Blackjack Glossary.

Hit
Asking for a “hit’ is, quite simply, asking for another card. The Player is allowed to hit as many times as he or she wants until he or she busts or has a hand of 21 – also known as a blackjack.

Stand
To ask for a “Stand” is to say to the dealer that you don’t want another card. The player that stands is finished playing his hand and this hand is now ready to be compared to the dealer’s hand.

Double Down
Doubling down is the term used to describe a situation in which you ask to be dealt only one extra card and then double the original bet. After the player Doubles down he automatically Stands.

Split
In a case where the first two cards dealt are a pair of cards of the same value, the player may choose to split them, forming two hands and thus increasing the bet twice. After that, player decides how to play each hand separately as the dealer deals the second card. The ideal Split situation occurs when splitting Aces and 8’s.

Insurance
Insurance is an extra bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace. This bet costs 50% of the original bet and protects you, the player, in case the dealer does have a Blackjack. After the Insurance bet has been taken or ignored, the dealer checks his Hole card. If the dealer has a Blackjack, the players lose original bets and all the insurance bets win 2-to-1. Otherwise, in case the dealer does not have a Blackjack, the Insurance bets are lost and the players keep on playing their hands. Insurance, however, is generally a bad bet because it has a house edge of 2-15 percent, depending on number of decks used and the visible 10-cards. Basically, taking insurance amounts to betting that the dealer’s hole card is a ten or face card.

Even Money
In cases where the player has a Blackjack and the dealer’s up card is an Ace, the player is offered the Even Money bet. This bet protects player from a push in case the dealer also has a Blackjack. This bet equals 50% of the original and in case the dealer has a Blackjack, player gets his initial bet back and gets the Even Money bet 2 to 1.

Early Surrender
As a blackjack player, you have the option of “surrendering” before the dealer checks for his/her Blackjack.

Late Surrender
Here you have the option to surrender after the dealer checks to see if she/he has a blackjack.