We’re nearing completion in our Blackjack terms series. In our next to last series installment, we’ll go over some terms, such as “Money management,” “Paint” and “Push.” We start out with an important term, because it highlights how the Blackjack rules can be different from casino to casino.
Las Vegas Strip Rules – Las Vegas is split into two main gambling regions-Downtown and the Strip. The Strip has different Blackjack rules than Downtown. A major rule to check on before you play is whether the dealer must hit or stand on a soft 17.
Money Management – It’s no secret. Losing players rarely have any money management skills. Money management goes beyond just knowing how much money you have to play with. It involves knowing how much to bet and when. There are many money management systems out there.
Money Plays – A command barked out by a dealer when a player puts actual cash in the betting area.
Natural – When you’re dealt a Blackjack.
Paint – Want to see paint? If so, you’re asking for a face card. It’s called this, because face cards are graphical in nature.
Pat Hand – No, it’s not the hand of someone named Pat. When you have a pat hand, you want to stay. An example of a pat hand is a hard 17. A hard hand is one in which there isn’t an Ace counting for 11 points.
Point Count – If you’re counting cards, you always know what the count of a deck is.
Push – This is another name for a tie. When you have a bet that pushes, you don’t win or lose. Your money is returned. If you’re playing a double face up game, it’s possible that there aren’t any pushes, because the dealer wins all ties.
Resplit – When you get two cards of the same rank, like two 7’s, you can split them. If your first card on a split is also the same rank, you can resplit then hand. Some casinos only allow one split and others may allow up to four. Check with the casino to be certain. While you always want to split Aces, some casinos don’t allow you to play split Aces like a regular hand. Instead, they’ll just give you one card per hand.
Running Count – It’s the same thing as a Point Count. At any given hand, a card counter knows the count of the deck and bets accordingly. If the count is favorable to the casino, the bet is reduced. If the count is favorable to players, the bet is increased.
That does it for this installment of Blackjack terms. We’ve got one installment in our series left. We’ll go over terms, such as Shill, Shoe, Third Base, Toke, Vig and Whale.
