Blackjack: Glossary of Terms

To be able to learn your way through a game of Blackjack, you need to be fully informed about the common terms that are often heard at the table. Here is a quick guide on Blackjack-related words and phrases:

* Ace - the Ace card has a very different role in a game of Blackjack. It can take a value of 1 or 11, depending on your need.

* Betting Limit - Blackjack has minimum and maximum limits pertaining to the amount of bets players can place at a time.

* Blackjack - this is the most rewarding hand in a game of Blackjack. It is composed of two cards that totals to 21.

* Break or Bust - this is about going overboard on the required 21 for your cards' values.

* Card Counting - this is a Blackjack strategy that pertains to the mathematical calculations of the value of the cards and the player's odds in the process.

* Doubling Down - this is another blackjack strategy where you can opt to take another card after the first two were released and double your bet while you are in it.

* Early Surrender - in this case, a player surrenders even before the dealer starts evaluating the hands.

* Face Cards - the Jacks, the Queens, and the Kings are of very important values in Blackjack simply because they can easily deliver the win in a no-mess fashion.

* Hit - when this word is called out, the player who said it would be given an extra card aside from the first two, which was issued by the dealer.

* Multiply Deck - there are some Blackjack games that use multiple card decks. This particular term pertains to those.

* Pat - this is a Blackjack hand that totals to 17.

* Push - in this case, the player' hand and the dealer's hand are of equal value. Literally, Push means that the player is given back an amount equal to his bet.

* Soft Hand - this is a Blackjack hand that contains an Ace card valued at 11 but does not make a total of 21.

* Split Hand - in this particular Blackjack situation, a player's first two cards of equal values can be separated and played as two different hands.

* Stand - a player can choose not to be dealt with an extra card just so he does not go bust when his first two cards did not make a Blackjack. He chooses to stick to his hand instead of risk going bust!