Learn Blackjack Rules and Terminology
(Casinos Guides)
Useful Blackjack Abbreviations
Many well-known abbreviations are used in casinos when playing blackjack. Here are some of the most popular abbreviations and other useful blackjack terminology.
- BSE - Basic strategy edge
- H17 - Hit soft 17 (casino dealer must always hit at this score)
- S17 - Stand on 17 (casino dealer must always stand at this score)
- DOA - Double on any first two playing cards
- D10 - Double permitted on 10 or 11 only at casino
- DAS - Double after splitting is permitted at casino
- RSA - Re-splitting aces is permitted at casino
- ESR - Early surrender of cards / bet
- LSR - Late surrender of cards / bet
- O/U - Over / under 13 side bets are permitted at casino
Useful Blackjack Terminology
Basic Strategy - a blackjack playing strategy designed to minimize the casino advantage, without using advanced techniques such as card counting.
Cut Card - where a plastic card is used to cut the cards after the casino dealer has shuffled them.
Double Down - the initial blackjack bet is doubled to receive one further card.
Early Surrender - only available in some casinos, where the player is able to surrender their hand and lose half of their actual bet.
First Base - player seated at the table able to act on their hand first.
Flat Bet - to continually bet the same stake money on each blackjack hand.
Hard Hand - any hand that is specifically not a soft hand.
Heads Up - playing at a table with no other card players.
Hit - requesting a new blackjack card from the casino dealer, sometimes known as 'twist'.
Hole Card - the casino dealer's card that is face down on the table.
Insurance - an additional side bet which totals up to half of the original bet, only offered when the casino dealer's upcard is an ace, paying two to one against a hand.
Late Surrender - surrender of player's cards and half of original stake bet, only allowed when the casino dealer does not have a natural 'blackjack' hand.
Natural - where a blackjack hand totals 21 on the first two cards that have been dealt by the casino dealer.
Over / Under - an unusual bet, where the player's first two cards total over or under 13, with aces scoring as one.
Preferential Shuffling - shuffling the deck of cards only when they become favourable to the actual players, rather than the casino.
Push - a tied result, with the original stake money bet returned to the player.
Shoe - the undealt pile of game cards, often used when playing multi-deck blackjack games.
Soft Hand - card hands including an ace scoring eleven, where it is not possible to go bust by drawing a further card.
Split Hand - hands starting with two identical cards, often of different suits, where they can be split into two separate hands with independent bets.
Spread - where more than one bet is placed before the cards have been dealt.
Stand - to stick with the blackjack hand and no longer request cards from the casino dealer.
Stiff (Hand) - a card hand with only a small chance of winning, generally scoring less than sixteen.
Surrender - an option where players are able to give up their hand to the casino dealer (when it consists of just two cards), only losing half of the original bet
Third Base - the final player at the blackjack table.
Upcard - the casino dealer's first card which is always dealt facing upwards.
