Modern blackjack arrived in the English-speaking world sometime in the 18th century and has since inspired a long list of terms and expressions. In general, words in the following glossary apply to every existing blackjack game – including Twenty-One, Pontoon, Spanish 21, 21st Century Blackjack (or “Vegas Style Blackjack”), Double Exposure Blackjack, Double Attack Blackjack, Chinese Blackjack and Blackjack Switch – as they are played today in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland and South Africa. Of course, blackjack terminology is by no means a formal branch of lexicography, and while we here at AceHoyle.com have tried to create the most complete online blackjack glossary we can, we naturally accept the fact that doing so is impossible. We consequently ask our readers to notify us of any missing terms using our Contact Us option.
21 – The total score of the best possible hand in most blackjack games; “21,” or “Twenty-One,” is also occasionally used in reference to the hand itself or as alternative name for “Blackjack;” generally, the spelled-out version refers to the game or its Spanish precursor, Veintiuna, and the numerical version refers to the hand. (See: Spanish Blackjack)
Action – In blackjack, the several options a player must choose between when playing a hand.
Bankroll – The amount of money an individual bettor has set aside to wager on a game; conceptually, it is similar to the financial term “liquid assets” inasmuch as it refers to the money readily available to a player at a given moment.
Basic Strategy – A specific method of playing blackjack that dictates which actions a player should take based on the cards that make up his hand; most explanations of “Basic Strategy” include a chart showing every possible blackjack hand and the ideal action for each, given each of the dealer’s potential up cards; though similar charts have existed for centuries, the modern Basic Strategy chart was the result of the Atomic Energy Commission Laboratory’s study of the game and first appeared in 1956.
Bet – (Also: “wager”) Verb: To risk something of monetary value on one of an event’s possible outcomes with the expectation of profiting if the selected outcome occurs and losing that which was risked if it does not. Noun: Money, chips or other currency substitute used in this way.
Blackjack – (Also: “Twenty-One”) 1.) (capitalized) The proper name of a popular casino card game 2.) (lowercase) A general term referring to any game with the same essential rules as Blackjack; modern Blackjack derives from an earlier Spanish game called “Veintiuna” in which players with a hand comprising the Ace of Spades and either black jack received an increased payout. (See: Spanish Blackjack)
Black Jack – (Not to be confused with the popular casino card game, “Blackjack,” or the general term referring to games like it, “blackjack”) A type of “natural” consisting of the Ace of Spades and either black jack, i.e. the Jack of Spades or the Jack of Clubs; in some blackjack games this hand pays more than other naturals because of its extreme rarity; (Note: If applicable in a given blackjack game, card counting has no effect on Black Jacks because player actions do not increase the likelihood of their occurrence).
Burn Card – The card dealers remove from the top of each new deck in some blackjack games.
Bust – Verb: To have a hand totaling more than 21 points in a game of blackjack; Noun: (rare) Any blackjack hand totaling more than 21 points.
Card Counting – The practice of keeping a tally of discarded cards’ values over the course of several games of blackjack in an effort to discern which cards remain in the deck; some players use this strategy to make more calculated hand decisions (and, thereby, improve their overall odds of winning); card counting will not, however, help players draw some hands including Black Jack.
Cut Card – A plastic, card-shaped object (usually white) that dealers use to divide decks between shuffles in some blackjack games.
Dealer – A casino employee who administers a game, collects bets and pays out winnings.
Double Down – To double the initial bet on a blackjack hand and agree to receive only one additional card; (Note: You should only choose this action if your hand totals 10 or 11 points).
Draw – (See: Hit)
Face-up Card – (See: Up Card)
Flat Bettor – A blackjack player who risks the same amount of money on every hand
Hard – Adj. describing a blackjack hand that either contains no ace or contains an ace that can only count as one point.
Heads-Up – (rare) In blackjack, a game between a dealer and only one player.
High Roller – A gambler who prefers high-stakes games.
Hit – (Also: “draw”) To request an additional card from the dealer in a game of blackjack.
Hole Card – In blackjack, the facedown card in each hand; this is usually the first card dealt to each betting player at the table, including the dealer; in some one- and two-deck blackjack games both cards are dealt facedown, in which case no distinction is made between them. (See: Up Card)
Insurance – A blackjack action some casinos offer, which allows players to bet that the house’s hand (i.e. the hand the dealer plays) is a “natural;” choosing this action is known as “buying insurance.”
Maximum – (Also: “table maximum”) The largest amount of money a player may bet on a given outcome at a gaming table.
Minimum – (Also: “table minimum” or “table min”) The least amount of money a player may bet on a given outcome at a gaming table.
Natural – Any hand totaling exactly 21 points after the initial deal so that it comprises only two cards and the player controlling it has not had a chance to choose an action.
Odds – (Not to be confused with “probability”) The likelihood that a given outcome will occur expressed fractionally as the total number of chances the outcome has of occurring over the total number of chances that it will not occur; in most blackjack games the term “odds” refers to the player's likelihood of beating the dealer, though it may also be used in reference to the casino’s odds of beating the player; generally, the former term is used loosely with no clarification, while the latter is used in conjunction with a specific reference to the casino, or “house;” Ex: “What are the house odds?” (See: Probability)
Pat Hand – A blackjack hand totaling 17 points or more.
Probability – (Not to be confused with “odds”) The likelihood that a given outcome will occur expressed fractionally as the total number of chances the outcome has of occurring over the total number of possible outcomes. (See: Odds)
Push – (Also: “tie”) A special situation in most blackjack games in which both a player’s and dealer’s hands total the same number of points; this usually results in the dealer returning the player’s bet; some casinos, however, bar removing “push” bets from the table and require that players place them on the next hand.
Resplit – A rare blackjack action that allows a player to split a hand multiple times, forming three independently played hands. (See: Split)
Session – The predetermined amount of time or money a player plans to spend at a specific gaming table.
Shill – A casino employee hired to sit at a gaming table and pose as a regular player using a house-provided bankroll; as a general rule, casinos do not seat shills at their blackjack tables because each blackjack hand is played against the house (casinos benefit less from seating a shill at a blackjack table as compared to doing so at a poker table where shills play against the clientele); the one exception to this rule usually occurs when a casino suspects that one of the players at a blackjack table is cheating or card counting. (See: Card Counting)
Shoe – An enclosed chute (usually black) from which cards are dealt; “shoes” became prevalent in blackjack after the advent of card counting; however some casinos still offer versions of the game that do not use them.
Soft – Adj. describing a blackjack hand containing an ace that may be played as either a one or an 11.
Spanish 21 – (Also: “Veintiuna”) A blackjack game in which the decks contain no 10s and in which the Black Jack rule is traditionally in effect; many historians consider Spanish 21 to be the original version of the game as the earliest reference to blackjack in Western literature, Miguel Cervantes’s “Rinconete y Cortadillo,” describes two Sevillian con men who make a living off an identical game.
Split – To separate a blackjack hand comprising two cards of the same value into two discrete hands, double your bet and play each new hand independently.
Stand – To accept your current hand total in a game of blackjack and decline any additional cards.
Strategy – Any mathematically proven method a gambler uses to improve his odds of winning; two popular blackjack strategies are Basic Strategy and card counting.
Surrender – A blackjack action offered by some casinos wherein a player can fold his initial hand and have half his bet returned to him.
System – A pseudo-strategy designed to optimize wins and minimize losses, but which is either based on intuition or flawed mathematical understanding; as with all gambling systems, there is no proof that any of the existing blackjack systems can actually improve a player’s odds of winning.
Table Maximum – (See: Maximum)
Table Minimum – (See: Minimum)
Tie – (See: Push)
Toke – A tip given to a live dealer or casino employee.
Twenty-One - (See: Blackjack)
Up Card – (Also: “face-up card”) Any of a dealer’s or player’s visible cards. (See: Hole Card)
Veintiuna – (See: Spanish 21)
Wager – (See: Bet)
Win Ratio – (Also: “win-to-loss ratio”) The frequency at which a player has won a game over a specified period of time, expressed fractionally as the number times he’s won over the number of times he’s lost.