Blackjack Dictionary

Anchorman – Also called Third Baseman. The player in the last seat or the player who acts upon his hand last at the table.

Blackjack – 1. The name of the casino game, also known as “21”. 2. An original hand consisting of an ace and a 10-value card, paid off at 3-2.

Burning a Card – The removal of the top card by the dealer before dealing out cards on the first round of play.

Busting – Also known as Breaking. Drawing cards to a hand so that it’s total is 22 or more, a loser.

Card Counting - Keeping mental track of the cards played out to see if the deck is favorable or unfavorable.

Chips - The gambling tokens issued by the casino to take the place of cash, for betting purposes.

Dealer – The casino employee in charge of the blackjack game, who deals out cards and collects and pays off bets.

Deck – The standard pack of cards containing 52 cards of four suits.

Double Down – The doubling of an original bet by a player, who will then receive one additional card.

Draw – see Hit.

Favorable Deck – AA deck whose remaining cards are to the advantage of the player as far as probability of winning is concerned.

First Baseman – The player who receives cards and acts upon them first. Usually occupies the first end seat at the table.

Hand – The cards the players hold and act upon.

Hard Total – A hand containing no aces, or where the ace is counted as 1.

Hit (Also called Draw) - The act of getting one or more cards for the original hand.

Hole Card – The unseen dealer’s card.

Insurance – A bet that can be made when a dealer shows an ace as an upcard. This bet wins if the dealer has a blackjack.

Multiple Deck – The use of more than one deck in the game of casino blackjack.

Natural – A term for a blackjack.

Push – A tie between the dealer and player, where no money changes hands. It’s a standoff.

Round of Play – A complete cycle of play where all the players and the dealer act upon their hands.

Shoe – A device used when dealing four or more decks.

Shuffle, Shuffle Up – The mixing up of the cards by the dealer.

Single Deck Game – A game in which only one deck of cards is used.

Soft Total – A hand containing an ace that counts as 11 points. Example, an Ace-9 is a soft 20 total.

Splitting Pairs – The separation of two cards of equal rank, such as two 8s, so that they’re played as two separate hands.

Standing, Standing Pat – Not hitting a hand.

Stiff Hand – Any hand that may bust if drawn to, such as a hard 12-16.

Ten-Value Card – The 10, jack, queen or king, all valued at ten points.

Third Baseman – see Anchorman.

Tip or Toke – A gratuity given to or bet for the dealer by the player.

Twenty-One – Another name for the casino game of Blackjack.

Upcard – The open card of the dealer which can be seen by the players prior to their acting on their hands.

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Blackjack tournaments

Blackjack tournaments are similar to “normal” blackjack in that players all play against a dealer, but that is where the similarity ends. In tournament play the real money is not the chips that are bet, it is the remaining size of each players stack at the end of each round.

Typically tournaments take place over a number of “rounds”. A round is a set number of hands (from as few as 10 to as many as 30), and players begin each round with an equal number of chips. At the end of each round the player(s) with the highest stacks win and advance to the next round. Some tournaments may be quick single table tournaments – in these the player with the most chips simply wins the tournament.

Taking the single table tournament as an example, a player is able to wager the tournament entry fee (say $100) and play against typically 5 other players to win the total pot ($600) if he ends up with the most chips. Because the game is not played against the house it pays out 100% (less any tournament entry fees) and could be perceived to be a fairer game than blackjack against the house.

Because the first player to act is at a disadvantage, there is a dealer “button” which is a chip indicating the first player to act that is passed around the table. That way each player takes turns to go first. In most tournaments the dealer positioning on the first hand is decided randomly. One way is by either dealing each player 5 cards and then the highest poker hand being the “dealer”. Another method is to deal players one card at a time until a player gets an Ace and becomes “dealer”.

Tournaments Types

Continuous or Sit and Go
These tournament types are only found online.

Continuous (or Instant) Tournaments start immediately as long as there are sufficient players. They have a brief pause after the final hand and they then begin again with whatever players are seated.

Sit and Go Tournaments are similar to Continuous Tournaments except that they wait for a table to completely fill before beginning, and only last for one round. Sit and Go Tournaments may involve one or more tables, although usually not more than 4.

Knock Out
Knock Out tournaments are similar to Poker Heads Up Tournaments. Players are pitted one to one against other players in an elimination ladder. From each 2-way bout the winner progresses to the next round.

Elimination
Elimination Tournaments are more like conventional Poker Tournaments, where players are seated at 6 player tables for rounds of up to 30 hands, with the top 1 or 2 players from each table progressing to the next round until the winners are found.

Strategies for Winning

Play against the other players
The goal for tournament Blackjack is quite different to that for Blackjack against the house. It’s possible to win a tournament round without even winning a single hand! By making the minimum bet for each round when the house is “hot” you will beat all players who are risking higher amounts on the hands.

The fundamental concept in tournament play is to watch the other players, and vary your play accordingly. Your single goal in the game is to be the player who ends the final hand with the most chips. It is thus critical to pay close attention to other player’s chip stacks, and vary your play accordingly.

Bear in mind that the outcome of a hand is to a large degree dependent on the dealer’s result. So in a way all players are exposed to the same opponent. Given that you are playing basic strategy on your bets (typically), and assuming that the other players are as well, the winner will be the player who manages the balance between risk and reward most carefully. The outcome of a hand will be to a large degree the same for all players.

Your big bets will be the determining ones for your tournament result. They are your biggest risk, and should be used wisely. One strategy would be to bet big when all other players are betting small, and vice versa. For this to work you would have to be well positioned – if you don’t get to see your opponent’s bets until after you have placed yours then clearly you cannot react to his bet. Whatever happens, it probably doesn’t make sense to simply bet an average bet each hand. You may as well go for the max on a hand or stick to the minimum and conserve your stack.

Size your bets to achieve your goal of the highest stack in the round. Lets take an example - you are 100 behind the leader with 800 to their 900. They act before you and bet 100. Assuming they win they will have 1000 after the hand. You need to win 200 to get even, so bet a bit more to end the hand ahead without risking all your stack. Your 300 bet will look just fine when the dealer busts and you have 1100 against your opponent’s 1000. Worst case you lose and are down to 500 rather than risking your entire stack for the same reward.

Position
Position is important since your strategy will depend on what your opponents do more than on the cards themselves. This means that the player that is last to act has an advantage over the other players. In the last hand of a round this is the single most important factor, since as the last to act in the tournament you will have available the maximum information to plan your strategy at this final table.

Some players work out where the button will be at the final table (by assuming all players remain and then counting around the table for each hand) and vary their play accordingly, playing more conservatively when they know they will be last to act at the end. Needless to say, these players will need to recalculate their position if players are eliminated mid-round.

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BlackJack : Money Management

Blackjack games can be like roller coasters, with large winning and losing swings during the course of play. Don’t get discouraged by these swings, because correct play will make you a winner in the long run.

As a rule if thumb, multiply your normal bet by 40 to determine how much to put on the table for one session of play. If you’re betting $2 at a time, $80 will be sufficient. With $5 bets, about $200 will be needed. You can even hedge and take less, about $50 for $2 bets and $100 for $5 bets, but that’s cutting it a little too thin.

Remember, play only with money you can afford to lose, that won’t affect you financially and/or emotionally. Try to double your stake at the table. If you do, leave at once. You’ve done well. Or, if the table is choppy, and you’re ahead, endeavor to leave a winner.

If you’re losing, don’t lose more than you bring to the table. Set a loss limit, and never reach into your pockets for more money. The first loss is the cheapest.

Money management can be as important as play. Keep control of your emotions and your money, and you’ll be a winner.

Leaving the Table When Ahead

When you’re ahead, it’s important to leave the table a winner.

There’s nothing more wearying than being a big winner, and staying too long, watching the cards run from hot to cold and losing back all the money you’ve won, and then, worse, finding you end up a loser.

Riding a Winning Streak

The player has many options, but the dealer has none at all. He or she must adhere to the rules of the particular casino where the game is taking place. This definitely is an advantage to the player.

Here’s one way to take advantage of this situation.

Sometimes, no matter how well you play, the cards run badly. When you get a 20, the dealer will get a 21, when you hold a blackjack, the dealer will turn over an immediate blackjack with a 10 on top. This happens.

Luck runs hot and luck runs cold, but in the end it evens out, while skill is always a constant factor.

Don’t get discouraged by losses at the table. If you play correctly, in the long run, you’ll end up as a winner. Nobody wins all the time, and good players won’t lose all the time either. In the end, a player who knows what he or she is doing will wind up with more money than the original bankroll.

Blackjack mentioned a bad run of luck. There are times however, when the opposite is true, when you’ll get a disproportionate number of blackjacks, when everything will be running your way.

When this happens, it’s wise to take advantage of the situation. Players call this a rush, and when you have that rush, try and make as much money as you can.

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Player Options in Blackjack

Splitting Pairs

A player may split any matching cards of the same rank if dealt as an original hand. For example, if he or she is dealt two 8s, these may be split. When pairs are split, they are turned over by the player if dealt face down; or separated, if dealt face up. Then a bet equal to the original bet is placed on the newly split card.

For example: if a player had bet $5, and received two 8s, and split them, then an additional $5 bet will be placed on the separated 8. In essence, the player will now be betting on and playing two hands.

He draws cards on the first 8 until he is satisfied with that total, and then he draws cards to the second 8, just as though this was an original hand.

Any pairs can be split, and for purposes of pairs, all 10-value cards are considered pairs. For example, a 10 and queen, or a jack and king, are considered pairs.

Aces may be split, but unlike all other pairs, only one additional card will be dealt to each ace. Nevertheless, aces equal 11 and they should always be split.

Doubling Down

A player may double his bet on his original hand, at his option. When he does this, he will receive an additional card, and one card only. Therefore, it’s important to remember that after doubling down, you can’t stand on your original hands total; you’re going to be given an additional card by the dealer.

In practically all the casinos except for the Northern Nevada ones, the rules permit doubling down on any two-card total. In Northern Nevada, only 10s and 11s may be doubled down.

When doubling down, a player turns over his cards if dealt face down, and puts out a bet equal to the original bet. When the cards have been dealt face up, e simply puts out an additional bet.

Surrender

In a few casinos, the player is allowed to forfeit half his original bet if he or she doesn’t want to play the hand against the dealer. This is called surrender.

For example: suppose a player has a big bet out and the dealer shows a 10 as his upcard. The player has been dealt a 16, and feels that if he hits the hand, he’ll bust, and if he stands, the dealer will have a 17 or more to beat him anyway. So, in those casinos allowing surrender, this player may surrender his hand. It’s one of the few instances in which a verbal statement of the player’s intent is made. He says “Surrender”, and the dealer will remove his cards and half his bet.

Insurance

When the dealer’s upcard is an ace, before he peeks at his hole card the players are given the opportunity to insure their bets. The dealer will ask “Insurance?” and the players may bet up to one half of their original bet that the dealer has a 10-value card in the hole.

If the dealer has a blackjack, the insurance bet wins, and is paid off at 2-1, but the original bet loses, and so, in essence, is a standoff.

Therefore, an insurance bet is really a wager that the dealer has a blackjack. If he has one, the bet wins. If he doesn’t have a 10-valeu card in the hole, the insurance bet is immediately lost and taken away and the game continues.

For example: if a player had a $10 bet out and then made a $5 insurance bet and the dealer didn’t have blackjack, the $5 bet would be taken away by the dealer. However, the game would now continue and the original $10 bet is still valid.

If the dealer in the above instance had a blackjack, he’d take away the player’s original $10 bet and then pay $10, at 2-1 on the $5 insurance bet. In essence, it’s a push.

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Bluffing In Blackjack

Bluffing, dear players, is not restricted solely to the poker tables. Bluffing can also be effective in the blackjack tables. So if you wish to know more about how to win in blackjack through sheer bluffing, this article is definitely for you!

Blackjack topic shall be divided into two parts. The first will cover the basic points of bluffing while the second part shall reveal to you when it’s CRUCIAL for players to bluff in blackjack.

How to Bluff in Blackjack Mirror Practice – Check your reflection in the mirror and find yourself a good inscrutable expression you could use in blackjack. Memorize all its nuances because you’ll be using this permanently in the blackjack tables. Think of yourself, if you will, as the Blackjack Player in the Iron Mask.

Mind Over Matter – No matter what’s happening in the blackjack table or what the other blackjack players are doing, don’t let them affect you! This is a skill to achieve when playing blackjack and can win you lots of money when perfected.

When to Bluff in Blackjack Knowing when to bluff is extremely vital because choosing the wrong moment to do so could you lose you lots of money and maybe even give you away entirely.

Blackjack! – If you have a natural blackjack in your hands, you’re not required to bluff because a natural blackjack is an automatic winner. On the other hand, if and when you’ve split your aces or doubled down and got a blackjack, that’s the time to bluff! Make it seem like you’re worried so that the other blackjack players at the blackjack table would be prodded into confidently increasing their bet size.

Hard 17 or 18 – You’ve got a relatively good blackjack hand but it’s important to not let others know so by bluffing. You could do this in two ways. One, you could bluff that you’ve got the worst blackjack hand possible. This would give them false confidence. Two, you could make them think you’ve got a GREAT blackjack hand and bluff them into surrendering (if that option is allowed).

Bad Blackjack Hand – If the blackjack table you’re playing in doesn’t allow surrender, your last resort would be to draw a card. Do so slowly, as if showing the utmost reluctance to improve your blackjack hand. This would make the other players assume that you’re not sure about taking a risk of busting your hand. Obviously, your move is implying that you already have a good hand when of course, the opposite is true.

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