The comprehensive blackjack glossary with all important terms

Blackjack is a game that, due to its apparent simplicity, has many fans. Nevertheless, this casino version of 17 and 4 has developed its own vocabulary that is not always easy to understand for outsiders. This full blackjack glossary therefore explains all of the familiar terms. The aim is to create a deep understanding that even inexperienced users are able to understand the rules and the expressions and to fully participate in the actions at the table. The dictionary can of course be subject to constant changes, because even with blackjack in online casinos there are occasional adjustments, so that new terminologies become established. Of course, an attempt is made to take this fact into account in this listing and thus to provide the most complete possible list. In the end, all important terms should be explained to the player in an understandable manner.

Dictionary with explanation for all blackjack terms

As an important note about the directory, it should be said that English terms always refer to the German terminology insofar as they can be meaningfully translated into German.

Numbers and signs

21: The 21 is the second best result that can be achieved in a blackjack game. The sheet is made up of three cards, the value of which adds up to 21.

A:

Ace: see ace

Ace Adjustment: The way a player adjusts his bet based on the number of aces in the game.

Ace Five Count: This is a special card counting strategy that only looks at the aces and the five.

Ace Neutral Count: This is a type of card counting in which all aces are counted as zero or are completely ignored.

Ace Poor: A deck of cards that statistically contains fewer aces.

Ace Rich: A stack that contains statistically more aces.

Ace Side Count: A special type of card counting that only looks at the number of aces in a stack.

Action: The total of all amounts wagered during a round.

Anchorman / Anchor: The player who always sits to the right of the dealer, a place that is traditionally the last to be filled.

Ace: The highest or lowest card in blackjack. The ace can have a value of 1 or 11. A stack of 52 sheets contains 8 aces by default

Atlantic City Blackjack: This variant of blackjack occurs predominantly in North, Central and South America. The house edge is usually less with this variant than with other blackjack variants.

B:

Back Counting: A card counting that is not carried out by the players, but by the observers.

Balanced Count: A card counting method in which the value of all cards is zero because positive and negative numbers balance each other.

Banker: The banker collects the winnings and losses in a real blackjack game. He is responsible for all winnings and bets.

Bankroll: The bankroll represents the total amount of money that a player has available for a game.

Bankroll Management: An administrative strategy that tells the player how to handle his game balance.

Basic Strategy: The basic strategy used in blackjack if the player does not count cards.

Betting Limits: The betting limits are the limits set by the casino for bets, whereby there is always a minimum and a maximum. However, the maximum can be lifted when playing No Limit at the table.

Betting Ratio: The betting ratio is used by the casino to expose card counters that increase their bets when they have a good hand.

Big Player: A player who places very high bets if his card counting strategy allows.

Blackjack: The highest possible combination in a blackjack game. This consists of an ace and a 10, a king, a queen or a jack.

Blackjack Tournament: The name of a blackjack tournament in which several players take part, which takes place within a certain period of time.

Bonus Blackjack: Bonus Blackjack is a variant that has a bonus that increases the payout ratio compared to other variants.

Bottom Dealing: Bottom Dealing is a method of fraud that can be used by the dealer. Here he deals the cards from the bottom of the stack if the cards above would be a disadvantage for the casino.

Burn Cards: These are the cards that are not included in the game. This usually happens after splitting the stack.

Bust: Name for a hand in which the sum is greater than 21.

Buy: A term used in the Pontoon variant. Here the player can double his bet by means of buy.

C:

Camouflage: This is a strategy in which a player tries to confuse the casino and the other players, for example by playing a drunk one.

Card Counter: A player who counts the cards and thus knows which cards are still in the stack and which are not.

Card Counting: Card counting describes a strategy in which the player remembers the cards that have already been played and can therefore calculate the probabilities based on the ratio of high to low cards.

Card Sharp: A person who shows a lot of finesse when dealing with cards.

Chips: The play money that is used as a stake in exchange for real money in the game.

Cut: Taking off a stack after the dealer has just shuffled it.

Cut Card: A special plastic card that is used to lift the stack.

D:

D’Alemebert System: This is a professional betting strategy and is considered one of the safest systems to raise bets when losses are lost.

Deal: The deal of cards to the player by the dealer.

Dealer: The card-issuing employee in the casino. This is also responsible for shuffling the cards. He also has the game control and represents the opponent for all participants.

Deck: The normal 52-card deck.

Deck Penetration: The percentage of cards that have already been played from a stack and the number of decks used by a dealer before shuffling.

Discard Tray: Storage location for cards to the right dealer. Cards are placed here that are not used in the game.

Double Deck Blackjack: A variant that is played with two decks of cards.

Double Exposure Blackjack: A variant that is played with 8 decks of 52 cards each. The house advantage for this variant is twice as high as for other versions. Here both cards of the dealer are also played face up.

Double Down: A doubling of the stake, in which the player receives only one additional card.

Draw: Draw another card from the stack.

E:

Early Surrender: giving up the player before the dealer receives his card. As a result, the player gets half of the bet back.

Eight Deck Blackjack: A special variant that also uses eight decks of cards.

European Blackjack: A variant that is played with two stacks. The rules are very similar to normal blackjack, with an ace worth 1 or 11 and all face cards counting 10 points.

Even Money: The payment of the same amount that was made when the deposit was made.

Expectation: This is the statistical amount that the player can expect to win. This value is shown as a percentage.

Eye in the Sky: observation systems of real casinos to prevent card counting.

F:

Face Card: All cards that have a face, i.e. jack, queen or king.

Face Down Game: A variant in which the dealer’s first card is face down and the second card is turned face up.

Face Up Game: A game variant in which both cards are played face up.

Favorable Deck: A favorite deck of cards in which the cards that give the player an advantage are still in the stack.

First Baseman: The player to the left of the dealer.

Five Card Charlie: A hand with five cards in which the total value does not exceed 21 so that the player is not in the bust.

Flat Bet: betting the same amount every round.

Floorman: In reality, mostly an employee of the casino, who watches the dealer at work.

H:

Hand: The first cards players receive when playing.

Hard Hand: In a hard hand, the ace is always counted as 1. With a soft hand, on the other hand, the ace is rated as 11.

Head-to-head: A game directly against the dealer.

High Roller: A player who plays high stakes at the table.

Hi-Lo Count: With this card counting strategy, the numbers 2-6 are assigned the value +1, while aces, face cards and 10s are counted with a -1. A probability can be determined in this way.

Hit: Drawing another card.

Hole Card: The dealer’s card is face down on the table.

House: The casino where the game takes place. The same term is also used in online casinos.

House Edge: The house edge in percent that the casino has over the players.

House Rules: The rules of a blackjack game, each determined by the game provider.

I:

Insurance: The player is betting that the dealer has a natural blackjack in hand. If this assumption is correct, the value of the original bet doubles.

“This is basically a side bet to the actual game.”

K:

Kelly Betting System: Here the player bets a certain percentage of his money, which usually corresponds to the percentage of the chances of winning.

L:

Late Surrender: This term is rarely used and refers to a dealer who has no blackjack on two cards.

Las Vegas Strip Rules: These are the rules that are mainly used on the Las Vegas Strip for blackjack.

M:

Martingale Betting System: doubling the stake after a round in which it was lost.

Mechanic: This means a dealer whose fingers are very fast, using this ability to cheat.

Mucker: A player who brings cards into the game that are advantageous for him.

Multi-level count: A card system in which the values of the cards are higher than was normally intended.

Multiparameter system: A counting system that uses a combination of two different counting types.

Multiple-Deck: A blackjack that is played with multiple stacks. At least 2 stacks must be used for this designation.

N:

Natural: The first two cards immediately result in blackjack.

No double after split: This rule prohibits the use of a double down if a pair has been split beforehand.

P:

Paint: A jack, a queen or a king

Pat hand: The value of all cards in hand is a sum between 17 and 21.

Perfect Pairs: This is a side bet that aims to make the first two cards dealt by the dealer a pair.

Pit Boss: An employee of the casino who oversees all tables.

Plug: A second stack, on which all cards are placed that are ignored in the game.

Plus / Minus Count: See Hi-Lo card counting system

Point Count: The net value of card counting at the end of a hand.

Positive Count: A designation that there are many high cards in play.

Preferential shuffling: The frequent shuffling of stacks to prevent card counting.

Push: The hand of the player and the dealer have the same value. In this case, the stake is returned.

R:

Resplit: A new split that takes place if another pair occurs after the first pair.

Round: The completion of each round after all wins and losses have been evaluated.

Running Count: The start of card counting in every new round.

S:

Shiner: In the real casino, a device that can screen the dealer’s cards and thus spend their value.

Session: The length of time that a player has played continuously.

Shoe: A container in which up to eight stacks of cards can be accommodated.

Shuffle: The dealer’s shuffling of cards.

Shuffle tracking: observing in which area of the stack the highest cards are.

“This information can then be used to split the stack.”

Shuffle Up: Another term for shuffling cards frequently to avoid fraud.

Side Count: The observation of a certain card without neglecting the other cards.

Single Deck Blackjack: A blackjack game played with only one deck of cards.

Six Deck Blackjack: The most common type of blackjack that is played with six stacks.

Soft hand: A hand in which there is an ace, the ace being rated 11.

Soft Double: The double downing with a soft hand

Split: The splitting of cards if it is a pair.

Spooking: There is a person behind the dealer who can see his cards and pass the value on to the players.

Stand: The player does not draw another card from the stack.

Steaming: A player with high losses who now plays completely arbitrarily through emotional action.

Stiff Card: The value of the dealer’s face up card is 2 to 6.

Stiff Hand: The dealer’s total hand value is 12 to 26.

Surrender: A player’s job, with half of his stake refunded.

Spanish Blackjack: A variant that is played with a 48-card Spanish deck and is therefore very different from other versions.

T:

Tell Play: Watching the dealer’s movements to guess the card he has on hand.

Table Limits: The maximum and minimum bet at a table.

Ten-Poor Deck: Name for a game in which there are few cards with the value 10.

Ten-Rich Deck: Name for a game that contains a large number of cards with a value of 10.

Ten-Value Card: The name for a card with the value 10.

Third Baseman: Another name for the player to the right of the dealer.

Tie: An identical hand value for the player and the dealer

True Count: Here the number of points is divided by the number of games, which makes it possible to compile a ranking list, especially in tournaments.

Twenty-One: A more common term for blackjack in Europe.

U:

Unit: Denotes a unit of betting in blackjack.

Up Card: Denotes the first card face up by the dealer.

V:

Vigorish: The house edge of the casino

Vegas Downtown Blackjack: A variant in which a 10 does not lead to blackjack after a two aces are split.

Vegas Strip Blackjack: A variant with a very low house edge, so this is often played on the Vegas Strip.

W:

Whale: The player with the highest stakes.

Win Rate: A player’s winnings within an hour.