Blackjack glossary

21+3

A side bet on whether your two cards and the dealer's face-up card form a 3-card poker-style combination (three of the same suit, three in numerical order, or three of the same value). Big payouts when you win, but a high house edge over time.

3:2 Payout

The standard blackjack payout. A natural pays 1.5 times your bet. The fair-table standard.

See also: Payout calculator

6:5 Payout

A worse blackjack payout. A natural pays 1.2 times your bet instead of 1.5. Common on low-limit tables.

See also: Payout calculator

Ace

The most versatile card in blackjack. Worth either 1 or 11, whichever helps your hand more on that turn.

Bankroll

The money you set aside for blackjack. Once it's gone, you stop playing, no exceptions.

Basic Strategy

The best move (hit, stand, double, split, surrender) for every hand against every dealer card, based on math. Played correctly, it drops the house edge (what the casino keeps over time) to about 0.5% on a fair table.

See also: Basic strategy guide

Burn Card

The card the dealer removes from play after the shuffle. You never see what it was, you just know it's out.

Bust

When your hand total goes over 21. You lose, no matter what the dealer does next.

Bust Card

The dealer's face-up card most likely to make them go over 21. The 5 and 6 are the classic bust cards because the dealer is forced to keep taking cards until they reach 17, and they often go over.

Card Counting

Tracking which cards have already been played to know when the cards left in the shoe favor the player (more high cards means more blackjacks). Legal, but casinos can ask you to stop playing or leave if they catch you.

Comp

Free stuff the casino gives players to keep them at the table. Drinks, food, rooms, sometimes flights. Based on your average bet and time played.

CSM (Continuous Shuffling Machine)

A machine that shuffles cards back into the deck after every hand. Card counting is useless against a CSM because the mix of cards left never changes from one hand to the next.

Cut Card

The colored card the dealer places near the bottom of the shoe. When it appears, the shoe gets reshuffled.

DAS (Double After Split)

A rule that lets you double down after splitting a pair. Better for the player. Drops the house edge by about 0.14%.

Dealer

The casino employee running the table. Deals the cards, settles bets, and follows fixed rules on every hand.

Deviations

Moves that go against basic strategy because the card count tells you the cards left in the shoe have shifted. Only useful if you are already card counting.

Double Down

Doubling your original bet in exchange for exactly one extra card. Great when you have an 11 and the dealer shows a weak card like a 5 or a 6.

Early Surrender

Surrendering before the dealer checks for blackjack. Rare. Almost always good for the player when it's offered.

Even Money

The dealer's offer to pay you 1 to 1 on your blackjack when their up card is an Ace. Usually a bad bet because the long-term math favors letting the hand play out.

Expected Value (EV)

What you win or lose on average over time on a given play. Basic strategy maximizes EV across every hand.

Eye in the Sky

The casino's surveillance system. Cameras everywhere, watching everyone, always. Used to catch card counters and cheaters.

First Base

The seat to the dealer's left. The first player to make a move on every hand. You see the fewest other cards before deciding what to play.

Five Card Charlie

A rule where a 5-card hand of 21 or less is an automatic win. Rare in modern casinos. When it exists, it drops the house edge by about 0.16%.

H17

A rule where the dealer must hit on soft 17 (Ace + 6). Worse for the player than S17 by about 0.2%.

Hand Signal

The physical gesture you use to tell the dealer what you want to do (hit, stand, double, or split). Required in real-world casinos so the cameras above the table can record your decision.

Hard Hand

Any hand without an Ace, or with an Ace forced to count as 1. The total is fixed, no flexibility.

Heads Up

Playing one-on-one against the dealer with no other players at the table. Faster pace and more hands per hour, but more variance.

Heat

When the casino notices a suspected card counter. Pit bosses start watching, dealers shuffle more often, and surveillance cameras zoom in. If you get enough heat, the casino may ask you to stop playing or leave.

Hi-Lo System

The most common card counting system. Low cards (2-6) count +1, neutral cards (7-9) count 0, high cards (10-A) count -1.

Hit

Taking another card on your hand. You can hit as many times as you want until you stand or bust.

Hole Card

The dealer's face-down card. You don't see it until the dealer reveals it after every player has acted.

House Edge

The percentage of every dollar you bet that the casino expects to keep over time. Blackjack played with basic strategy is about 0.5% on a fair table, the lowest house edge of any casino game.

Insurance

A side bet offered when the dealer's face-up card is an Ace. You bet that the dealer's hidden card is worth 10 (a 10, Jack, Queen, or King), which would give them blackjack. Pays 2 to 1 if you win, but the math says skip it.

Late Surrender

Surrendering after the dealer checks for blackjack. The standard surrender rule when it's offered.

Natural Blackjack

An Ace plus a 10, Jack, Queen, or King on your first two cards. The best hand you can be dealt. Pays 3 to 2 at a fair table, 6 to 5 at a worse one.

See also: Payout calculator

Pat Hand

A hand of 17 or higher that doesn't need any more cards. You stand and wait for the dealer to play their hand.

Penetration

The percentage of the shoe dealt before the shuffle. Deeper penetration is better for card counters.

Perfect Pairs

A side bet that pays when your first two cards are a pair. Higher payout for colored or perfect (same suit) pairs.

Pit Boss

The supervisor in charge of a section of tables. They handle disputes, comp decisions, and watching for trouble.

Pitch Game

A blackjack game dealt from the dealer's hand, usually with 1 or 2 decks. Opposite of a shoe game. Cards are dealt face down to players.

Push

A tie between you and the dealer. You keep your bet, no money changes hands.

Risk of Ruin (RoR)

The probability you lose your entire bankroll over a session or trip. Low bets and conservative play keep RoR low.

RSA (Resplit Aces)

A rule that lets you split aces multiple times if you draw more aces. Rare. Good for the player when allowed.

Running Count

The running tally you keep while card counting. Add or subtract as cards come out using the Hi-Lo or a similar system.

S17 (Soft 17)

Soft 17 is any 17 that includes an Ace counted as 11 (most often Ace + 6). S17 is the table rule where the dealer must stand on soft 17. Better for the player than H17.

Shoe

The plastic device the dealer pulls cards from. Holds anywhere from 1 to 8 decks depending on the game.

Soft Hand

Any hand with an Ace counted as 11. Can't bust on a single hit because the Ace flips to 1 if the next card would put you over.

Split

Splitting a pair into two separate hands, each with its own bet. Always split aces and 8s.

Stand

Keeping your current hand and ending your turn. The dealer then plays their own hand.

Stiff Hand

A hand of 12 to 16. Bad enough that hitting risks busting, but standing usually loses too.

Surrender

Forfeiting half your bet to end the hand without playing it out. Available on certain bad starting hands.

Third Base

The seat to the dealer's right. The last player to act before the dealer. Card counters love it because they see the most cards before deciding.

Toke

A tip for the dealer. Cash or chips, either kept by the dealer or played as a side bet on their behalf.

True Count

The running count divided by the number of decks left in the shoe. Adjusts for shoe depth so your bet sizing is accurate.

Up Card

The dealer's face-up card. The one you base every basic strategy decision on.

Variance

The natural swing of wins and losses around your expected value. High variance means streaky sessions. Low variance means smoother.

Wonging (Back-counting)

Watching a table from the side without playing, then sitting down only when the card count shifts in the player's favor. Named after Stanford Wong, the author who popularized it.