card is reached, at which point the game stops and the cards shuffled again. The remaining undealt cards are stuck into the middle of the pile of cards that have already been discarded into the discard tray. These cards are known as the “plug,” and the whole process is known as “plugging the deck.” Plus / Minus: Another way of referring to the Hi-Lo counting system. Point Count: This comes at the end of a hand, and refers to the net value of the card count. Preferential Shuffling: Shuffling when it is clear that the remaining cards favor the players. Push: This is when the player and dealer have the same total in their hand, and the player keeps the bet. A Push can also be referred to as a Tie or a Stand-off. Rat Holing: When the player hides a portion of his chips away from public view in order to keep the pit crew from seeing how much he's winning. Rated: When a player’s skill level is determined by the casino to be on a professional level. This information – the player’s “rating” – may be in the casino’s computer and conveyed to the pit crew. RC: An abbreviation for Running Count. Red Chip: A chip whose value is $5. Resplit: This is when a player splits pairs – if another like card is dealt – after already having split a pair. Resplit Aces: While some casinos limit the number of times that aces can be split, the term Resplit Aces refers to an unlimited ability to split them. RFG: An abbreviation for Room, Food, and Beverage (understood to be complimentary). RGB: An abbreviation and acronym for an internet newsgroup called Rec.Gambling.Blackjack. Rider Bet: A bet made by the "Rider" (or player) behind another player's bet. Risk of Ruin: A term used to describe the odds of losing one's entire bankroll. RNG: An abbreviation/acronym for Random-Number Generator. ROR: These initials are used to stand for both 1) Risk Of Ruin, and 2) Rate Of Return. RSA: Shorthand for “Resplit Aces.” Running Count: This term pertains to card counting systems. It is the total number of points of the cards from the beginning of the deck or shoe, updated after each hand according to the value of the point count. S17: An abbreviation for the rule in Blackjack which requires the dealer to stand on soft 17s. SD: This is an abbreviation/acronym for both 1) Single Deck and 2) Standard Deviation. Session: This refers to the time you spend at a particular casino table. Shill: A casino employee whose job it is to act as a "starter" in various casino games. His mission is to attract players, and he can often be found playing at tables with no other players. Shiner: This refers to a reflecting device that is used in an attempt to see the dealer’s hole card. Shoe: The container which holds the cards, and from which the cards are dealt. It is typically a wooden box. Shoe Game: This would be a game involving multiple decks of cards, which are placed and kept in a “shoe” (see above). Shuffle: When the dealer mixes up the cards at the beginning of the game. Shuffle Master: Using a shoe to hold the cards in Blackjack. Shuffle Tracking: A technique in which players count the cards, observe where they’re placed in the discard tray, follow their path as they’re shuffled, and then cut the cards in a manner that will bring clumps of high cards into play. Shuffle Up: When the dealer shuffles ahead of time in order to prevent players from engaging in card counting. Side Count: A count of specific cards that’s done in addition to the main count of cards. An ace side count is one of the most frequent side counts. Soft Hand: A hand containing an Ace valued as 11. For example, a hand containing an Ace and an 8 would be called a soft 19. That ace could later be valued as 1, in which case the hand would become a "hard" hand. Split Hand: This is an option to split one’s first two cards – when they are of equal value – and play them as two separate hands. Splitting Pairs: Another way of saying Split Hand. Again, the option to split one’s first two cards (when they are of the same value) into two hands and play them separately. Soft Double: This is when a player who’s got an ace in his original hand doubles down. Splitting Aces: If the first two cards you get are Aces, you have the option to split them, creating two hands to be played separately. The “catch” is that you’ll then only be entitled to receive one card on each ace. But if you happen to get another ace as that second card, you can split the Aces a second time. Spooking: A form of cheating, involving peaking at the hole card over the dealer’s shoulder and covertly relaying that information to another player at the table. Stand: (or Stay) When you stick with the cards you have. When you don’t draw (or hit) any more cards. Standard Deviation: This is a number – a square root, actually – which reflects the variability of results in a game. It is a statistical measure. Standing Hand: A hand with a hard total of 17 or more. A player will usually “stand” with this hand, since drawing another card would very likely cause him to bust. Stand-off: This is when the player and the dealer are “tied” – have the same total in their hands – but the player keeps the bet. Another word for this is Push. Steaming: Basically the equivalent of “going on tilt” in poker, the word “steaming” refers to the emotional position a player gets into when he is extremely frustrated with how badly things are going for him during a particular Blackjack session. One can tell he is “steaming” when, in a usually vain effort to turn things around, he suddenly begins betting recklessly and making things even worse for himself. Stiff Hand: A hand that would most likely bust if one took another hit. Those hands that qualify as “stiff hands” are hard 12 through hard 16. Stop Loss: This is a limit set by the player before the session starts regarding the amount of money he is prepared to lose in that session. Strip Rules: Rules that were once the standard in Las Vegas Strip casinos. They included: Dealer standing on soft 17, Player doubling on anything, Player prohibited from doubling down after split, Pair splitting allowed up to 4 hands, and no re-splitting of aces. Surrender: This is the only option enabling the player not to play a hand after he’s already received his first two cards. When he exercises this option, the player loses half his bet. Team Play: This is when a number of players together use one bankroll. Either the players themselves and/or other investors provide this bankroll. Tell Play: This refers to a player’s carefully observing a dealer’s facial expressions and general manner in order to determine what he’s got in his hand. Third Baseman: (also known as Third Base, or Anchor, or Anchorman) At the Blackjack table, the seat farthest to the left (i.e., to the dealer’s right). Also refers to the last person to receive cards. Thorp: Thorp wrote the first book on card-counting, entitled Beat The Dealer. Tie: (also known as Push or Stand-Off). When player and dealer have the same total, and player keeps the bet. Toke: This is another word for a tip given either to the dealer or other casino staff by a player. True Count: True count equals running count divided by number of decks still remaining in the shoe. Up Card: Dealer's first card. It is placed in a face-up position for all the players to see prior to commencement of play. Unit: A card counter's minimum bet. For instance, a counter has a spread of $20 to $200. If he wins ten “units,” that means $200. Unbalanced Count: There is an unequal count of plus and minus cards. Var: Abbreviation for variance. Variance: The variability of returns on a game, measured statistically. Vig: An abbreviation for “vigorish,” which was once the term used for the interest which loan sharks charged. The term is now used to refer to the house advantage or fee. Wonging: This expression, which derives from the name Wong (the poker author), refers to a way of back-counting cards. The player only joins play when he sees that to do so – according to the count – will be to his advantage, and then leaves when he sees it swinging the other way. Win Rate: A figure that expresses the speed at which one is likely to win. This is either reflected in a percentage, or in dollars per hour/number of hands. Whale: A whale is a very high-roller. X: A card valued at 10. |
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