Blackjack Glossary - Selected Blackjack Terms
Blackjack Terms
Blackjack - Originally referred to a hand with a black-colored jack and the ace of spades. This type of hand received a special payout.
Bust - To make a hand that exceeds 21 in score, resulting in a loss regardless of what the dealer's hand is. The dealer can also bust.
Card Counting - This blackjack term refers to the method of tracking which cards have been played in order to have an estimate of what's left in the deck. Card counting is based in the premise that some cards are more favorable than others.
Deck Penetration - A measure of how much of a deck is played before it is shuffled again, given in percentage. For card counting purposes, you want the deck penetration to be high.
Double Down - A blackjack hand decision in which you multiply your bet by two and ask for one last card. You can do this only after receiving your first two cards.
Face Card - A blackjack term for any of the court cards, namely jack, king and queen.
Hard Hand - A blackjack hand without an ace, or a hand that has an ace counted as 1.
Hit - To ask for a new card to add to your hand.
First Base - The seat immediately left of the dealer, the first player to receive their cards.
Natural - Making the number 21 on your first two cards is termed being dealt a natural blackjack.
Pat Hand - A blackjack term for a hand of at least 17 total.
Preferential Shuffling - Instead of shuffling at fixed intervals, some dealers are instructed by the casinos to shuffle just when the card count favors the player.
Push - When the player ties with the dealer.
Shoe - A box where cards are stored, also refers to multiple decks.
Shuffle Tracking - Following clumps of cards through a shuffle to predict their location after the shuffle is complete. This technique derives from card counting.
Single Deck Game - A blackjack term for games in which only one deck of cards is used to draw cards from. Since the advent of card counting, most casinos now offer only multiple decks and almost no single decks.
Soft Hand - A blackjack hand with an ace in it, counted as an 11 and not a 1.
Split - If you are dealt cards of the same rank on your initial hand, you can split them and play them as separate hands.
Stand - To stay with your current blackjack hand and make no more hand decisions. Once the player stands, the dealer proceeds to resolve his or her hand.
Stiff Hand - Blackjack term for a hand from 12 to 16, which can be easily beaten and can hardly win.
Third Base - the seat to the dealer's immediate right, the player who gets their cards last.
Wonging - To count cards away from a blackjack table, waiting for the count to be favorable before joining in. This blackjack term is from the name of a blackjack player.