Blackjack Glossary
Blackjack has a language of its own. Dealers and players use words like push, stiff, soft 17 and third base as if everyone was born knowing them. This glossary explains 45 real blackjack terms in plain English, grouped by first letter so they are easy to find. New to the game? Start with the rules, then come back here whenever a word trips you up.
A
Anchor
The last seat to act before the dealer, on the dealer's right. The player here acts just before the house, so the seat is also called third base.
B
Bankroll
The whole pile of chips you set aside to play with. Managing your bankroll means picking a bet size you can keep playing with instead of risking it all on one hand.
Basic strategy
The mathematically best move for every hand you can be dealt, worked out from the odds. Following it lowers the house edge as far as the rules allow.
Blackjack (Natural)
An ace plus any ten-value card as your first two cards, adding up to 21. It is the best hand and usually pays 3:2. It is also called a natural.
Bust
Going over 21. A busted hand loses right away, even if the dealer later busts too, which is why the house has an edge.
Buy (Pontoon)
In Pontoon, to double your bet and draw one more card face down. Under some rules you can keep buying on later cards.
C
Card counting
Keeping a rough track of how many high and low cards are left in the shoe to sense when the odds favor you. It is a legal skill, not cheating, though casinos dislike it.
Charlie
A hand made of several cards that totals 21 or less and wins on its own. The five-card Charlie is the common version.
Colour up
To trade a stack of small chips for a few larger ones, usually when leaving the table. It is also spelled color up.
D
DAS (Double After Split)
A table rule that lets you double down on a hand you made by splitting a pair. When it is allowed, it is good for the player.
Double down
To double your bet and take exactly one more card, then stand. It is a strong move when you are likely to make a big hand, such as on a total of 11.
E
Early surrender
Giving up your hand for half your bet back before the dealer checks for blackjack. It is rare and very player-friendly.
Even money
An offer to pay your blackjack at 1:1 right away when the dealer shows an ace, instead of risking a push. It is really just insurance and loses money over time.
F
First base
The seat that acts first each round, to the dealer's left. The player here is the first one dealt to.
Five-card Charlie
A hand of five cards that totals 21 or less. In games that use this rule, it wins no matter what the dealer holds.
Five-card trick (Pontoon)
The Pontoon name for five cards that total 21 or less. It beats every hand except a Pontoon, which is the two-card 21.
H
Hard hand
A hand with no ace, or one where the ace must count as 1 to avoid busting. Its total cannot slide, so hitting it carries more risk.
Hit
To ask the dealer for another card. You can keep hitting until you choose to stand or you bust.
Hole card
The dealer's face-down card. In most games the dealer has one, and you only see it after your turn is over.
House edge
The small built-in advantage the casino keeps over the long run, shown as a percent of your bet. Good basic strategy keeps it low, often near half a percent.
I
Insurance
A side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace. It pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack, but over time it loses money, so most players skip it.
L
Late surrender
Giving up your hand for half your bet back after the dealer has checked for, and does not have, blackjack. It is more common than early surrender.
N
Natural
Another word for blackjack: an ace and a ten-value card in your first two cards, totaling 21.
P
Peek / No-hole-card
Peek is when the dealer checks a face-down card for blackjack before you play. In no-hole-card games the dealer takes only one card and does not draw the second until players finish, so you can lose doubles and splits to a later dealer blackjack.
Penetration
How deep into the shoe the dealer deals before shuffling. Deeper penetration matters mostly to card counters.
Pit
The area in a casino ringed by table games and run by a pit boss. It is where the blackjack tables sit.
Pontoon
The British cousin of blackjack, with its own words like twist, stick and buy, a fully hidden dealer hand, and a five-card trick bonus.
Push
A tie between you and the dealer. Your bet is returned and no one wins the hand.
Push 22
A rule in Spanish 21 and Double Exposure where a dealer total of 22 is a push against your standing hand instead of a loss. It hands the house extra edge.
R
RTP (Return to Player)
The share of all bets a game pays back over the long run, shown as a percent. It is simply 100 percent minus the house edge.
Resplit
Splitting again after you have already split, when your new hand makes another matching pair. Rules limit how many times you may resplit.
S
Shoe
The box that holds several shuffled decks and feeds cards to the dealer. Most blackjack games use a shoe of four to eight decks.
Soft 17
A total of 17 that uses an ace as 11, such as ace-six. Whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17 changes the odds, so tables always state which they do.
Soft hand
Any hand with an ace counted as 11. It is safe to hit because the ace can drop to 1 if you would otherwise bust.
Spanish deck
A 48-card deck with all four tens removed but the jacks, queens and kings kept. Spanish 21 uses it, which is why that game needs its own strategy.
Split
When your first two cards are a pair, you can add a second bet and play them as two separate hands.
Stand
To keep your current hand and end your turn, taking no more cards. It is also called stick.
Stick (Pontoon)
The Pontoon word for standing. You keep your hand and take no more cards. In Pontoon you usually must have at least 15 to stick.
Stiff hand
A hard total of 12 to 16. It busts easily if you hit but often loses if you stand, making it the trickiest spot in the game.
Surrender
Giving up a hand you expect to lose and getting half your bet back. It comes in early and late forms.
T
Third base
The last seat to act before the dealer, on the dealer's right. It is also called the anchor.
Toke
A tip for the dealer, often placed as a small side bet for them. It is short for token.
Twist (Pontoon)
The Pontoon word for hitting. You ask the dealer for another card.
U
Unit
One standard bet size you use to measure wins and losses. Betting two units simply means twice your base bet.
Up-card
The dealer's face-up card, the one you can see. Reading it is the first step in choosing the right play.