Blackjack Terms

A 

• Ace: A card valued at either 1 or 11, depending on which is more advantageous for the hand. 

• Ace Poor / Ace Rich: Describes the remaining composition of the deck. “Ace Rich” indicates more Aces are left, favoring the player; “Ace Poor” suggests fewer Aces remain. 

• Ace Sequencing: A method of predicting when an Ace will be dealt by tracking its position during shuffling. 

• Action: The total amount of money wagered during a session. 

• Advantage Play: Strategies used to gain a statistical edge over the casino, such as card counting or hole carding. 

• Anchor: The last seat to act before the dealer, located at the far right of the table from the dealer’s perspective. 

• Aces and Eights: A basic strategy rule advising players to always split a pair of Aces or Eights.  

• Automatic Shuffler: A machine that continuously shuffles cards to prevent card counting. 

B 

• Back Counting: Observing a game without playing to count cards and joining when the count is favorable. 

• Backoff: A casino’s request for a player to stop playing blackjack, often due to suspected advantage play like card counting. 

• Balanced Count: A card counting system where the sum of all card values is zero. 

• Bankroll: The total amount of money a player has set aside for gambling. 

• Blackjack (Natural): An initial two-card hand totaling 21, consisting of an Ace and a 10-value card. 

• Barred: Being prohibited from playing at a casino, typically for advantage play. 

• Burn Card: A card removed from the top of the deck after shuffling to prevent cheating.  

C 

• Camouflage: Techniques used by card counters to disguise their play and avoid detection. 

• Card Counting: A strategy of tracking high and low cards to adjust bets and playing decisions.  

• Chips: Casino tokens used to place bets. 

• Comp: Complimentary rewards (like meals or hotel stays) offered by casinos to players. 

• Composition-Dependent Strategy: A strategy that considers the specific cards in a hand, not just the total value. 

• Continuous Shuffling Machine (CSM): A device that shuffles cards continuously, making card counting ineffective. 

• Cut Card: A plastic card inserted into the deck to indicate when it should be reshuffled.  

D 

• DAS (Double After Split): A rule allowing players to double down after splitting a pair. 

• Dealer: The casino employee who deals the cards and manages the game. 

• Deck Penetration: The percentage of the deck dealt before reshuffling; deeper penetration favors card counters. 

• Double Down: Doubling the original bet in exchange for committing to stand after receiving exactly one more card. 

• Double Exposure: A blackjack variant where both dealer cards are dealt face up.  

E 

• Early Surrender: A rule allowing players to forfeit half their bet before the dealer checks for blackjack. 

• Edge Sorting: An advantage play technique where players identify subtle differences on card backs to predict high or low cards. 

• Even Money: A side bet offered when you have blackjack and the dealer shows an Ace, paying 1:1. 

• Expected Value (EV): The average amount a player can expect to win or lose per bet over time.  

F 

• Face Cards: Kings, Queens, and Jacks — each valued at 10. 

• First Base: The seat to the dealer’s immediate left, receiving cards first. 

• Flat Betting: Betting the same amount every hand, regardless of previous wins or losses. 

• Five-Card Charlie: A hand of five cards totaling 21 or less; in some games, this hand automatically wins.  

G 

• Griffin Book: A now-defunct database used by casinos to identify and track advantage players. 

• Grind: Playing small bets and slowly building profit over time.  

H 

• Hand: The cards held by the player or dealer. 

• Hard Hand: A hand without an Ace counted as 11. 

• Hit: Requesting another card from the dealer. 

• Hole Card: The dealer’s facedown card. 

• Hole Carding: Gaining knowledge of the dealer’s facedown card through observation, providing a significant advantage.  

I 

• Index Numbers: Specific count values at which a card counter alters their basic strategy decisions. 

• Insurance: A side bet offered when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, betting that the dealer has a blackjack.  

J 

• Jack: A face card worth 10 points. 

• Juice: Slang for the house edge or commission taken by the casino.  

K 

• Kelly Criterion: A betting system to maximize profit and minimize risk in advantage play. 

• Knock-Out (KO) Count: A simplified card counting system that doesn’t require true count conversion.  

L 

• Late Surrender: Forfeiting half your bet after the dealer checks for blackjack. 

• Laying Off: A dealer’s action of discarding cards after a hand is completed. 

• Loss Rebates: Promotions where a percentage of losses are refunded by the casino.  

M 

• Marker: A line of casino credit extended to players. 

• Martingale System: A betting strategy where the player doubles their bet after each loss, aiming to recover losses with a win. 

• Monkey: Slang for a face card (10-point card).  

N 

• Natural: Another term for a two-card 21 (Blackjack). 

• Negative Progression: A betting system that increases bets after a loss (like Martingale).  

• Next Card Play: An advantage play technique where the player knows the next card to be dealt, influencing their betting and playing decisions. 

• No Hole Card: In some European games, the dealer doesn’t take a hole card until players have completed their hands.   

O 

• Odds: The probability of a particular outcome. 

• Over/Under 13: A side bet predicting whether your first two cards total over or under 13.  

P 

• Paint: Slang for face cards. 

• Pair Splitting: Separating two cards of the same value into two separate hands, doubling your bet. 

• Paroli System: A positive progression betting system where the player doubles their bet after each win. 

• Penetration: The percentage of the deck dealt before reshuffling; deeper penetration favors card counters. 

• Ploppy: A derogatory term for an inexperienced or unskilled blackjack player. 

• Push: A tie between player and dealer; the player’s bet is returned.  

Q 

• Quarter: Casino slang for a $25 chip.  

R 

• Resplit: The option to split a newly formed pair after an initial split, creating additional hands. 

• Risk of Ruin: The probability of losing your entire bankroll. 

• Running Count: The current count total in card counting systems.  

S 

• Shoe: A device that holds multiple decks of cards to speed up dealing. 

• Soft Hand: A hand containing an Ace valued as 11. 

• Spanish 21: A blackjack variant played without 10s in the deck, offering additional player-friendly rules. 

• Split: Dividing a pair into two separate hands. 

• Spooking: An advantage play method where an accomplice observes the dealer’s hole card and signals the player. 

• Stand: Refusing more cards and ending your turn. 

• Stiff Hand: A hand totaling 12–16, which risks busting if hit. 

• Surrender: Giving up half your bet to quit the hand early.  

T 

• Third Base: The seat to the dealer’s immediate right, acting last before the dealer. 

• True Count: Running count divided by the number of remaining decks — used to make betting decisions in card counting. 

• Ten-Value Card: A 10, Jack, Queen, or King.  

U 

• Upcard: The dealer’s face-up card visible to players.  

V 

• Variance: The statistical measure of the spread of results; high variance means bigger swings.  

W 

• Wonging: A card counting tactic where players enter the game only when the count is favorable (named after Stanford Wong). 

• Whale: A high roller who bets massive amounts.  

X 

• X-Card: Informal term sometimes used to denote a 10-value card (10, Jack, Queen, King).  

• X-Ray Vision (Slang): Informal term for trying to predict hole cards based on physical tells (not actual cheating). 

Y 

• Yield: Return on investment, often used by professional players to evaluate performance. 

Z 

• Zero Deck Penetration: A situation where the deck is reshuffled so frequently that card counting becomes ineffective.