Blackjack glossary
The words you’ll hear at a blackjack table and in strategy guides, in plain English. Each entry has its own link, so you can share a single term.
B
- Back-counting
- Counting a table’s cards while standing behind it, and sitting down only when the count turns good. Also called Wonging, after the author Stanford Wong. Many casinos now forbid joining a shoe in the middle to stop it.
- Balanced count
- A counting system whose card values add up to 0 over a full deck, so the count ends at 0 at the end of the shoe. Hi-Lo is balanced.
- Bankroll
- The money you set aside for playing. Bet sizes should be small next to it, because even a winning player has long losing streaks.
- Basic strategy
- The best play for every hand against every dealer upcard, worked out by computer for a given set of rules. Following it cuts the house edge to about 0.4% in a typical six-deck game. See How to learn basic strategy.
- Bet ramp
- A card counter’s rule for how much to bet at each true count, in units. For example: 1 unit up to true +1, then 2, 4, 6 and 8 units at +2, +3, +4 and +5. See the ramp.
- Bet spread
- The ratio between a counter’s smallest and largest bet, such as 1 to 8. A bigger spread earns more but is easier for the casino to spot.
- Blackjack
- An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards: 21 in two cards. It usually pays 3 to 2 and beats any other 21. Also called a natural.
- Burn card
- The first card after a shuffle, which the dealer discards face down without showing it. It can’t be counted.
- Bust
- Going over 21. A player who busts loses right away, even if the dealer busts afterward. That is the house’s main advantage.
- Bust cards
- The dealer’s weak upcards, 2 through 6. With one of these showing, the dealer often has a stiff hand and has to draw to it.
C
- Continuous shuffling machine
- A machine that shuffles used cards back in after every round. The shoe never runs down, so card counting doesn’t work against it. Also called a CSM.
- Count plays
- Changes to basic strategy made when the true count passes a set number, such as standing on 16 against 10 at true 0 or higher. Also called index plays or deviations. See the Illustrious 18.
- Cover
- Anything a counter does to look like an ordinary player, such as raising bets after wins, chatting, or not changing the bet at the exact moment the count changes.
- Cut card
- A plastic card placed in the shoe by a player after the shuffle. When it comes out, the dealer finishes the round and reshuffles.
D
- DAS
- Double after split: the rule that lets you double down on a hand you made by splitting. It helps the player and makes splitting small pairs worth it more often.
- Dealer peek
- When the dealer shows an ace or a ten-value card, they check the hole card for blackjack before anyone plays. If they have it, the hand ends at once and you lose only your original bet.
- Decks left
- How much of the shoe is still to be dealt, estimated from the discard tray. Used to turn the running count into the true count.
- Discard tray
- The tray where played cards go. Counters glance at it to estimate how many decks have been played.
- Double down
- Doubling your bet in exchange for taking exactly one more card. Best when your total is strong (often 10 or 11) and the dealer’s card is weak. Usually allowed only on your first two cards.
E
- Even money
- Taking a 1-to-1 payout on your blackjack right away when the dealer shows an ace, instead of risking a push. It’s the same bet as insurance, and basic strategy declines it.
F
- First base
- The seat to the dealer’s left, which acts first.
- Flat betting
- Betting the same amount every hand. A counter flat-bets to cool off when the casino is watching.
H
- H17
- The rule that the dealer hits soft 17. It adds about 0.2% to the house edge compared with S17.
- Hard hand
- A hand with no ace, or with every ace counted as 1. Hard 16 is 10,6 or 9,7. A hard hand can bust if you take a card.
- Heat
- Attention from casino staff who suspect you of counting cards. Large jumps in your bet are the most common cause.
- Hi-Lo
- The most popular card counting system: 2 through 6 count +1, 7 through 9 count 0, and tens and aces count −1. See Card counting with Hi-Lo.
- Hit
- Taking another card.
- Hole card
- The dealer’s face-down card.
- House edge
- The casino’s average profit, as a percentage of the money bet over the long run. In blackjack it depends on the rules and on how well you play.
I
- Illustrious 18
- The eighteen count plays worth the most for Hi-Lo counters, listed by Don Schlesinger in Blackjack Attack. See the list.
- Insurance
- A side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace, up to half your bet, that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. Without counting it loses money in the long run. Counters take it at true +3 or higher.
P
- Penetration
- How far into the shoe the dealer goes before shuffling, set by where the cut card is placed. Deeper penetration makes counting more valuable.
- Push
- A tie with the dealer. You keep your bet.
R
- Resplit
- Splitting again when a split hand gets another card of the same rank. Many casinos allow up to four hands, but split aces usually get one card each and can’t be resplit.
- Running count
- The total of the count values of every card seen since the shuffle. See the running count.
S
- S17
- The rule that the dealer stands on soft 17. Better for the player than H17.
- Shoe
- The box that holds several shuffled decks for dealing, often six or eight.
- Six to five
- A table where blackjack pays 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2. It raises the house edge by about 1.4%, more than all other common rule changes combined. Avoid it.
- Soft hand
- A hand with an ace counted as 11, such as A,7 (soft 18). It can’t bust on one more card, because the ace can drop to 1.
- Split
- Turning a pair into two separate hands, each with its own bet equal to the original. Always split aces and 8s; never split 10s or 5s.
- Stand
- Keeping your total and taking no more cards.
- Stiff hand
- A hard 12 through 16: a hand that can bust with one more card but usually isn’t good enough to win by standing.
- Surrender
- Where offered, giving up half your bet to end the hand right away. Useful on your worst hands, such as hard 16 against a 10.
T
- Third base
- The seat to the dealer’s right, which acts last. A counter there sees the most cards before deciding.
- True count
- The running count divided by the decks left. It measures how rich the remaining cards are in tens and aces, and it sets a counter’s bet. See the true count.
U
- Unit
- A counter’s basic bet size, usually the table minimum. Bets on the ramp are counted in units.
- Upcard
- The dealer’s face-up card. Together with your hand, it decides every basic strategy play.