Advanced Player Blackjack
There are a couple of terms you should know when playing an advanced game so you won't be left behind with the lingo at the table.
First of all, the dealer is always going to have one card facing up and the other one facing down. The one that is facing down is known as the "hole" card. Any 2 card 21 is also known as a "natural" hand.
When you decide to receive more than your two cards it's called "hitting" and to "stand" means to stay and match your cards with the dealer's hand. If you happen to be dealt 2 cards of the same value you can choose to "split" your hand and double your wager by making two new hands with the old cards.
Your only opponent is the dealer so if you're feeling lucky you can choose to "double down" meaning you double your bet before accepting your 3rd and final card. You can also choose to "surrender" if you feel that your initial hand is lousy and opt to lose just half of your bet.
When you see that the dealer has an "Ace" as the face card you can choose to get "insurance" meaning you bet up to half your original bet before the dealer checks his card, hoping the dealer has a ten and not just a "soft" hand.
A "soft" hand is when the Ace value is 11 without going over.
If you happen to have the same value as the dealer it's called a "bust" and nobody wins.