Here are some of the Blackjack terms and actions that might be a little confusing at first but we’ve written a short list of some of the blackjack terms and actions and an explanation of what each term means.
- Soft hand – A soft hand is any hand that contains an Ace. As Aces can be either a one or eleven, they’re a useful card to have and can give you an advantage. You also need an Ace to make Blackjack, the best hand in the game.
- Hard hand – A hard hand is a hand without an Ace or a hand that has an Ace with a value of one. For example, if you had a hand value of seventeen and received an Ace. The Ace would have to have a value of one, or your hand value would exceed twenty-one.
- Bust – Bust is where either the player or the dealer has their hand value go over twenty-one. At this point, the person who bust loses and the other wins. Can also be known as a break.
- House edge – The house edge is the advantage that the casino has in the game. Casinos are sometimes known as the house. Most Blackjack games have a very low house edge, but some situations, bets, or rule changes will change the house edge slightly. You can look up the house edge of a game before you play to give you an idea of how fair it is.
- Push – A push bet is the result of a tie, where both the dealer and player reach the same hand value. If you have a push bet, your stake is returned to you in most cases.
- Even money – Even money describes odds that are 50/50 or 2 to 1. In other words, if you bet a stake of $20, you can win $20, or you can lose $20. Winning at Blackjack will pay out even money, but landing a Blackjack usually pays out at odds of 3 to 2 or 1.5x your stake. This means that from a bet of $20 you can win $30.
- Shoe – The shoe is the box that holds the cards. In most online games of Blackjack, it’s a virtual shoe. Live games will still use a real shoe as you would see at the land-based casinos.
- Upcard – The upcard is the face-up card of the dealer. Most Blackjack games will allow you to see the dealer’s first card, giving you an idea of what strategy to follow.
Player actions explained
We’ve covered the actions you can take in Blackjack, but now we’re going to look a bit closer. Here we’ll explain the details of each action and when they can be performed. If you want to play Blackjack, you’ll need to know this information well, especially if you want to win.
Stand – Standing will effectively end your turn and allows the dealer to then make their move. You should stand when you’re happy that your hand is high enough to beat the dealer. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to be close to twenty-one, provided the dealer busts or ends their turn with a lower hand, you’ll win. If you hit a twenty-one in online Blackjack, the game will automatically put you in the stand. At this point, the only way the dealer can beat you is with a Blackjack.
Hit – If you’d like to add more cards to your hand to get a higher value, you’ll need to hit. The dealer will pass you one extra card, and you’ll be able to take another action after that. Whether it’s a good idea to take a hit or not will depend on the hand of you and the dealer. A low value will mean you’ll want to hit but be careful not to hit too much as you can bust if you go over twenty-one.
Double Down – Doubling down is similar to a hit, only instead of receiving an extra card, you’ll also increase your stake. Your stake is doubled, hence the name. Usually, this will also end your turn. Some game types will allow you to make other actions after the double down, however.
Splitting – If your cards are a set of pairs, you’ll be able to split. You’ll receive two more cards, so you have two hands with two cards each. You can only split on your first action of the round. Sometimes, however, you may be able to split twice in a row if you receive another pair. Bear in mind that splitting will give you multiple hands and will also increase your bet. Your stake is increased by the number of hands you have in play. So two hands will be 2x your stake.
Insurance Bet – If the dealer draws an Ace, you can take insurance out against them having a Blackjack. If the dealer lands a Blackjack, you’ll lose even if you have a twenty-one. The insurance bet is half your stake and pays out at odds of 2 to 1. You’ll lose your stake from your original bet, but you’ll at least be able to break even if the dealer has a Blackjack.
Surrender – When you first receive your hand, you’ll be able to surrender as your first action. This will mean you effectively give up for that round and your cards are returned to the dealer. It may seem like a bad idea, but the upside is that you get half of your stake returned to you if you surrender. If you have a particularly bad hand and the dealer has a good upcard, it can be a smart choice to surrender and wait for the next round.
These were some Blackjack terms and actions, hope it was helpful to you.
Happy Winning.
THE BASIC RULES OF CLASSIC BLACKJACK
THE BASIC STRATEGY OF BLACKJACK RULES
