A
A: An abbreviation for Ace.
AC: An abbreviation for Atlantic City.
Ace side count: This is a count of Aces
only, which is kept separately and in addition
to the main count of cards.
Ace Neutral Count: No value is assigned to Aces in this card-counting
system.
Ace rich: When a deck of cards is rich in Aces (i.e., contains more
Aces than would be expected according to random chance).
Action: This can refer to either one bet, or to a lot of betting.
Advantage: Most often presented as a percentage of total money
put into action, this term refers to a player's likely rate of winnings
or loss.
Anchor: This refers to the last seat taken on the dealer’s
right.
B
Back Counting: This is when a person who’s
not actually playing in the game -- only watching
it -- counts cards.
Balanced Count: This refers to a card-counting situation in which
the sum of the card point values for a whole deck of cards is 0, a number
arrived at when there’s a perfect balance between plus cards and minus cards.
Banker: This is the person who books the action of the bettors
at the table. It can be the dealer, but can also be a player.
Bankroll: The amount of money the player has brought to gamble
with. A "total bankroll" is the overall amount. A "session
bankroll" is the amount a player intends to use in just one session.
Bar: Prohibiting a player from playing in a casino.
Basic Strategy: A system of play, based on the total of the player's
hand and the dealer's up card, upon which the player can rely to maximize
his winning potential.
Beat the Dealer: Ed Thorp’s groundbreaking book on the subject of
card counting.
Bet Spread: The difference between the amount of a player’s minimum
and maximum bets. For instance, a bet spread of 4 (or 1-4) would indicate
that the player’s maximum bet is four times his minimum bet.
Betting Efficiency: Is your betting strategy making the most
of the card counting system you’re using? If so, you have a high betting
efficiency.
Big Player: A Big Player is someone who employs “counters” to sit
at the table, keep track of the count, and covertly indicate when it is high
enough for the BP to enter the game and start betting.
BJ: An abbreviation for Blackjack.
BJFB: An abbreviation for Bryce Carlson’s
book Blackjack For Blood.
Black Chip: A chip whose value is $100.
Blackjack: When your initial two-card hand equals exactly
21 points.
BP: An abbreviation for Big Player (see
above).
BR: An abbreviation for Bankroll.
Break: (or bust) Going over the hand limit of 21 points and
losing.
BS: An abbreviation for Basic Strategy.
Burn card: A card removed from the top of
the deck and put into the discard pile after the
shuffle and cut.
Bust: (or break) Going over the hand limit of 21 points and
losing.
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C
Cage: The cashier’s “office,” at a casino.
Camouflage: Any number of tricks or disguises
meant to hide from the casino the fact that the
player is counting cards.
Card Counter: Someone who memorizes which cards have been
played so as to know which cards remain to be played, and to make potentially
lucrative bets based on this information.
Card Sharp: An expert card player.
Checks: Another word for chips.
Cold: A word used to describe a bad run
of cards.
Color Up: Trading in many small chips in return for a few
large ones. Something players do when they are getting ready to leave
the game and don’t want to be bogged down with a lot of chips.
Comp: Any goods or services the casino offers as “complimentary”
gifts -- incentives to keep those players playing.
Counter: A shorter way of saying Card Counter.
Counting System: A system designed to calculate the odds of winning
on the basis of number values given to the cards.
Cut: Splitting the deck before it’s dealt.
Cut Card: A plain plastic card without design or color used
after the shuffle to cut the deck. The dealer then puts it near the
end of the deck in the shoe so as to indicate the last hand to be dealt
from that deck.
D
D'alembert: A betting progression. The bettor
raises the bet one unit after each loss and lowers
the bet one unit after each win. A series of equidistant
numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 4 is established. The
player bets 1 unit. If he wins, he continues to
bet one unit. If he loses, he cancels out the 1
and moves to the 2. Now the series of numbers is
2, 3, 4, 5. When the player wins his bet, he reduces
it by one unit. If he wins enough bets, he can
return to a one-unit bet and start over. When he
loses, he cancels out the last number he played
and tacks on another number to the series. There
are many variations to this system, though none
have been proven to win and in fact cannot win
in any game with a negative expectation.
DA/DA2: An abbreviation for doubling down on any first two cards.
DAS: An abbreviation for a rule allowing players to Double After a
Split.
DD: An abbreviation for doubling down.
Deal: When the dealer gives out the cards.
Dealing Seconds: When the dealer sees that the top card is
good for the player so he deals him the second from the top. Basically,
a form of cheating!
Deck Penetration: This is a term meant to express just how deeply
the dealer penetrates the deck or shoe when he’s dealing. For instance, how
many decks out of the total number of decks is he dealing out (if there are
5 decks, and 4 are dealt, that would be referred to as 4/5 penetration).
Percentages are also used to refer to deck penetration (i.e., what percentage
of all available cards are being dealt out – 50%? 60%?).
Device: This refers to those “machines” – computers, calculators
– that players can use to help them win.
Discards: Cards which have been played since the last shuffle and
placed by the dealer in a discard tray.
Discard Tray: The tray that holds all the cards that have
been played/discarded. It is on the dealer’s right side, which means
that from the player’s perspective it is on the left.
Double Only Any Two Cards: When doubling on any two playing
cards is permitted by the casino.
DOA: An abbreviation for Double Only Any Two Cards – the casino rule
allowing doubling on any two playing cards.
Double after Split: (or DAS) When doubling down is permitted
after the player has split any pair.
Double Deck: This is when two decks of cards are used (shuffled together
and dealt) for 21. Other deck options for 21 are: single deck and four, six,
or eight deck shoe.
Double Down: This is when a player doubles his initial bet before
taking another card. Once he does this he can only get one more card. The
way he doubles down is by putting an amount either less than or equal to
his original bet behind the original bet. Different casinos have different
rules about when the doubling down can occur. Most often he can only do it
after he gets the first two cards. Some casinos allow doubling down after
splitting. Some allow doubling only on 10 or 11.
Double Exposure: When the player is allowed to see both dealer cards
before he plays his hand. When this happens, other house rules are usually
suspended to compensate. For instance, the player loses ties, or blackjacks
are paid even money. This is by way of restoring the advantage the house
loses by revealing both dealer cards.
Downtown: Downtown Las Vegas (meaning, not the Strip).
Draw: (or Hit). When you add cards to your original two-card hand.
Drop: This term refers to the total amount of money that’s been wagered
in a casino.
DS: Another abbreviation (like DAS) for Double after Split.
E
Early Surrender: This is when the casino
allows the player to surrender after he’s received
his first two cards but before the dealer has checked
for blackjack. In this way, the player only loses
50% of his bet instead of the whole thing. Because
Early Surrender is obviously to the player’s advantage,
it is not allowed in most casinos.
Edge: This refers to the advantage that either the player or the casino
enjoys in a certain game, often expressed in a percentage.
End Play: This is when a Blackjack player uses his knowledge of the
last un-played cards at the end of the deck to win. Basically he manages
to force the dealer to run out of cards and deal out the rest of the round
from cards (reshuffled discards) whose composition is good for the player.
ES: An abbreviation for Early Surrender.
EV: An abbreviation for Expected Value.
Even Money: 1) A bet that pays off exactly
the amount which was wagered in the first place.
2) The result of your being dealt a natural blackjack
and the dealer showing an Ace, in which case you
immediately cash in the bet on a 1:1 payout basis.
Expectation: How much the player or casino can expect to win or lose
on any given bet or game – a figure based on statistical analysis and expressed
in percent.
Expected Value: Another way of saying Expectation (see above).
Eye in the Sky: A video camera – most often
affixed to the ceiling – used in casinos to insure
that dealers and players are not stealing or cheating.
F
Face Card: Jacks, Queens, and Kings, all
of which have a 10-point value.
Face Down Game: This refers to a game in which your first
card is placed face up and the second face down.
Face Up Game: In this game, both cards are placed face up.
False Shuffle: When the dealer shuffles
in such a way as to ensure that the cards don’t
actually get mixed. Basically, cheating!
First Base: This refers to both 1) the first player to be
dealt cards at the table, and 2) the first seat taken to the dealer’s
left. (From the player's viewpoint, of course, this seat is the farthest
to the right).
Flat Betting: Wagering the same amount of money on each bet during
a particular playing session.
Fluctuations: (or “flucs”). The ups and downs of your bankroll.
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G
Griffin: Blackjack author Peter Griffin,
who wrote Theory of Blackjack.
Griffin Book: A series of books, often including
profiles and photos, which Griffin keeps in order
to identify card counters and other unwanted players.
Griffin Investigations: An investigative firm often used by casinos
for the purpose of identifying and tracking cheats and card counters.
H
H17: An abbreviation for the rule in Blackjack
which requires the dealer to hit a soft seventeen.
Hard Hand: A hand that either contains no ace, or one ace valued at
1. (A “soft” hand contains an Ace whose value can be changed).
Hard Total: The total of a hard hand (i.e., one that contains no ace
or an ace whose value is 1). So a 10 and a 7 is a Hard Total of 17, or a
Hard 17. An Ace and an 8 would be a Hard Total of 9.
Heads Up: (or Heads On) When one player goes head-to-head
(or one-on-one) with the dealer, and no other players are participating.
Heat: This refers to the pressure put on a winning player
by the casino, especially when this winning player is thought to be
a card counter.
Hi-Lo Count: A counting system which assigns a value of +1 to cards
2-6 and -1 to 10’s, face cards and aces. Counting systems such as these are
often referred to as “Balanced Level One Counting Systems.”
Hi-Opt I: A counting system (also “Balanced Level One”) found in The
World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Humble and Cooper. A value of plus one
goes to 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's and minus one to cards valued at 10 points.
High Roller: One who makes big wagers.
Hit: (or Draw) When you take another card. The card itself is also
referred to as a Hit.
Hole Card: (or Pocket Card) The private facedown card dealt to the
dealer in Blackjack. In other games, such as stud and hold’em, the players
also get hole cards.
Hot Deck: Good (“hot”) hands are being dealt from this deck!
House Edge: The advantage that the casino has over the player, measured
in percentages.
I
Index Number: A term used by card-counters
to identify the count. For instance, going by the
Hi-Lo count, the index number for standing on a
hard 16 when the dealer has a 10 would be 0.
Insurance: This is a side bet in which the player is betting that
the dealer has a natural 21 (or Blackjack). This is only an option when the
dealer's up card is an ace, at which point the dealer will offer insurance.
To make an insurance wager, you are allowed to place an amount up to one
half your original bet on the insurance line. If the dealer has Blackjack
you win. The insurance bet is favorable to the house.
J
Junket: A trip, most often subsidized by
the casino, that brings organized groups of gamblers
to play in the casino together.
K
Kelly Betting: A style of betting meant
to minimize the bettors’ risks. It involves computing
how much of your bankroll to bet in each specific
situation once you’ve figured out the various potential
outcomes. Most blackjack experts recommend using
some form of this system to help minimize risks.
Ken Uston: He wrote The Big Player.
Knock-Out Count: Another counting system
(“Unbalanced Level One”), which gives a plus one
to cards 2-7, and a minus one to tens, face cards
and aces. It is a system which is featured in the
book Knock-Out Blackjack, by Olaf Vancurra (who
developed it) and Ken Fuchs.
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L
Labouchere: (or, The Cancellation System)
In this betting progression, the bettor chooses
a series of two or more numbers which add up to
the profit he plans on making, then bets the total
of the two outside numbers in the series and, if
he wins, cancels those numbers. He continues betting
the two outside numbers (the uncancelled ones)
until he is done with the series. If he loses a
bet, he adds the number amount of his loss to the
series. In effect, he will be canceling out two
numbers for every one that he adds.
Las Vegas Strip Rules: These rules apply to Blackjack with a single
deck: 1) Dealer stands on all 17's. 2) Double is allowed on the two first
cards dealt. 3) No doubling after splitting.
Late Surrender: Under this blackjack rule, the player can forfeit
half of his bet after seeing the dealer's up card. However, if it turns out
the dealer has a blackjack, then the player loses his whole bet.
Level: In the context of card-counting systems, the term “level” refers
to the number of values given to the cards. For instance, a level one system
assigns only one value: plus or minus one. A level two system assigns two:
plus and minus one and two.
LV: Abbreviation for Las Vegas.
M
Martingale: This betting progression (one
of the oldest around) requires a player to double
his bet after a loss and to continue doubling his
bets until he wins. Ostensibly this results in
a profit that equals the original bet. However,
if the goal is to win over the long run, this system
is a loser!
Mechanic: Shorthand for a cheating dealer!
Money Management: What tactics a player uses to help him manage his
bankroll most effectively (i.e., stop-loss, risk of ruin, standard deviation).
Money Plays: Under this rule, a player can use dollar bills
for betting, instead of chips.
Multiple Deck: A multiple-deck game uses more than one deck
of cards. (Most frequently applied to the game of Blackjack).
N
Natural: When the first two cards dealt
in the game of Blackjack total 21. A Natural can
also be referred to as a Blackjack. It usually
pays 3:2 odds. (In the game of Baccarat, a Natural
is a two-card total of eight or nine).
Nickel: A chip whose value is $5.
No Double after Split: A casino rule which prohibits doubling after
the player has split two cards.
O
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P
Paint: Another word for face cards (i.e.,
Jack, Queen and King).
Past Post: Placing or adding to a wager
after the time that no new bets or bet changes
are allowed. This is considered cheating since
new information as to the possible outcome of the
game has become available (e.g. through the player
having received his first Blackjack card).
Pat Hand: (or Pat) A Blackjack hand equal to hard 17 or greater (but
not busted) that doesn’t require a hit. (In draw poker, a Pat Hand is one
which does not need more cards).
Penetration: A measure (usually in percentages) of how deeply the
dealer goes into the deck or shoe before he shuffles the cards.
Pit: An area of the casino surrounded by table games, where one can
usually find casino employees and the Pit Boss.
Pit Boss: The job of the Pit Boss (a casino staff member) is to monitor
all casino play in his pit area.
Playing Conditions: These are the rules/options one must abide by
when playing Blackjack (or other games) at a particular table or casino.
A few examples would be: no double after split or double down on only 10,
11. These rules/options also include minimum and maximum table limits for
betting.
Plug: This is a shuffling technique used most often in card
games (such as Blackjack) dealt from multi-deck shoes. Newly shuffled
cards are brought back into play, but a significant number of them
are kept out of play by virtue of a cut-card being inserted into the
back of the deck (or shoe). Play will be stopped when the cut-card
is reached, at which point the game stops and the cards shuffled again.
The remaining undealt cards are stuck into the middle of the pile of
cards that have already been discarded into the discard tray. These
cards are known as the “plug,” and the whole process is known as “plugging
the deck.”
Plus / Minus: Another way of referring to the Hi-Lo counting system.
Point Count: This comes at the end of a hand, and refers to the net
value of the card count.
Preferential Shuffling: Shuffling when it is clear that the
remaining cards favor the players.
Push: This is when the player and dealer have the same total
in their hand, and the player keeps the bet. A Push can also be referred
to as a Tie or a Stand-off.
Q
R
Rat Holing : When the player hides a portion
of his chips away from public view in order to
keep the pit crew from seeing how much he's winning.
Rated: When a player’s skill level is determined by the casino to
be on a professional level. This information – the player’s “rating” – may
be in the casino’s computer and conveyed to the pit crew.
RC: An abbreviation for Running Count.
Red Chip: A chip whose value is $5.
Resplit: This is when a player splits pairs – if another like card
is dealt – after already having split a pair.
Resplit Aces: While some casinos limit the number of times
that aces can be split, the term Resplit Aces refers to an unlimited
ability to split them.
RFG: An abbreviation for Room, Food, and Beverage (understood
to be complimentary).
RGB: An abbreviation and acronym for an internet newsgroup called
Rec.Gambling.Blackjack.
Rider Bet: A bet made by the "Rider" (or player) behind
another player's bet.
Risk of Ruin: A term used to describe the odds of losing one's entire
bankroll.
RNG: An abbreviation/acronym for Random-Number Generator.
ROR: These initials are used to stand for both 1) Risk Of Ruin, and
2) Rate Of Return.
RSA: Shorthand for “Resplit Aces.”
Running Count: This term pertains to card counting systems. It is
the total number of points of the cards from the beginning of the deck or
shoe, updated after each hand according to the value of the point count.
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S
S17: An abbreviation for the rule in Blackjack
which requires the dealer to stand on soft 17s.
SD: This is an abbreviation/acronym for both 1) Single Deck and 2)
Standard Deviation.
Session: This refers to the time you spend at a particular
casino table.
Shill: A casino employee whose job it is to act as a "starter" in
various casino games. His mission is to attract players, and he can often
be found playing at tables with no other players.
Shiner: This refers to a reflecting device that is used in
an attempt to see the dealer’s hole card.
Shoe: The container which holds the cards, and from which
the cards are dealt. It is typically a wooden box.
Shoe Game: This would be a game involving multiple decks of
cards, which are placed and kept in a “shoe” (see above).
Shuffle: When the dealer mixes up the cards at the beginning
of the game.
Shuffle Master: Using a shoe to hold the cards in Blackjack.
Shuffle Tracking: A technique in which players count the cards, observe
where they’re placed in the discard tray, follow their path as they’re shuffled,
and then cut the cards in a manner that will bring clumps of high cards into
play.
Shuffle Up: When the dealer shuffles ahead of time in order
to prevent players from engaging in card counting.
Side Count: A count of specific cards that’s done in addition to the
main count of cards. An ace side count is one of the most frequent side counts.
Soft Hand: A hand containing an Ace valued as 11. For example, a hand
containing an Ace and an 8 would be called a soft 19. That ace could later
be valued as 1, in which case the hand would become a "hard" hand.
Split Hand: This is an option to split one’s first two cards
– when they are of equal value – and play them as two separate hands.
Splitting Pairs: Another way of saying Split Hand. Again, the option
to split one’s first two cards (when they are of the same value) into two
hands and play them separately.
Soft Double: This is when a player who’s got an ace in his original
hand doubles down.
Splitting Aces: If the first two cards you get are Aces, you have
the option to split them, creating two hands to be played separately. The
“catch” is that you’ll then only be entitled to receive one card on each
ace. But if you happen to get another ace as that second card, you can split
the Aces a second time.
Spooking: A form of cheating, involving peaking at the hole
card over the dealer’s shoulder and covertly relaying that information
to another player at the table.
Stand: (or Stay) When you stick with the cards you have. When
you don’t draw (or hit) any more cards.
Standard Deviation: This is a number – a square root, actually – which
reflects the variability of results in a game. It is a statistical measure.
Standing Hand: A hand with a hard total of 17 or more. A player
will usually “stand” with this hand, since drawing another card would
very likely cause him to bust.
Stand-off: This is when the player and the dealer are “tied”
– have the same total in their hands – but the player keeps the bet.
Another word for this is Push.
Steaming: Basically the equivalent of “going on tilt” in poker,
the word “steaming” refers to the emotional position a player gets
into when he is extremely frustrated with how badly things are going
for him during a particular Blackjack session. One can tell he is “steaming”
when, in a usually vain effort to turn things around, he suddenly begins
betting recklessly and making things even worse for himself.
Stiff Hand: A hand that would most likely bust if one took another
hit. Those hands that qualify as “stiff hands” are hard 12 through hard 16.
Stop Loss: This is a limit set by the player before the session starts
regarding the amount of money he is prepared to lose in that session.
Strip Rules: Rules that were once the standard in Las Vegas Strip
casinos. They included: Dealer standing on soft 17, Player doubling on anything,
Player prohibited from doubling down after split, Pair splitting allowed
up to 4 hands, and no re-splitting of aces.
Surrender: This is the only option enabling the player not to play
a hand after he’s already received his first two cards. When he exercises
this option, the player loses half his bet.
T
Team Play: This is when a number of players
together use one bankroll. Either the players themselves
and/or other investors provide this bankroll.
Tell Play: This refers to a player’s carefully observing a
dealer’s facial expressions and general manner in order to determine
what he’s got in his hand.
Third Baseman: (also known as Third Base, or Anchor, or Anchorman)
At the Blackjack table, the seat farthest to the left (i.e., to the dealer’s
right). Also refers to the last person to receive cards.
Thorp: Thorp wrote the first book on card-counting, entitled Beat
The Dealer.
Tie: (also known as Push or Stand-Off). When player and dealer have
the same total, and player keeps the bet.
Toke: This is another word for a tip given either to the dealer or
other casino staff by a player.
True Count: True count equals running count divided by number of decks
still remaining in the shoe.
U
Up Card: Dealer's first card. It is placed
in a face-up position for all the players to see
prior to commencement of play.
Unit: A card counter's minimum bet. For instance, a counter has a
spread of $20 to $200. If he wins ten “units,” that means $200.
Unbalanced Count: There is an unequal count of plus and minus cards.
V
Var: Abbreviation for variance.
Variance: The variability of returns on
a game, measured statistically.
Vig: An abbreviation for “vigorish,” which
was once the term used for the interest which loan
sharks charged. The term is now used to refer to
the house advantage or fee.
W
Wonging: This expression, which derives
from the name Wong (the poker author), refers to
a way of back-counting cards. The player only joins
play when he sees that to do so – according to
the count – will be to his advantage, and then
leaves when he sees it swinging the other way.
Win Rate: A figure that expresses the speed at which one is
likely to win. This is either reflected in a percentage, or in dollars
per hour/number of hands.
Whale: A whale is a very high-roller.
X
X: A card valued at 10.
Y
Z
Zen Count:Blackbelt in Blackjack by
Arnold Snyder describes this level two counting
system, which gives a value of a) plus one to 2s,
3s and 7s, b) plus two to 4s, 5s and 6s, c) minus
one to Aces and d) minus two to ten valued cards.
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