Blackjack Tournaments - Blackjack Glossary

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. It involves players going against the house while trying to get as close to a card value of 21 without going over. The suits of the cards do not matter.

Blackjack has been glamorized most recently in the popular movie 21, a story of an MIT blackjack team that made hundreds of thousands of dollars by using card counting techniques.

There are several terms you will hear while playing blackjack. It is helpful to know theses terms before you sit down at a table. Most will never come into play, but here are just a few you might hear:

Ace – The key card in blackjack, it is worth 1 or 11 points in the total. When the dealer is showing an ace, a player has to worry about the dealer having 21.

Barred – What happens when a casino refuses to let a player play. This generally happens to card counters. While card counting is not illegal, it is frowned upon and casinos can bar you for it. They can also bar you for inappropriate behavior.

Blackjack – A hand that wins automatically. Contains and ace and a 10, J, Q or K.

Bust - having a hand worth over 21 points, an automatic loser.

Card Counter – A player who keeps track of all cards in the game and makes mathematical calculations based on cards that have been dealt.

Dealer - the casino person who deals the cards at the table.

Deck – the 52 cards used in a game.

Double Down - the option for a player to double his bet with only one card to come.

Early Surrender - player's option to surrender half his bet while the dealer checks for blackjack. First Base - the player in the first seat of the table, on the dealer's far left, who is first to act. Hard hand - any hand where there is no ace.

High Roller - a big gambler who bets large amounts of money.

Hit - drawing an extra card.

Hole Card - the dealer's face down card.

Insurance - optional bet that can be made when the dealer is showing an ace.

Multiple-Deck - a game consisting of more than one deck of cards in a dealer’s shoe.

Natural - slang for hitting two-card 21

Paint - any Jack, Queen, or King

Pat Hand - an original holding of 17 or higher.

Push – dealer and player have the same number and no one wins or loses.

Round - complete series in which everyone has acted.

Shoe - box containing decks of cards, made to deal one card at a time.

Shuffle – rearranging the cards before dealing them.

Single-Deck - a game of blackjack in which only one deck of cards is used.

Soft hand - any hand containing an ace.

Splitting Pairs - option to split identical cards to play as two hands.

Stand - not taking any more cards.

Stiff Hand - any hard hand from 12-16, which will bust on a 10.

Surrender - option of a player to forfeit half his bet after the dealer checks for blackjack.

Ten-Value Card - any card worth 10 points -- 10, Jack, Queen, or King.

Third Base - the player in the last seat of the table, on the dealer's far right, who is last to act.

Twenty-One - another name for blackjack.

Unfavorable Deck - a deck with remaining cards favoring the casino, not the player.

Unit - a standard bet size.

Upcard - the dealer's exposed card, seen by all players.