Blackjack Terminology: Words You'll Hear at the Table

How to use this glossary

Start with the hand and action words if you are new. Those are the ones the dealer will say to you. Table-rule terms such as S17, DAS, and 3 to 2 matter when you compare casinos or read a casino page.

A few words have two meanings. Even money is both a 1 to 1 payout and a specific insurance offer when you have blackjack. We spell both out. If a casino help file and the felt disagree, believe the felt in front of you.

Hands and cards

These describe what you are holding and what the dealer is showing.

Ace: Counts as 1 or 11, whichever makes the better hand that does not bust. An ace counted as 11 makes the hand soft.
Ten-value card: A 10, jack, queen, or king. Each counts as 10. People often say ten when they mean any of these.
Rank and suit: Rank is the value on the card: ace through king. Suit is hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades. Main blackjack ignores suit. Side bets such as Perfect Pairs and Suit 'Em Up do not.
Hard total: A hand with no ace counted as 11. Hard 16 is 10-6, or ace-5-10 with the ace as 1. Hitting a hard 12 through 16 can bust you.
Soft total: A hand with an ace counted as 11. Soft 16 is ace-5. You cannot bust by taking one card, because the ace can drop to 1.
Stiff: A hard 12 through 16. One more card can bust you. Standing can lose to a made dealer total. These are the hands that feel worst.
Pat: A standing hand, usually 17 through 21. You are not taking another card unless a weird side rule says otherwise.
Blackjack / natural: An ace and a ten-value card on the first two cards. That is the only blackjack. 21 after a hit or a split is just 21, and it usually pays even money.
Twenty-one: Any total of 21. Only the two-card version is a blackjack. After a split, ace-ten is 21, not a blackjack.
Bust: A total over 21. That hand loses at once, even if the dealer later busts too.
Pair: Two cards of the same rank, or sometimes the same point value. Most tables let you split tens and face cards because they all count as 10.
Upcard: The dealer's face-up card. Almost every basic-strategy decision starts here.
Hole card: The dealer's face-down card in American-style games. The dealer usually peeks for blackjack when the upcard is an ace or ten.

Actions

These are the buttons or spoken options after you are dealt a hand.

Hit: Take another card. You can hit more than once until you stand, bust, or reach a total the table will not let you hit.
Stand: Keep the hand you have. The dealer then finishes their hand, unless you already busted.
Double / double down: Double your original bet and take exactly one more card. Many tables allow this on any first two cards. Some only allow it on 9, 10, or 11.
Split: Turn a pair into two hands. You put out a second bet equal to the first. Each hand is played on its own. A split ace usually gets one card only.
Resplit: Split again if a new pair appears after the first split. Tables often cap this at three or four hands.
DAS: Double after split. If the table allows it, you can double one of the new hands. This is a player-friendly rule. We list it because it changes the chart and the house edge.
RSA: Resplit aces. Most tables do not allow it. Split aces usually get one card each, and that is the end of those hands.
Surrender: Give up the hand and lose half your bet. Late surrender, the common version, is offered after the dealer checks for blackjack. Early surrender is offered before that check and is rare online.
Insurance: A side bet, offered when the dealer shows an ace, that the hole card is a ten. It costs half your ante and pays 2 to 1. It is a bad bet unless you are counting and the remaining cards are rich in tens.
Even money offer: When you have blackjack and the dealer shows an ace, some tables offer even money instead of insurance. You are paid 1 to 1 now and the hand is over. That is the same value as taking insurance on a blackjack, and it is usually a worse deal than playing it out for 3 to 2.

Bets and money

What you put in the circle, and what comes back.

Ante: Your first bet on the hand. Doubles and splits add more money next to it. Insurance is a separate bet.
Chip: The token you bet with. Table limits are written in the same currency as the chips.
Table minimum and maximum: The smallest and largest main bet the table will take. Side bets often have their own limits. Some casinos raise the max for a higher player class or VIP tier.
Bankroll: The money you set aside for play. It is not the same as a bonus balance, and it is not a reason to chase a loss.
Side bet: An optional extra wager, such as Perfect Pairs, Suit 'Em Up, or insurance. It does not change basic strategy on the main hand. Most side bets have a much higher house edge than blackjack.
Push: A tie. Your ante is returned. You neither win nor lose that bet.
Rebet: Place the same bet as the last hand, usually with one click. Useful when the limits and the stake have not changed.
Even money payout: 1 to 1. A winning 20 usually pays even money. A blackjack should pay more than that, unless the table is 6 to 5.

The dealer and the table

How the game is dealt, and the posted rules that change the math.

Dealer: The house hand. The dealer hits or stands on a fixed rule. They do not double, split, or surrender.
S17: Dealer stands on all 17s, including soft 17. Better for you than H17.
H17: Dealer hits soft 17. Common online. It costs the player a little more than S17.
Peek: The dealer checks the hole card for blackjack when showing an ace or ten, before you finish your hand. If they have blackjack, doubles and splits are usually not taken.
No hole card / European: The dealer does not take a second card until you are done. If they then make a blackjack, you can lose doubles and splits. Strategy changes against a ten or ace.
Shoe: The box that holds several shuffled decks. Multi-deck games are dealt from a shoe.
Pitch: A handheld game, usually one or two decks, dealt from the dealer's hand rather than a shoe.
Cut card: A plastic card placed in the shoe to mark when the dealer will shuffle. Deeper placement means more of the shoe is dealt.
Burn card: A card removed after the shuffle and not used. It does not change how you play a hand.
Penetration: How far into the shoe the dealer goes before shuffling. Counters care about this. Casual play does not.
Seat: Your spot at the table. First base is the first seat to act. Third base is the last seat before the dealer.
Back betting: Betting on another player's hand when every seat is taken, or when you want extra action. You follow that player's decisions.

Payouts

What a winning hand actually pays. Read the felt, not the banner.

3 to 2: A winning blackjack pays one and a half times your bet. A $10 blackjack returns $15 profit plus the $10 stake. This is the standard payout you want.
6 to 5: A winning blackjack pays 20 percent less than 3 to 2. A $10 blackjack pays $12 profit instead of $15. That single change is one of the worst common rule shifts.
Original bet: The ante you put out before cards were dealt. If the dealer has blackjack after you doubled or split, some games take only the original bet. No-hole-card games can take the extra bets too.

Strategy and edge

Words from charts, guides, and counting. You do not need all of them to play well.

House edge: The casino's long-run advantage if you play a fixed strategy. Better rules and correct basic strategy shrink it. Side bets usually widen it.
Basic strategy: The chart of the lowest-house-edge play for every hand against every upcard, for a given ruleset. It is not a hunch and it is not a system for winning every hand.
Chart: The lookup table for basic strategy. Ours is multi-deck, dealer stands on 17, with late surrender on the worst 15s and 16s. A different table needs a different chart.
Expected value: The average result of a play over a long run. Basic strategy picks the play with the better expected value, even when it feels wrong on one hand.
Index: A true-count number that flips a chart cell. Example: take insurance at true +3 in multi-deck Hi-Lo. This comes after the chart is automatic.
Running count: The raw Hi-Lo sum since the last shuffle. Low cards add. Tens and aces subtract.
True count: Running count divided by decks remaining. That is the number you actually use for bets and indexes.
Hi-Lo: The common counting system: 2 through 6 are +1, 7 through 9 are 0, 10 through ace are -1.
Advantage play: Legal ways to get an edge, such as counting. Casinos may still bar you. It is not cheating, and it is not required to play the game well.

Online and live tables

The same game, dealt two different ways.

RNG: Software blackjack. Cards come from a random number generator, not a live shoe. The rules on the help page still matter.
Live dealer: A real dealer on camera, usually with a multi-deck shoe. Limits, peek, and side bets are still table-specific.
Continuous shuffle: Used cards go back in after each round. There is no deep remaining shoe. Counting does not apply.
Infinite deck: A software model that treats every card as always available. Some European UIs label this Infinite. The chart is close to a many-deck game.

Pairs of words people mix up

These look related. They are not interchangeable.

Hard vs soft

ThisHard 17 has no ace counted as 11. Hitting can bust you.

Not thatSoft 17 has an ace counted as 11. One hit cannot bust you.

Blackjack vs 21

ThisBlackjack is ace plus ten-value on the first two cards. It should pay 3 to 2.

Not that21 after a hit or a split is just 21. It pays even money.

3 to 2 vs 6 to 5

This3 to 2 is the standard blackjack payout.

Not that6 to 5 pays less on every blackjack. Walk if you can.

S17 vs H17

ThisS17: the dealer stands on soft 17.

Not thatH17: the dealer hits soft 17. Slightly worse for you.

Peek vs no hole card

ThisPeek: the dealer checks for blackjack before you finish. Doubles and splits are usually safe.

Not thatNo hole card: you can lose those extra bets if the dealer later makes a blackjack.

Insurance vs even money

ThisInsurance is a side bet that the dealer has a ten in the hole.

Not thatEven money is that same bet, packaged as a 1 to 1 payday when you already have blackjack.

Late vs early surrender

ThisLate surrender is after the dealer peeks. Common when it is offered at all.

Not thatEarly surrender is before the peek. Rare, and much better for the player.

Common questions

Do I need every term on this page to sit down?

No. Hit, stand, double, split, bust, blackjack, and the dealer's upcard will get you through a hand. Learn DAS, S17, and 3 to 2 before you pick a table with money on it.

Why do you list DAS and RSA?

They change both the chart and the house edge. DAS is common and worth having. RSA is uncommon.

Is insurance ever correct?

Almost never off the top of a shoe. Basic strategy says no. Counters take it only when the remaining cards are rich enough in tens, around true +3 in multi-deck Hi-Lo.

What does a 254-deck or infinite-deck game mean?

It is a software model, not 254 physical decks on a table. The game is drawing from a huge or endless shoe. Play it like a many-deck game, and still read the other posted rules.

If the help file and the felt disagree, which one wins?

The felt in front of you. Help pages are sometimes copied from another paytable. If you are writing down a review, record what the table actually showed.

See the words at a table

The glossary sticks once you hear the dealer use it. Our free blackjack game uses 3 to 2, a dealer who stands on 17, and a four-deck shoe. The trainer names every hit, stand, double, and split.

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