Blackjack Terms – Part Three
Welcome to the third part in our Blackjack terms series. Last time we left off talking about the house’s edge. Today, we’ll start out with “Even Money,” which happens to be a sad moment for me. The last thing you want to see when you’re dealt a Blackjack is the dealer having an Ace.
Even Money – When the dealer has a potential Blackjack-and you were dealt a Blackjack-you can ask for even money. If you take even money, your Blackjack is paid 1:1 instead of 1.5:1. So, a wager is paid . If you don’t take even money and the dealer has Blackjack, you just push.
Expectation – I won’t get too technical with this one. Basically, it means the amount of money you can expect to win or lose over a period of time.
Face Cards – Real simple here. Face cards are the Jack, Queen and King. They are all worth 10 point in Blackjack. There’s no real difference in these cards unless you’re playing a side game like Royal Match.
First Base – This is the seat that gets the cards first. The dealer deals clockwise, so first base is the first seat on the dealer’s left.
Flat Betting – When you flat bet, you’re just betting the same amount on every hand. This really isn’t idea. Unless you’re just playing for a little fun and free drinks, you want to alter your bets some now and then.
Heads Up – This happens usually in online play. It’s when you’re the only one at the table. You’re playing with the dealer only. In real casinos, some players like this and they’ll move around looking for empty tables. When someone else sits down, they get up and find another empty table. You’ll see some big-time players request an empty table. If they are playing enough, the casino will rope off a table for them.
High Roller – We just talked about one in our Heads Up description. A high roller is someone who bets a lot. The real high rollers will walk into a casino with millions to wager if they so choose. They are also called whales.
Hit – Take a hit to get another card for your hand. It’s also called a draw.
Hole Card – This is the magical card that the dealer gets that you can’t see-unless you’re playing a double face up game of Blackjack.
Hot Deck – It’s just the opposite of a cold deck. A hot deck is in your favor and hopefully you’re betting big.
House Edge – We talked about this in our Edge description. All casino games have a house edge. The casino always has the advantage over you. Some games are better than others. For instance, Blackjack has a much lower house edge than Roulette.
Insurance – Many call insurance a sucker’s bet. When the dealer shows an Ace, you can take insurance. It costs half your wager and if you take it, you want the dealer to have a Blackjack. If not, you lose your insurance bet and now if you win, you only win a profit of 50%, which isn’t fun.
See you next time when we go into the fourth part of our Blackjack terms series.