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BlackJack Glossary & Terminology

August 1 LuckyLady

Black Jack is one of the most popular casino table games in the world and made even more popular by the movie 21. If you want to be a good black jack player and win like the best card counters in the world, you better start off with learning some Black Jack lingo! Lucky Lady Games has put together an exclusive Black Jack Glossary just for you:

Ace neutralised	A system that counts the aces as zero increase play efficiency.
Ace reckoned	A system that includes aces into its primary count to simplify betting.
Action	The total bet amount on the table. Eg. 5 bets of $20 = $100 of action
Anchor	The seat farthest to the left of the player, dealt last and plays last. Sometimes called third base.
Back-counting	Counting the cards without actually playing. Back counting is usually done with intent of signalling a Big Player.
backed off	Semi-barred from premise, without being fully trespassed.
balance count	A card counting system where the respective card count values balances to zero
bankroll	Total amount of funds you have for gambling
barred	Permanently banned from playing at a casino
basic strategy	Following a computer generated optimal strategy for playing black-jack without counting cards. AKA zero-sum strategy.
bet	A players wager on a hand.
bet sizing	How much to optimally bet in relation to increasing player advantage.
bet spread	The ratio between a players minimum and maximum bet ranges.
big player	The biggest bettor on a blackjack team
black book	A book of individuals who are barred from entering casinos due to cheating or other misdeameanors.
black jack	A 2 card hand that contains an Ace and a 10-value card which totals 21.
blacks	Chips of $100 denominations are commonly colored black.
break	The value sum of the cards on a hand equate to over 21. Same as Bust.
burn card	In blackjack, a single card is removed from play before the dealer begins dealing after a shuffle.
bust	The value sum of the cards on a hand equate to over 21. Same as Break.
bust card	The single card that brings a hand total to over 21.
buy-in	The exchange of cash for chips at the tables
card counting	Using any system to keep track of the cards played that will give players an edge over the house.
cashiers cage	The transaction area of the casino where chips are cashed out for money
chips	Tokens that respresent equal monetary value used for making wagers and betting
chip tray	A rack that holds multiple chips
comps	Complementry room, food or beverages for player loyalty
counter	A player who keeps track of cards played
cut card	A blank plastic card used to cut the cards after the shuffle
dealer	A casino employee who deals cards
double down	Doubling of any original bet to receive only one additional card.
drawing the paint	Receiving a ten-valued card when hitting
eighty-six	A barring term commonly used to bar an individual from a casino
ev	A players expected value. Expressed in terms of win/loss
exposed	Turning over of a card and exposing it’s value
face cards	Any ten-valued card with a picture – jack, queen, king
first base	The seat at the farthest right of the table, also the player who is dealt and must act first
five-card charlie	In some variations, when a player gets 5 cards without busting, they automatically win the hand.
flat bet	Same amount betting from hand to hand regardless of the play of cards
free roll	A situation where there is no risk financially
front loading	Sneak peek of a dealers card while they tuck it in under their upcard
hard total	A situation where no ace has a value of 11.
head-on or heads-up	Player along against the dealer
heat	When a card counter is suspected and his play is highly scrutinized
hi-lo	The most basic, simple and popular for of card counting
hit	A request for another card from the dealer
hole card	The dealer’s card that remains face down until all other players have acted
hold-card play	A player advantage situation where sloppy dealers accidentally reveal their hole card
host	Someone who caters to high-limit players
illustrious 18	The 18 most important matrix numbers for varying play from basic blackjack strategy
insurance	If a dealer is showing an Ace up, insurance may be given to the player if he thinks the dealer may have a blackjack
junket	Short gamblings trips subsidized by the casinos
kelly system betting	A method for optimal betting
loaded deck	A deck that has extra cards placed or removed to skew standard card proportions
marker	An IOU a player may sign in exchange for playing chips
martingale system	A method of betting where you double your bet after each loss
Matrix	A math chart of index numbers showing correct amount to deviate from basic strategy
mechanic	An individual who manipulates cards. A cheat.
multi-level count	Any card counting system where count values are higher than plus or minus one
multi-parameter system	A card counting system that keeps track of at least two separate counts, usually a main and a side count of aces
natural	A black jhack consisting of 2 cards containing an Ace and a 10-value card
nickles	Five dollar denomination casino chips
pack	The card deck, or any undealt portions
paint	Any picture card, Jack, Queen, King
pair	Any two cards of the same value
pat hand	A hand with a value of 17 or greater
pays the table	When everyone at the table is a winner. Usually when the dealer goes bust.
peek	Taking a look at a card
penetration	How deeply the cards are dealt before a reshuffle
pit boss	A supervisor who overlooks the table games
positive count	When the deck contains more high cards than low cards, which will favor the players rather than the house
perferntial shuffling	When a dealer shuffles away positive counts
press	When players run good or are on a hot streak, players may increase (press) their bets
progressive betting system	Changing bet amounts to try to gain an edge over the house without card counting
push	When a player and the dealer has a the same hand value. In some house games, the dealer may win the tie.
quarters	$25 denomination casino chips
rich	A rich deck is rich in certain values of cars if there is a larger than normal percentage of certain cards present
running count	Overall count, undjusted to remaining decks
reds	$5 casino chips are generally red
round	One full hand of play for everyone at the table completed
ROR – Risk or Ruin	The mathematical risk of your entire bankroll
Shift	Casinos are generally opened 24/7 with 3 employee shifts
Shill	A casino employee/prop who plays in order to simulate interest and betting
Shiner	A reflective device used to glimpse the dealers hole card. Used in blackjack cheating.
shoe	The card holder for multiple decks of cards
shuffle tracking	Following cards through the shuffle process to determine their approximate location in the next shoe
silver	One dollar chips. May be whites
six-deck shoe	Most blackjack table games these days are dealt with a six-deck shoe
snapper	Slang for a blackjack when the first two cards consist of an Ace and a ten
soft hand	Any blackjack hand that consists of an Ace as the value of 11
soft total	Any hand value which counts the Ace as the value of 11
split	Players may split any 2 equal-value cards by matching their orignal bet and playing each hand separately
spooking	To spy the dealers hole card away from the table
spotter	A team mate who counts cards for a Big Player
stand	When a player no longer wants anymore cards from the dealer
steaming	When a player bets more than normal to chase losses
stiff	A hard hand totally 12 to 16
suits	Casino executives and management
surrender	An option to forfeit half your bet by throwing away your hand
tc – True count	True Count (RC/remaining decks). The number is derived when RC is divided by the number of remaining decks.
Third base	The seat farthest to the left of the player, dealt last and plays last. Sometimes called the anchor.
Tie	Aka Push, Stand-off. Both player and dealer have the same hand – player keeps bet.
toke	A tip given directly to or bet for the dealer
unbalanced count	Any counting system in which the card
up card	The dealer card that is showing
wonging	playing bets only during positive counts – named after Standford Wong
w2-g	A tax form given out to casino winners in the United States for any amount over $1200

BlackJack Glossary & Terminology

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