Published on January 23rd, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

5 Weird Things You Can Hear On Blackjack And What They Mean

One of the things that make gambling interesting is that it is rich in its vocabulary. The more games you learn to play, the more lingo you come across and eventually learn to use. This is also one of the reasons why for some people, it can easily be overwhelming and casino games can sometimes feel like a foreign language that you understand nothing about. However, it should not be like that.

In a blackjack game, you may sometimes hear unfamiliar terms and jargon that may seem weird for you, especially if you are a newbie to the game. Fortunately for you, below is a guide to some of the most used slang and in-game lingos in blackjack. Before you go and download the best blackjack apps, make sure to learn at least a few of these terms, if not all of them.

The Anchorman

The Anchorman is also called the third base, or the seat that is the last on the revolution of the dealer around the table. Due to their position, the “anchorman” or simply the anchor would be the last person to act on their hand.

Although there is no proof to it, most blackjack players believe that being the anchor is not the best thing that anyone would want, as they believe that the last player to get to act on their card has a big impact on the hand the dealer would have. This is just a myth, though.

Shoe

The dealer’s shoe is where the deck of cards, usually six or eight decks is stored. Shoes are used, mainly in blackjack, starting in the early 1960s. There are two main purposes why a shoe is used to hold the decks–one is to reduce the time the dealer spends between each shuffle, and the other is that so any cheating attempt from a dealer can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated.

Stiff

When you get a hand that is just a difficult one and seems to be impossible to win, it is usually called a stiff.

In blackjack, a stiff can usually come from any set of two cards that when combined, have a value of 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16. This is because having this much value with only two cards greatly narrows down the options for a card that can give you a winning final hand, as any high-value card can easily bust you out of the table.

The Five-Card Charlie

The Five-Car Charlie refers to a rare combination of a hand of five cards that has a total value of 21, and not nay point over it. When it comes to the statistics of probability, getting a Five-Card Charlie as your hand is said to be once out of at least 50 hands dealt.

Landing this rare hand is such a strong demonstration of luck that that back in the day, land-based casinos used to offer a premium payout rate of 2:1 if you get a hold of a Five-Card Charlie. However, that practice was long abolished by now.

Snapper

This is just another term for what is called a “natural,” or a “blackjack” (the hand, not the game). This is where the game got its name, too, as one fun fact.

A snapper is a hand that has an ace (any ace) plus any card that has a value of ten. So why call it a snapper? The term “snapper” came from the sound the chip makes whenever dealers would add an extra $2.50 chip on top of a $5 winning payout. The snapping sound of it also gave the standard $2.50 chips the nickname “slapper” across casinos for most of the United States.

Photo by Aidan Howe from Pexels

Tags: blackjack, blackjack apps, casino

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.