Strategic Ways To Play Blackjack

Hand Signals and Terms Used in Blackjack

Just like any other casino game, blackjack is played with a lot of hand signals and terms known only to professional players. If one is a beginner, one might get lost in the game proceedings. This article aims to provide the beginner with information on the commonly used terms and hand signals in blackjack.

Blackjack starts with all players placing their bets. The players are then given two cards face up. The dealer gets two cards, but with one face up and one face down. The dealer's face down card is called the "hole."

The hand can either be a hard hand or a soft hand. The term "hard hand" refers to a hand with no ace in it. This means that the hand has a definite value. The term "soft hand" refers to a hand with one ace card. This means that the hand's value may change depending on whether the ace is counted as one or eleven. When a hand has a value of twenty-one, then that is called a "blackjack." This is when players get the most winnings, assuming that the dealer does not also get a blackjack.

Each player is then decides on their next move. The player seated at the left of the dealer makes the first move. This player is called "first base." The last player, seated at the right of the dealer, is then called "third base." At this stage, players make use of hand signals to signify their decision. This makes the game more exciting as moves are made with just a wave or tapping of a hand.

The player then decides whether to hit or to stand. The term "hit" means the player wants another card. The hand signal used for a hit is a tap on the table in the area immediately in front of the player or a hand gesture similar to when saying come on.

The term "stand" means the player is okay with the cards he already has. The hand signal used for this is a wave on top of his cards.

Before a player makes a hit or a stand, one can "double down." This refers to doubling his bet right after he gets his first two cards. Not all casinos allow this. The hand signal used for doubling down is by placing an equal bet next to the original bet.

Splitting the cards may be done when the player gets two cards with equal value. The term "splitting" means separating the cards into two hands with two separate bets. The player then gets additional cards to complete the split cards. The hand signal used to let the dealer know that you are splitting is by separating the two cards and placing another bet beside the original bet.

If the dealer has an ace on his face up card, the dealer can propose insurance. The term "insurance" refers to a side bet such that when the second dealer's card turns out to be a ten, the player wins two to one of half of his original bet. The player loses the original bet but then gains the insurance bet.

Several casinos allow a surrender. The term "surrender" refers to the player letting go of half of his original bet when dealer checks for a blackjack. This is to the advantage of the player when played right, but in most cases is used to trick the player.

Equipped with the hand signals and terms for blackjack as described above, one can now play and pretend to be a pro.

Summary: Playing blackjack is made more exciting with the terms and hand signals used during the game. Beginners should learn these basic and start playing like a pro.