Author: horse-racing-free-tips

We’ve finally arrived at the final installment of our Blackjack terms series. We’re about to bring it all together. It’s been a fun ride. Once you finish this series, consider yourself a Blackjack terms expert. Let’s go.

Session – This term is used most when talking about money management. A session is a period of time spent gambling.

Shill – These guys are casino employees. To facilitate action, a shill will go up to a table-usually an empty one-and play. The idea is that if you’re walking around and see action, you’ll play. Shills are more likely to be used at a Craps table, because not many people like being the only player in Craps.

Soft Hand – This is any hand where an Ace is being used as an 11.

Stand – When you’re happy with your hand, you can stand, which ends your turn.

Surrender – Some casinos allow you to surrender. When you surrender, you throw in your hand and get half your wager back. A common surrender situation is when you have a hard 16 and the dealer has a face card showing.

Third Base – It’s the opposite of first base. Third base is the last seat to get cards. If the table is full, it will be the seat immediately to the dealer’s right hand.

Toke – Also called a tip. Dealers work for tips, so they love players who tip them. One common way to tip in Blackjack is to place a bet for the dealer. You do this by placing your tip bet above your wager on the layout. Let the dealer know it’s for him/her, so they can make sure the placement is right. This is a good way to get the dealer to root for you.

True Count – It’s another card counting term. When there are multiple decks, you take the running count and divide it by the number of decks being used. This gives you a more accurate picture.

Up Card – The dealer gets two cards in Blackjack to start with. The Up Card is the card that you can see. The bottom one you can’t see is called a hole card.

Unit – A measurement of betting. For instance, a unit could be $5, $10, $1 or whatever.

Vig – This is the money that goes to the house. A popular vig in sports betting, for example, is 10%.

Whale – This is the big-time player-the high roller. Casinos-and dealers-love to see a whale coming. It usually means there’s a chance for a nice payday.

And there you have it. We’ve come to the end of our Blackjack terms series. Do you feel like a Blackjack terms expert now? We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series.

Good luck at the tables!

Blackjack has a colorful history. Shows have been made out of just parts of it. In fact, I credit Blackjack with launching the development of systems and books about gambling.

It all started back in the 18th century. There was a French card game called “Ving-et-un” and it was the foundation for today’s game of Blackjack. Some say that history comes back around to the present.

In the 1800s, America was anti-gambling in its stance. Gambling was an underground activity. That began to change in the 1900s and in 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada. Almost five decades later, Atlantic City followed.

The late 1950s is really were it all started. The man was Roger Baldwin and is 1956 publication “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” paved the way for the marriage between man and math in gambling. It’s as if the light went on. Blackjack can be beat.

Six years later a man by the name of Edward O. Thorp released a book that quickly became a towering hit and it’s the book that’s known by many Blackjack players. The book was called “Beat the Dealer.”

The doors were now opened and many started looking at casinos as a way to get rich. In fact, Lawrence Revere believed this very thing. He took the simple concept of winning at Blackjack one step further by releasing a book called “Playing Blackjack as a Business.”

The wheels were turning and the 1970s marked the next huge revolution. Computers were now brought into the mix. Enthusiasts all over were using computers to create and run simulations-trying to find the ultimate winning strategy. And it was in this era that casinos really got worried.

It was one thing for a handful of people to try and come up with systems while losing real money. It was another for a wider audience to be able to develop and test perfected systems. The public was now developing a hunger for Blackjack knowledge.

Casino operators realized that single-deck Blackjack was vulnerable. That’s when they devised the “shoe.” The “shoe” held multiple decks of cards. When multiple decks are added to the game, the percentages change. It’s also easier to protect against card counters.

Given all this, one man-Ken Uston-made a living beating Blackjack in casinos. He’s a legend. He was so successful at destroying the game that seven Las Vegas casinos banned him for life.

Uston thought he might have a legal battle, so he sued. The final judgment came down in 1987. Uston was found dead in Paris. Did the casino owners kill him? Was it a deal gone bad? Was it just the wrong place at the wrong time?

Today, Blackjack books and software programs are all over. Each year many people go online or visit a casino in hopes of claiming riches at the Blackjack table. It still remains a game that can be beat.

Blackjack, the card game that adds a dash of European style to American casinos is simple enough: At the start of each round you get two cards and so does the dealer, one of which is shown. Keep drawing cards until you hit a total value of 21 or quit just before you go over the limit and bust. It’s you against the dealer and whoever comes out on top gets the winnings. At first glance the game seems one of chance an intuition. After all, you can’t know what card is coming up next. However one of the reasons that Blackjack is so popular is that there is a strong element of skill involved. Rather than just trusting to blind luck you can play your cards wisely and hopeful leave the table with a fist full of dollars.
Perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is that what matters is not just your card value but also the dealer’s shown card. Winning is all about assessing your hand against the dealer’s potential hand. Because the dealer has to hit on sixteen or stand on seventeen you can use this to plan out your strategy. The higher the dealer’s shown card the stronger his hand is and the more trouble your are in.

Here is a quick list of possible cards showing in the dealer’s hand and what they mean for you:

Ace: Big trouble. This round is going to be the dealer’s unless you have spectacular luck.

10 or face card: Bad news for you. The dealer is in a strong position.

9 : Things aren’t looking good. The dealer has got the upper hand here.

7 or 8: Loosen up a bit, you can beat the dealer on this round if you play things right.

4 to 6: The dealer has got that sinking feeling. This hand looks like it will be yours.

2 to 3: Be careful. It could go either way, so play cautious.

Always draw a card if your total is less than 11 because there is no danger of you busting. As a general rule you should always stand if your hand is 17 or higher. If you are on 13 to 16 only draw a card if the dealer is showing 7 or better.
If you hand totals 12 you should take a hit unless the dealer is showing 4 to 6. In this case the dealer may very well bust so you should sit tight and wait for that to happen.

If you play your Blackjack right you can narrow the house odds down to almost even and with just a little luck, you can come out ahead.