Understanding Blackjack Terminology
Every game has its own unique rules and its own terminology, and the game of blackjack is certainly no exception. If you are to be successful at playing the game of blackjack, you must become familiar with terms like those that follow.
Blackjack
Blackjack occurs when the first two cards consist of an Ace plus a card with a value of 10. These 10 value cards are the 10 and the rest of the face cards.
Burn card
The burn card refers to one or more cards which are taken from the top of a shuffled deck and placed face down in the discard tray.
Bust
A bust occurs when the player and/or dealer exceeds 21 with their hand.
Card counter
Card counters are players who keep track of the cards that have been dealt in an attempt to gain an advantage over the house.
Cold streak
A cold streak occurs when the player or dealer loses many hands in a row.
Comps
Comps are provided by a casino to reward high value players. Comps can consist of free hotel rooms, meals or other perks designed to lure valuable players.
Cut card
A cut card is a colored plastic card which is given to one of the players and used to cut the deck after it has been shuffled.
Double down
Doubling down refers to doubling the original bet and agreeing to accept only one additional card.
Hit
A player hits when he or she wants another card.
Hole card
The hole card is the dealer's card which is dealt face down.
Hot streak
A hot streak is the opposite of a cold streak. The player on a hot streak wins hand after hand.
Insurance
Insurance is a side bet which players can make when the dealer's up card is an Ace.
Marker
A marker is an IOU or a line of credit form the casino.
Odds
Odds are the chances that a particular event will take place.
Pit
The pit is the area surrounded by the gaming tables.
Pit boss
The pit boss is the supervisor of the games taking place in the pit.
Push
A push occurs when there is a tie between a player and the dealer.
Shill
A shill is an employee of the casino who pretends to be a player. Shills are rare in casinos today.
Shoe
A shoe is used to hold multiple decks of cards. The cards are slid out of the shoe one at a time and dealt to the players.
Soft hand
A soft hand is a hand which contains an Ace. It is referred to as a soft hand because the Ace can be used as either a 1 or an 11.
Split
If two cards of the same rank, i.e. two 8s, are dealt, the player has the option to split them into two separate hands.
Stand
When the player is satisfied with his or her hand, he or she will stand.
Stiff hand
A stiff hand is a hand which totals 12 to 16.
Sucker player
A sucker player is one who does not know the rules and strategy of the game.
Surrender
A surrender allows the player to abandon his or her hand after the first two cards have been dealt. In the case of a surrender the player loses only half of the bet.
Twenty-one
A total of twenty one does not necessarily indicate a blackjack. A blackjack must be obtained with the first two cards, but a twenty-one can be obtained with any combination of cards, and any number of cards.
Unit
The unit is the minimum bet of the table.
Up card
The up card is the dealer's card which appears face up.
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