Blackjack Glossary

Anchorman - Also known as the third baseman, the anchorman is the last player to take their turn before the dealer acts.

Blackjack - A face card or a ten with an ace (off the deal) is known as blackjack or twenty-one.

Bust - Exceeding a card count of 21 in blackjack is known as a bust or busting.

Card Counting – Keeping track of the cards that have been seen in a shoe of blackjack cards is known as card counting.

Dealer - The dealer acts on behalf of the house in the blackjack game. Dealers must play by predefined rules. They also are responsible for paying/collecting bets, shuffling cards into the blackjack shoe, as well as distributing cards in the blackjack game.

Double Down – Doubling down is the act of increasing your bet times two in exchange for one more card, which puts twice as much money at stake.

Early Surrender – When a blackjack game allows for early surrenders, the players may give up one-half of their bet before the hand starts, meaning one must declare their desire to surrender before the dealer checks for blackjack. When you surrender, you draw a line on the table with your finger.

First Baseman – The first player to act after the hand has been dealt is known as first base or the first baseman.

High Roller – In blackjack, a high roller is one who bets a lot of money in each hand of blackjack.

Hit – When you hit in blackjack, you are asking the dealer for one more card. One signals for a hit by tapping their finger on the table.

Hole Card – The down card that the dealer holds.

House – The casino who backs the game of blackjack is known as the house.

Insurance - When the dealer shows an Ace, insurance is often offered. This protects the player against the dealer having blackjack.

Late Surrender – The act of giving up one-half of a bet after the dealer checks for blackjack is known as surrendering late.

Multiple Deck Blackjack – When a blackjack game uses more than one deck of cards in their shoe, it is known as multiple-deck blackjack.

Natural - A natural is the act of being dealt 21 (face card or ten and an Ace) right off the bat.

Penetration - Penetration refers to the number of cards dealt prior to the dealer shuffling the deck of cards back into the shoe.

Push - When the player and dealer tie in a hand of blackjack, it is known as a push. No money changes hands in a push.

Round - One complete round of blackjack is when every player and the dealer all have acted on their hands.

Shoe - The shoe is the container the playing cards are held in. The dealer issues these cards one at a time to the players and to himself.

Shuffle - The mixing of the cards prior to loading the shoe and playing a round of blackjack.

Single Deck Blackjack – A blackjack game that is played with one deck of cards.

Soft Count – A hand is said to have a soft count if it contains an Ace, as the ace can be counted as 1 or eleven. A hand that does not contain an ace is said to have a hard count.

Split - The act of dividing a paired hand into two separate hands, each one playing independently of one another and requiring its own bet.

Stand - When a player is satisfied that they do not want anymore cards, they are standing. Standing is signaled by moving one’s hand side to side.

Third Baseman – The last player to act before the dealer acts is known as the anchor or third baseman.

Tip - A show of appreciation or gratuity given by a player to the dealer.

Twenty-One – Another name for the game of blackjack.

Unit - A unit is another name for a bet, which is most often used when talking blackjack theory or strategy.

Up Card – The up card is the card that the dealer shows face up on the deal.