Veteran blackjack players welcome the
opportunity to take insurance?when the cards on the
table, and the cards that have gone before, signal the
possibility that the dealer has a blackjack, those players
will buy insurance. There are options to all Black
Jack decisions, and in general, insurance is not a sound
wager. Surrendering. Many casinos do not have this option,
but many do. It works like this: When a player looks
at his hand and the dealer?s face-up card and decides
that he has the worst of it, he may throw in his hand
before drawing any other cards and surrender half of
his original bet.
This is an option that an advanced player
understands, but if you, the reader, are rather new
to the game, it is best to be passed upon?until you
feel you?re no longer a rookie at the table. These are
the basic rules for playing casino blackjack. Once you
have mastered them, you are ready to learn basic strategy,
which is a method of deciding whether to hit, stand,
double down, or split a pair on the basis of mathematical
probability.
BLACKJACK TERMINOLOGY BASIC STRATEGY?A
computer-developed method for playing blackjack?without
keeping track of the cards?that may be easily memorized
by a player. BLACKJACK?A popular betting game in which
the bettor is dealt two cards, either face up or face
down; the dealer has one face-up and one face-down card.
The object of the game is to have cards totaling 21?or
as close to 21 as possible without going over, and coming
closer to 21 than the dealer. A score of 21, when dealt
an ace with a 10 or a picture card, is called blackjack.
BREAKING HAND?A hand that will break
(go over 21) with a one-card draw, such as a hard 12,
13, 14, 15, or 16. Also called a stiff. BURNED?Discarded;
what is done with the top card after the deck is cut
so that the player can?t see its value. BUSTED?To overdraw
to a total greater than 21; an immediate losing hand.
COUNTING?The ability of a player to keep an accurate
mental record of the cards that have been played. Can
allow players to have a relatively good idea of which
cards remain in the shoe. DOUBLING DOWN?An option in
which the player, feeling he has a good hand, which
will win with one more card, turns his two cards face
up and adds to his bet by as much as his original bet.
This gets him one additional card. DRAW?To obtain additional lottery california
cards to the original two cards. FACE CARD?King, queen,
jack.
FIRST BASE?The first seat at the blackjack
table, immediately to the left of the dealer. HARD COUNT?The
true face value of the cards being played with. HARD
HAND?A hand without an ace, or one with an ace that
can be counted only one way (for example, an ace, 6,
and 9). HIT?To add another card to a player?s hand.
The player asks the dealer for another card by saying
or signaling ?Hit me.? HOLE CARD?The dealer?s face-down
card. INSURANCE?A side bet offered to the player by
the house, when the dealer?s face-up card is an ace,
that the dealer has a 10 as his hole card, making casino.
Pays 2:1. MONEY MANAGEMENT?The manipulation of increments
of one?s bankroll in betting, the better to overcome
adverse house percentages. NATURAL?A total of 21 in
only two cards. Automatic winner, pays 3 to 2. PIT BOSS?The
person in charge of the blackjack games. PRESS?To increase
the size of the subsequent wager.
PUSH?A tie between the dealer and the
player in which no money changes hands; a standoff.
SHOE?A dealing device for multiple-deck games. SOFT
HAND?A hand with an ace that can be counted optionally
as 11; for example, an ace and a 7, which can be counted
as totaling 8 or 18. SPLITTING PAIRS?An option the player
has with two original cards of the same denomination
(4s, 8s, etc.) of splitting the two cards and playing
each hand individually. STAND?What a player does when
he is satisfied with his existing cards and stays with
his hand as is. SURRENDER?The ability of the player
to give up only half his bet when it is apparent that
there is no way that he can beat the dealer. Must be
done before any cards are drawn. Available only in certain
casinos. THIRD BASE?Last seat at the blackjack table,
immediately to the right of the dealer. TOKE?The tip
or gratuity given to dealers by players. ?21 ??Another
name for the game of blackjack. Also, the winning total
in blackjack. UP CARD?The dealer?s face-up card.
