ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACKJACK
P. 1) A common acronym for pair splitting. Also seen as SP. A P is commonly seen in the blackjack literature to mean pair split and is used to distinguish from an S, which usually means stand. 2) Acronym for poor penetration.
PA. See player advantage.
pack. 1) A new deck of cards still in the box, complete with undiscarded jokers. Typical new card order of a high quality pack of cards includes both rising and falling sequences as shown in the side chart. 2) A reference to the total collection of cards in play. This may be any number of decks.
paddle. The tool used to push paper money, markers, and fill slips into the drop box.
[ 80 Solkey Dummy Up and Deal 117 ]
paint. A picture face card – a jack, queen or king and sometimes even a ten.
paint / no paint. (PNP) A blackjack hole-card strategy. The ability to distinguish the cards Jack, Queen, King from other others in the deck.
pair. As in a pair of cards. Two cards of the same rank.
Pair Play. A blackjack side bet from Pala Interactive that pays 11 to 1 if the player’s first two cards form a pair. HA ~ 10% – 11%
[ wizardofodds.com ] [ palainteractive.com/ ]
pairs bet. A blackjack side-bet that pays when you get a pair. See Lucky 13s Blackjack.
pair splitting. (P). A common advantageous rule option that allows the player to split his original two cards if they are of the same value and wager on them independently. This has the effect of doubling the player’s original bet. Proper pair splitting gives the player an approximate 0.4% – 0.6% gain over a mimic the dealer strategy. See split aces.
Pair Square. (PS) (aka Bet the Set) (c2010 ?) A blackjack side that pays if the player’s first two cards are a pair. This side bet has a large casino edge depending on the payout for suited pairs. See Bet the Set.
[ 888casino.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
palm. {CHS} To conceal money, chips, or cards in the hand.
Panama. Panama City, Panama has seen consistent and liberal blackjack rules in the past. See link below for more information. See Canal 21.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
Pane, Joe. According to his bio, Joe Pane is a skilled advantage blackjack and tournament player and has won over $1 million in blackjack tournaments. The Las Vegas Advisor ranked him as the #1 ranked tournament player in the country in 2007. Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast in 2013.
[ bjinsider.com ] [ bjinsider.com ] [ lasvegasadvisor.com ] [ PODCAST: Nov 22, 2013 ]
Parker, Robert LeRoy. The host/moderator of the Parker Pages on the former AdvantagePlayer.com site. Frequent contributor to BJ21.com and other blackjack message boards.
[ ARCHIVE: AdvantagePlayer.com 2015 ]
parlay. As in to parlay your winnings. To continue betting with the original wager plus its winnings. See press.
Parson, Leonard “Specs”. See Lawrence Revere.
past post. {CHS} A cheating technique that involves placing or adding to a wager after the cards have been dealt or after a win is assured.
patents. Interested in researching US and foreign patents, trademarks and copyrights that are related to blackjack? A search on uspto.gov in April 2018, showed 219 U.S. patents with the word “blackjack” in the title, however, a search on patents.google.com showed 393 results. Check out the following links.
[ WIKIPEDIA ] [ WIKIPEDIA: Copyright ] [ WIKIPEDIA: Trademark ] [ patents.google.com/ ] [ uspto.gov/patent ] [ wipo.int/pct/en/ ] [ wipo.int/directory/en/urls.jsp ]
pat hand. 1) A hand in no need of any more cards. 2) A hand totaling 17 to 21. Dealers are required to stand on all hard counts of 17 to 21 and soft counts of 18 to 21. Depending on the rules of the casino, dealers may or may not stand on soft 17. See S-17 and H-17.
pattern. Players often see what they believe to be a predictable pattern as the cards are dealt. This is impossible in a randomly shuffled deck for any apparent pattern is simply a random event. However, some believe and are using methods to exploit shuffles that are not random. Card clumping due to the natural pickup order in a game and the introduction of new cards in a game have both been the basis of many pattern recognition strategies. See TARGET. See NBJ.
Patrick, John. Author of several blackjack and gambling books and videos including those in the So You Wanna Be A Gambler? series. He has authored at least 15 books and has over 30 videos on casino games, sports handicapping and the lottery. These systems are NOT recommended.
[ ARCHIVE: JohnPatrickCasino.com 2008 ]
Patterson, Jerry L. Author, instructor and developer of blackjack and gambling systems since the early 1960s. Patterson has a B.A. from Willamette University (1956) and an MS in Mathematics from George Washington University (1968). Patterson spent 25 years in the computer systems and services field before becoming a blackjack player, gambling author and instructor. Author of several blackjack books including Blackjack: A Winner’s Handbook and co-developer of the TARGET system. The TARGET system is NOT recommended. See the book review section for recommendations. See Eddie Olsen.
[ ARCHIVE: blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ ARCHIVE: blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ WIKIPEDIA ]
pay. See pick and pay. See lay and pay.
payoff. The collection of a bet. See pay off.
pay off. As in to pay off a bet. Casino dealers will always pay off from their right to their left. In other words, third base gets paid first. Dealers will pay off players in one of three ways:
- Color for color (e.g., 4 reds pays 4 reds)
- Totaling (e.g., 1 green + 5 reds pays 2 greens)
- Converting (e.g., 4 reds pays 1 green & take 1 red)
See deal.
[ 91 Janik/Smith How to Deal Blackjack VIDEO ]
PB. Acronym for pitboss.
PBA. See Professional Blackjack Analyzer in the software section.
PBJ. Acronym for Precision Blackjack.
PBS. Acronym for Progressive Betting System.
PC. 1) An abbreviation for percentage, usually used when referring to the house advantage. Also referred to as the win-rate. A table PC is determined from the final count of money in the drop box and money given out of the chip tray. See hold. 2) Acronym for playing correlation. 3) Acronym for pit critter.
PCS/Ln. Acronym used in this book to mean a Point Count System of level n.
PE. Acronym for playing efficiency.
peek. To look at a card. The dealer is said to peek when looking for a possible natural with an ace or 10 up-card. A cheating dealer will try to peek to determine the value of the top card of the deck. See no-peek devices.
[ 66 Thorp Beat the Dealer 148 ] [ 87 Humble World’s Greatest Blackjack Book 399 ] [ 88 Casinos That Peek BJF ]
peek versus no-peek. Whenever the dealer has a ten-valued card or an ace showing there is a possibility of a dealer blackjack. In the early days all dealers used to peek under both tens and aces. Today, you will only occasionally see dealers peek and when they do it will usually be under aces only. In many casinos dealers do not peek at all and simply wait until all players have completed their hands before revealing his hole-card. In many casinos today, tables are equipped with special electronic sensing devices and special cards are used to detect an ace in the hole. If the dealer manually peeks under tens there is always the possibility of the dealer giving off a tell and their are strategies to exploit this dealer weakness. See no-peek devices.
Peek Versus No-Peek – How to Deal Blackjack
peek freak. A term used by casino personnel to describe a hole-card player.
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 320 ]
Pell, Allan. Author of the Blackjack Bootcamp series of instructional videos and former owner of the GambleVision web site.
[ ARCHIVE: gamblevision.com 2003 ]
Pell. (1982) Invented by Talton Pell, this game was offered at Sam’s Town in East Las Vegas during 1982. Eight decks were used with four decks placed in two shoes. One card was drawn from each of the shoes. Players bet on whether both cards will be red, both black, both the same suit, etc. This game was easily beaten by card counters.
[3/82 Wong NVB & CBN 48,53]
penetration. The percentage or fraction of a deck or shoe that is dealt out to players. Some prefer to use the point at which the dealer will deal another hand rather than shuffle to define penetration. Although this is a minor point for shoe games it is a major point for single-deck. Penetration is considered one of the most important factors in determining the profitability of a blackjack game. See depth charging.
Ben and Colin from Blackjack Apprenticeship Describe Penetration
Pennsylvania. In 2016, the state of Pennsylvania had 12 casinos with 434 blackjack tables.
[ qfit.com ]
Perfect 11’s. (aka Blackjack 11’s) (c2017) Michael Shackleford reports seeing this side bet in Belgium in 2017. The bet wins if the player gets 11 points in his first two cards, including a blackjack. Some special equipment is used and there are several progressive jackpots in the possible wins. See Open 21.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
Perfect Charlie. (c2009) Seen the Fort McDowell Casino near Phoenix, AZ. This blackjack side-bet pays a jackpot for 5-card 21’s with different payouts for suited and/or ordered hands. A Perfect Charlie is a hand like 2,3,4 or 2,3,4,5, etc but don’t make it.
[ discountgambling.net ]
Perfect Pairs. (c2009) Seen at the Barona Casino near San Diego, CA. This blackjack side-bet pays when you get a pair, a colored pair or suited pair. (HA ~ 5.8 – 13%)
[ discountgambling.net ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
perfect shuffle. Also called a faro shuffle, weave shuffle or the out shuffle. A shuffle operation that separates the top and bottom 26 cards of a 52-card deck and precisely interleaves them, the top and bottom cards remaining unchanged in position. There are two ways to perfectly shuffle a deck of cards. Both methods cut the deck in half and interlace perfectly. The “out” shuffle leaves the original top card on top. The “in” shuffle leaves the original top card second from the top. See random-shuffle.
[ 04 McDowell Blackjack Ace Prediction 32 ] [ WIKIPEDIA: Faro shuffle ] [ WIKIPEDIA: Out shuffle ] [ sciencedirect.com ]
Perry, Stuart. aka Dan Gordon. (???? – Mar 18, 2017) The blackjack world knows Dan Gordon as Stuart Perry, author of the book Las Vegas Blackjack Diary – a brutely honest account of 8 weeks of blackjack play by a medium to high stakes player. Most know him as one of the best sports handicappers in the world. He has served as the sports betting consultant for ESPN, NBC, Inside Sports Magazine and had many betting columns in numerous newspapers.
[ blackjacktheforum.com ] [ AMAZON: Beat the Sports Book ] [ AMAZON: Memoirs of a Sports Betting and Blackjack Earner ] [ OBITUARY ]
Petersen, Bradley. aka Diamond Mike. According to Max Rubin, “An inveterate playboy and gamesman, Petersen rocked the professional blackjack world by winning back-to-back titles” … in the 2001 and 2002 “Blackjack Cup” at Max Rubin’s Blackjack Ball.
[ maxrubin.com ]
PHASE II. {RWC}. (1987) (Eddie Olsen). A playing strategy for games with excessive like-card clumping. This system is NOT recommended.
[ 7-11/87, 7/88 Olsen BJC ]
Phoenix. A card counter, road warrior and aspiring film maker that goes by the name “Phoenix”.
[ PODCAST: Aug 17, 2017 ]
pick and pay. The dealing method of turning over a player’s cards, paying or taking bets, then picking up that hand before proceeding to the next player’s hand. Pick and pay is the style of dealing most common in Northern Nevada. See lay and pay.
[ 86 Forte Read the Dealer 43 ]
Pick ‘Em Blackjack. (c2014) A blackjack game with three side bets consisting of the following:
- 17 Bet – Wins if the dealer busts, pushes on a dealer 17 or loses otherwise. Pays 3 to 2.
- 18 Bet – Wins if the dealer busts or has a total of 18, pushes on a dealer 17 or loses otherwise. Pays even money.
- 19 Bet – Wins if the dealer busts or has final total of 17 or 18, pushes on a dealer 19 or loses otherwise. Pays 1 to 2.
[ 888casino.com ] [ YOUTUBE ]
Pick One 21. (c2001) A blackjack variation where players bet on which of two hands will come closer to 21, without going over. Spanish decks are used (decks with no tens) and Aces always count as 1 point. (HA ~ 2.09%)
[ wizardofodds.com ]
Piemaster 21. {BP} (Ed Piechocki) (1992) A small pocket sized card with an incorrect basic strategy chart and a progressive betting scheme. Not recommended.
[ Win 93 Dalton BJR 14 ]
pink slip. See fill slip.
pinks. Gaming check (chip or token) worth $2.50. Some casinos, such as those in Atlantic City, use this denomination to make it easier to pay a $5 winning blackjack. In this case, a $5 bet would win $7.50 if the player receives a blackjack. Many dealers are upset with this policy because it tends to reduce player toking. See twofers.
pip(s). The suit designs (club ♣, diamond ♦, heart ♥, spade ♠) on a playing card that indicate its denomination. It is required to memorize the pip arrangements on cards to enable the player to determine their value when peeking. See spooking.
pit. The area that is surrounded by and including the gaming tables.
Casino Pit Example
pit boss. (PB) The most senior gaming supervisor in a grouping of tables. The floormen report to the pit boss and the pit boss typically reports to the shift boss or casino manager.
pit critter. (PC) A casino pit boss or floorperson.
pit stand. The pit boss‘s desk.
[ Kuriscak Casino Talk 36 ]
pitch, pitching. As in pitching the cards to the players. Pitch blackjack gets its name from the way a dealer deals the game. Instead of dealing from a shoe, the dealer holds the deck (or decks) in his/her hand and “pitches” the cards to the player.
Pi Yee Press. See BJ21.com. See Stanford Wong.
PK. Acronym for “peeking under tens allowed.”
play. The betting or action.
Play 21 Every Day and Win. {PBS}. (E. C. Rocker) Las Vegas, NV. TBD
[ 80 C&S Vol.9,24 ]
play all. To play through all counts, both negative and positive. Essentially the opposite of Wonging.
play variation. To vary the way you play the cards from some given basic strategy. See Illustrious 18. See Fab 4.
Frequently Asked Question
What are the top play variations that yield the greatest gain for card counters?
play zone. A shuffle tracking definition. A set of cards played with a predicted count. See track zone.
player. The gambler or individual who places the bets and makes the playing decisions. Blackjack tables general have a maximum of 6 or 7 spots for players to sit at, however, only one player is required for the game to be dealt. In many locations, especially in Europe and Asia, additional players (who are not seated) are permitted to place bets on a player’s hand (who is seated).
Frequently Asked Question
Do other players affect your long term expectation?
player advantage. (PA). The advantage that a player has on a bet. As used in this book it refers to the advantage when correct basic strategy is used. The single-deck Las Vegas Strip game is used as a 0% reference point. (e.g., 4 deck PA = -.50%. This means that you are .50% worse off playing in a four deck game as compared with a single-deck LVS game.)
The typical card counter’s long-term advantage can vary from zero to just under 2% or so, although a player may have a much greater (or worse) advantage on any individual bet. See house advantage. See edge.
player bias. See bias.
Players’s Choice 21. (2013) A blackjack variation where the player starts with 3 cards and uses them to form two starting hands. One card will be common to both hands. Sounds good, but players are forced to make a side-bet called 3 Card Bonus.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
Players Edge 21. (c2015) A blackjack variation from Galaxy Gaming that has all the Tens removed, similar to Spanish 21. May include the Monster Match side bet.
[ Monster Match Side Bet Card ] [ galaxygaming.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
playing correlation. (PC). The playing correlation of a card counting system is related to what is known as the inner product or the sum of products of the point values of each counted card and the effect of removal of that card. See playing efficiency.
playing efficiency. (PE). A measure (related to the playing correlation) which indicates how closely a card counting system responds to changes in playing strategy (from basic strategy). Single parameter systems can approach an optimum playing efficiency of about 70%. Higher playing efficiencies can be obtained only if separate counts are kept for different types of cards or if a multi-parameter system is used. See betting correlation. See insurance correlation. See card counting system comparisons.
[ 82 Snyder The Blackjack Formula 85 ] [ 88 Griffin Theory of Blackjack 45 ] [ 90 Chambliss Fundamentals of Blackjack 205 ] [ qfit.com ] [ blackjackinfo.com ]
playing strategy. As compared to betting strategy. The strategy a player uses to play his hand after being dealt his initial two cards. An ideal playing strategy would require knowledge of all the remaining cards in a deck.
[ 76 Andersen Turning the Tables on Las Vegas 16 ]
Frequently Asked Question
What is the worst common play in blackjack?
Playmate. See Blackjack Playmate.
platykurtosis. (platykurtic) See kurtosis.
PLM Money Management. {PBS}. PLM, Inc., Trenton, NJ. A 3×5 card-sized money management mini-booklet and wallet-sized plastic card with some minor variations of basic strategy. Not recommended
[ 80 C&S Vol.9,22 ]
ploppy. An uniformed gambler. Appears to be a term coined by gambling author Frank Scoblete in the early 1990s.
plucking. As in plucking checks and as opposed to picking checks. Dealer terminology for the manner in which checks are removed from a tray.
plugging. Part of a shuffling procedure. To take the remaining cards (cutoffs) and plug them into the cards already dealt (discards). Double plugging would refer to breaking the cutoffs into two stacks and then plugging each stack into a different portion of the discards. Bottom plugging would refer to placing the cutoffs beneath the discards prior to the shuffle. Also called slugging.
plus count. See positive count.
plus/minus. A common reference to the Hi-Lo card counting system.
PNB. See Power Numbers Blackjack.
PNP. Acronym for Paint / No Paint.
pocket. 1) Where you will see some dealers keep player tokes. When the top shirt pocket of a dealer is bulging with chips it is often due to player toking within the last 20 minutes or so. 2) Where you will see some players hide chips during play in order to keep the pit from keeping track of actual wins and/or losses.
point count system. A card counting system in which a card is assigned a value, either positive, negative, or zero, as it is played. For the most part, cards favorable to the player are usually given a negative value while those unfavorable are given a positive value as they are removed from the deck.
The pointer. Term coined by Steve Forte to refer to a dealer who is always pointing to the player’s betting circle, rushing him along to act quickly on his hand.
[ 86 Forte Read the Dealer 46 ]
pontoon. 1) A corruption of the French term vingt-et-un, pontoon is the social version of twenty-one and the Americanized casino banking game of blackjack. The Malaysian version of pontoon is played in Australian, Malaysian, British and Singaporean casinos. Pontoon and variations of the game of blackjack were very popular for allied troops during the first and second world wars. 2) Similar to Spanish 21.
[ 66 Thorp Beat the Dealer 3 ] [ WIKIPEDIA ] [ WIKIPEDIA: Malaysian Pontoon ] [ wizardofodds.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
poolside report. A report by David McDowell. See Poolside Report.
poor. 1) As in the deck is 10 poor. To have a smaller than normal percentage of that card value present in the deck. See rich. 2) What the novice gambler becomes after playing thousands of hours in a negative-expectation game.
positive count. When the running count is positive (greater than zero). As opposed to negative count.
Power Blackjack. (c2011) A blackjack game variation where the player can “Power Double” on specific two-card hands. If the player does not like his double card, he may exchange it for the next card in the shoe. Also, the player may split any two-card 15 or 16. The catch? If the dealer busts with a total of 22, then all non-busted player hands will push. (HA ~ 0.23% to 0.55%)
[ wizardofodds.com ] [ 888casino.com ] [ WIKIPEDIA ]
Power Numbers Blackjack. (PNB) (Leonard Benson and Morton Jacobs) (c1995). This system claimed a mathematical advantage without card counting. Original cost $495 or $379 if you ordered within 10 days. This system is NOT recommended.
[ ARCHIVE: rge21.com | rge21.com 1995 ] [ ARCHIVE: leonardbenson.com ] [ 96 Leib BJF Spring 96 ]
PRBG. Acronym for Pseudo-Random Bit Generator. Also known as Pseudo-Random Number Generator. An algorithm for generating approximate random numbers.
[ WIKIPEDIA ] [ BJRNET: random bit generator/ ]
Precision Blackjack. (PBJ) (Ron DiBenedetto) See entry in book section. NOT recommended.
[ ARCHIVE: precision21.com 2004 ]
Precision Blackjack. (PBJ) (c2020) (Unknown author) Site advertising a blackjack training course that includes betting tactics designed for the “streaky” and the common “choppy” type games, recognizing “hot zones”, better money management systems, card clumping, lock wins and stop losses. Recommended by E. Clifton Davis. In other words, another worthless system seller. NOT recommended.
[ ARCHIVE: pbjcollege.com 2020 ]
Precision Count. {PCS/L2} (Clarke Cant and Paul Keen) Also called the C-K Count. (c1982)
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 -1 -2
preferential shuffle. {CHS} The cheating action by a dealer of shuffling up the deck (or decks) that are positive to the player, and dealing out the deck (or decks) that are negative to the player. Preferential shuffling is most commonly found in hand-held games.
press. To increase the size of the next bet. See double up. See parlay.
probability. The probability that an event will occur is the fraction of times you expect to see that event in many trials. The classic definition of probability can be expressed as follows: If a trial can result in n equally likely events and if m of these are favorable to the occurrence of an event E, then the probability P(E) of the event E occurring is:
P(E) = m / n
Where
m = Number of favorable events
n = Number of possible events
The probability of an event, P(E), is always a number between 0 and 1 and is often expressed as a percentage (%). A sure bet S could be expressed as P(S) = 1 or 100%.
The probability of winning a hand at blackjack is about 42.4%. If ties are ignored, then it is about 46.4%. See odds.
[ 66 Thorp Beat the Dealer 188 ] [ 06 Introduction to Probability by Grinstead and Snell ] [ wizardofodds.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]
probable error. A parameter equal to 0.6745 times the standard deviation. Half of the individual results will lie within one probable error of the mean value, if the distribution is normal.
[ 90 Chambliss Fundamentals of Blackjack 205 ]
progression. As in a betting progression. To increase one’s bet size in some systematic manner. See Martingale.
[ 9/80 Sayre Math Case Against Prog Betting Systems GT ] [ 9/81 Positive Progression Blackjack GT ] [ 1/88 Newell In Defense of Prog Blackjack GT 52 ]
progressive betting system. {PBS} See progression.
progressive blackjack. Progressive and bad beat progressive games and side-bets are possible with blackjack. For example, you could set up a progressive game that only hits when the player has a blackjack in hearts and the dealer also has a blackjack in hearts. Or, you could set up a progressive “bad beat” game where you win if your 20 gets beat by a 7 or more card dealer hand 21. See Super 4.
[ discountgambling.net ]
Progressive Blackjack. (c1990s) Also called Progressive 21. 1) A marketing promotion that rewards players who manage to get a specific combination of cards. For example, in March of 1991, the Tropicana Casino in Las Vegas introduced games with a jackpot worth at least $2000. All the player had to do was make $5 minimum bets and get 4 red 5s of any combination of hearts and diamonds (e.g., 5D , 5H , 5D , 5H ). 2) Supersuits – a progressive blackjack side-bet invented by Innovative Gaming Corp. To win, the player must be dealt enough cards in the same suit equal to and less than 21. 3) In other variations, the player is required to make a side bet (e.g., 50 cents or $1) for a chance at a progressive jackpot. 4) A table game adaption from Mikohn Gaming – IMAGE | TABLE | LOGO
[ 4/91 Olsen Trop. Introduces ‘Prog. Blackjack’ BJC ] [ 5/24/93 Business Week 130 ] [ Sum 93 Banker Prog. 21 Makes Debut in A.C. BJR ] [ 9/93 The Boardwalker Not so Progressive 21… BJF 42 ] [ mikohn.com ]
promotions. A casino marketing event or device to encourage play. See coupon. See funbook. See matchplay.
[ 888casino.com ]
Pronovost, Dan. Creator of the Speed Count and the first to develop blackjack training programs for hand-held devices and PDAs, such as the Palm OS and Pocket PCs. His blackjack training software is also available for Android and iPhone. See DeepNet Technologies in software section.
[ deepnettech.com ] [ handheldblackjack.com ]
proportional betting. To bet a proportion of your bankroll depending on your advantage in a game. You must have an edge to justify making a bet. If your expected win is negative, your optimal bet size is zero. See Kelly Criterion.
[ 10/81 Wong BJW Vol.3,162 ] [ 8/83 Wong Return on Investment for… BJW 135 ] [ 84 Cant Crash Goes Prop. Betting C&S Vol.26,29 ]
protection bet. A blackjack side-bet that protects something. Examples could include getting a stiff hand on the first two cards or busting on exactly 3 cards. See Lucky 13s Blackjack.
Puerto Rico. Legal six-deck shoe games can be found in Dorado, Humaco, Mayaguez, Rio Grande, and San Juan.
[ 81? McArdle 20 Years of BJ in Puerto Rico… ] [ 90 Olsen BJC ]
pumpkin. See orange.
Pure 21.5 Blackjack. A blackjack variation from TXB Industries. The object is for players and the player-dealer to add the numerical value of their cards and…
- Achieve the best possible point total of 21.5 by getting a King, Queen, Jack or Ten Bonus card and an Ace on the initial two cards dealt. Hand pays 6 to 5.
- Get as close to 21.5 as possible, without going over.
- Draw additional cards if needed.
See Red Flex.
[ oag.ca.gov ] [ oag.ca.gov ] [ oag.ca.gov ]
purple. A reference to a $500 chip. Sometimes grey or white. Also referred to as a Barney.
Purpose, Darryl. A former professional advantage player, member of Ken Uston’s team and a performing songwriter. A 2010 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. From his web site: “When Darryl Purpose was 16 years old, his mother put a book called “Beat the Dealer” in his Christmas stocking. He interrupted a guitar major program, went to Las Vegas as a teenager, began a career as professional card player. He was soon known as the world’s fastest card counter. Banned from casinos on six continents, he still calls this the ‘only real job I’ve ever had.’ Years later, he took time off to walk across the country for peace, and fell in with a ‘bad’ crowd – musicians & peaceniks – which culminated, improbably, in sharing the stage with the likes of Santana and Bonnie Raitt in the first stadium rock concert in the former Soviet Union.” According to some reports, Darryl could count down a deck of cards in 8 seconds flat.
[ Blackjack Hall of Fame ] [ darrylpurpose.com ] [ YOUTUBEe ] [ WIKIPEDIA ] [ ARCHIVE: blackjackforumonline.com ] [ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 293 ] [ PODCAST: Dec 20, 2011 ] [ INTERVIEW 2003: Richard Munchkin ]
push. A standoff or tie. A situation in which the player and dealer both attain the same hand value. No money changes hands in the event of a push in most games. All pushes are standoffs except when the player busts before the dealer. In this case, if the dealer subsequently busts, the player still loses his wager. For a typical shoe game, the basic strategy player will push about 8.7% of the time. See win See lose.
Push your luck. (c2010?) This is a blackjack side-bet where the the pay-off is 10 to 1 if you push your main bet. (HA ~ 0.76%)[ discountgambling.net ]
p21. The rule abbreviation for players push a dealer’s blackjack when the player has 21 in three or more cards.
Push 22. See Catch 22.
PYP. Acronym for Pi Yee Press. See BJ21.com. See Stanford Wong.