Dictionary of Terms

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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