Last Updated on October 5, 2023
The list that follows is an exhaustive list of words and definitions used in the online blackjack niche. When playing online blackjack, it is important to understand all the terms given below. If you want to increase your chances of winning and better comprehend the phrases used by the dealer and other players, it is best to read over the terms listed below.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ace | In Blackjack, an Ace card (A) can be counted as both a value of 1 or 11. |
| Action | Тhe amount of money wagered. It may refer to the overall amount of wagers placed during a specific time period or it may refer to the stake amount for a specific wager. usually uttered by a host or pitboss. |
| Advantage | The theoretical edge one side has over the other in terms of statistics; typically represented as a percentage of the wager. Card counting might give the player the advantage even if the casino typically holds the advantage. |
| Advantage Player | A gambler who uses strategy to gain a mathematical advantage over the casino. |
| Back Counting | Observing and counting cards from behind the table. To prevent negative counts, back counting is a fantastic strategy. Occasionally known as “wonging”. |
| Back Off | When the casino requests that you stop playing blackjack. This is typically communicated in the form of a remark like “Your game is too strong for us”; but, it can also be communicated with the encouraging words “You are welcome to play any other game, just not 21. |
| Balanced Count | A card counting system in which the sum of the negative cards is equal to the sum of positive cards. If the running count at the end of a full deck equals zero, it is a balanced count. |
| Bankroll | The amount of funds available for wagering. Sometimes refers to the total amount of money available to gamble with, but can also refer to the amount available in a given playing session or for a given time period. |
| Barred | Permanently prohibited from a place. |
| Basic Strategy | The optimal playing strategy for blackjack. The easiest way to find out if someone knows “basic” is to ask them what to do with a soft 18. If they tell you anything that is not on the chart or use words like “sometimes”, “usually”, or “depends” you know they are a fraud. |
| Bet Spread | The total of a player’s minimum and maximum bets placed during a blackjack game. With a 1-5 bet spread, the player can wager as little as 1 unit per hand and as much as 5 units per hand. When counting, you anticipate making more money with a wider spread. |
| Black Book | A nickname referring to a list of banned players. At this point, it is rarely a book, but an online database. |
| Black Chip | $100 chip. |
| Blackjack not on Gamstop | Online blackjack not covered by Gamstop and can provide blackjack games based in the US and other countries. |
| Brown/Chocolate Chip | $5000 chip. |
| Burn Card | The first card of a new deck after the shuffle and cut. The dealer usually puts this face down in the discard tray. Often times a card is burned when a new dealer comes in. |
| Bust | When a player’s or dealer’s hand exceeds 21. |
| Bust Card | The individual card that results in the player’s or dealer’s hand going over 21. |
| Camouflage | Anything a skilled gambler does to conceal their activities from the casino. Camouflage can include mixing in playing and betting behavior that mimics typical gamblers, or using disguises, appearing to be drunk, or any number of other possible ploys intended to throw the casino’s scrutiny off. |
| Card Counting | A blackjack method that involves keeping track of the proportion of high cards to low cards that have already been dealt. When the deck offers the player advantageous chances, a card counter increases his wager; when the deck offers the player unfavorable odds, he decreases his bet. There are numerous card counting strategies with different levels of effectiveness. |
| Carnival Games | Other table games such as 3 Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold-em, etc. |
| D9 | Double only 9,10,11. Cannot double down on soft hands. |
| DA2 | Double any two cards. |
| DAS | Double After Split (verses: NDAS, which is NO Double After Split). A rule that is a benefit to the player that allows you to double down after you split a hand. |
| Deviations | A playing deviation is changing from Basic Strategy at certain times based upon the count. |
| Double | This playing decision will require the player to increase their bet on the hand to double it’s original value. It then requires the dealer to deal only one more card to the player’s Blackjack hand. |
| Early Surrender | Once a player receives their first two cards but before the dealer checks for a blackjack, to resign or give up. Half of the player’s wager is lost. |
| Even Money | The bettor stands to lose or win the same amount of money in a wager with equal odds. A player with a Natural hand and an Ace Up card from the Dealer is eligible to request and receive a 1:1 payout on his hand. |
| Expected Value (EV) | The value of any given time period in terms of statistics. Despite the fact that outcomes rarely match a player’s expected value in the short term, the expected value is the sum that a hand is deemed to be “worth.” Inevitably, over time, actual results will surpass expected value. |
| First Base | The seat on the dealer’s far left. The first hand will always be dealt to first-base. |
| Flat Bet | Betting the same amount of money on each successive hand. |
| Green Chip | $25 chip. |
| Hard Hand | Hand without an Ace, or with an Ace but only as a value of 1. |
| Hard Total | The total of any number of cards in a hand, counting Aces as 1. |
| Heads Up | Playing without any other players at the table. |
| Hit | This playing decision will require the dealer to deal another card onto the player’s Blackjack hand. |
| HIT 17 (H17) | A rule in blackjack that requires the dealer to take a hit when they have a soft 17. Compare this to the Stand 17 rule, which requires the dealer to stand on a soft 17. |
| Index | In Card Counting, the Index refers to the integers indicated on the Deviations chart (S17 or H17). |
| Insurance | Insurance, which is treated separately from the primary wager and is a side betting that the dealer has a blackjack (natural), is accepted. It is accessible when the dealer’s exposed card is an ace and pays 2:1 (two dollars are awarded for each dollar wagered). |
| LS (or SR) | Late surrender. You may surrender your hand to receive half your bet. |
| N0 | N-zero. The number of rounds it takes to overcome 2/3’s of the variance. |
| Natural (blackjack hand) | A player who receives an Ace and a 10-point card as the initial two cards on a deal is said to have a “natural 21” or a “blackjack”. Depending on the house rules, this hand is usually awarded 3:2 on the player’s bet. I.e. Player bets $10 and is paid $15. |
| NDAS | No Double After Split (verses: DAS=Double After Split). |
| NRSA | No resplit aces. |
| Pink Chip | $2.50 chip. |
| Preferential Shuffle | When the casino decides to shuffle up whenever they wish, usually when you press your bets. Effectively destroys your edge. |
| Ploppy | Your typical sucker blackjack player. |
| Purple/Barney Chip | $500 chip. |
| Red Chip | $5 chip. |
| Risk of Ruin (ROR) | The mathematical chance of losing one’s entire bankroll. |
| Round | In Blackjack, a Round starts with no cards on the table, and the player’s bets being placed. A hand is dealt to every player, and the dealer, and the Round ends when those hands have been played through, and the player’s bets have been paid out. |
| RSA | Resplit aces. |
| Running Count | The total value of the count, positive or negative, at any given time. This is the overall total used to calculate the true count. |
| Soft Hand | Hand with an Ace that doubles as 1 or 11. There is no way you can bust if you hit. |
| Soft Total | The total of any number of cards in a hand, which includes an Ace which can use it’s 11 value, without exceeding 21. Ex. Hand: Ace, 4. This hand’s Soft Total would be 15. It can also be counted as a Hard 5. |
| Split | This playing decision is available to the player only when the first two cards dealt to any hand are of equal value. Ex. 8,8, A,A, K,10. Normally, a player can split his hands up to four times. |
| Stand | This playing decision will refuse the dealer from dealing another card onto the player’s Blackjack hand. |
| Stand 17 (s17) | A rule in blackjack that requires the dealer to stand when sitting on a Soft 17. Compare this rule to Hit 17, which requires the dealer to hit when sitting on a Soft 17. |
| Surrender | This playing decision, when available, allows the player to give up half of the bet, in order to not be required to continue playing the hand, potentially losing the entire original bet. |
| True Count | The count per deck. You can calculate this but dividing the Running Count by the number of decks left to be dealt. |
| Two-round | When the casino tells the dealer to only deal two rounds and then shuffle. Effectively destroys your edge. |
Gabe Harper has been working in the online casino business for a bit over a decade. He has worked on the backend of more established casinos, and has also watched scams come and go. While mostly an avid table game and poker player, Gabe is also known for his tips and bets whenever the Premier League rolls around.
