ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BLACKJACK

$. Typically used in the literature to mean high stakes are available (e.g., > $100).

S. See stand. See P.

S., Tony. See Tony S.

S7. See Super 7s.

S-17. (Or S17) See soft 17.

S21. See Spanish 21.

Safe Bet.  A blackjack side bet available in some Dragonfish online casinos.  Bet pays 3 to 2 if the player’s first two cards are a hard total of 12 to 16 and the cards must be composed of two different ranks (i.e., can’t be split).  HA = 6.49% – 8.06%.
[ wizardofodds.com ]

SafeChip.  The player chips used at a SafeJack table.

SafeJack.  (c1997) The SafeJack system used sensors and computer technology to quantify player wages. Special casino chips were used that incorporate microchips and a low frequency radio antenna to identify wagers.  (Sample Computer Display Image – This image came from SafeJack advertising. It displays a player rating report captured in real time that shows player’s name, account number, handle, average bet, number of decisions and win/loss data. In this example, this player played 107 hands, had a handle of $12,350, an average bet of $115.42 and lost exactly $837.50 in 78 minutes.) Mikohn gaming discontinued this product in favor of its TableLink system.  See SafeChip.
[ Chips | Keypad | Computer | Shoe | Sign ]
[ mikohn.com/ ]
[ 6 BJC Feb 1997 ]
[ Wiki: Mikohn Gaming ]

Sahara World Championship of Blackjack.  See World Championship of Blackjack.

SAL. Acronym for Simple Associated Learning, a memory system described in the chapter on location play in Rick Blaine’s book Blackjack Blueprint.  Named after Sal Piacente, a top gaming-protection expert.

Salerno, Frank.  See Al Francesco.

sandwich.  Term used for placing a lower denomination chip between 2 larger denomination chips, with the hope that the dealer will not notice and pay off as 3 large chips.  Usually only possible if the lower domination chip is similar in color to the larger one.

SAR. Acronym for Suspicious Activity Report.  See buy-in.

Sassy Red. A female card counter who goes by the name “Sassy Red”.  Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Apr 4, 2019 ]

Saunders, Daniel.  One of the many aliases Ken Uston used during his blackjack career.   See Dr. John Wasserman.
[ 79 Uston One Third of a Shoe ]
[ 4/16/79 Sports Illustrated ]

SBA. Acronym for the blackjack simulation software Statistical Blackjack Analyzer by Karel Janecek.

Scan Techniques. {CS} (John Julian) (1992) Techniques that non-counters can use to gain a slight advantage in single-deck games.
[ 92 Julian No-Nonsense Guide to Winning Blackjack ]

Scarne, John. aka Orlando Carmelo Scarnecchia (March 4, 1903 – July 7, 1985)  By the mid-1950s, John Scarne had authored a half-dozen books on gambling and games.  By the time he published his New Complete Guide to Gambling, in 1961, he was considered one of the “World’s Foremost Gambling Authorities“.  In 1962, Ed Thorp’s book Beat the Dealer came out and changed everything.  Scarne did everything to discredit Thorp and eventually Scarne’s credibility was tarnished.
[ Wiki: John_Scarne ]
[ Books by JohnScarne ]

Scavenger Blackjack. {BS} A term coined by James Grosjean and Previn Mankodi to reflect opportunities in blackjack where someone can buy/sell a hand or double down or split another player’s hand.  There is an opportunity to buy or sell a hand anytime a civilian has mis-priced a hand, or when his risk aversion differs from the scavenger.  Scavenger blackjack requires knowledge of the GUT or the expected return for every play.
[ Archive: blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ wizardofodds.com 

Schlesinger, Donald.  (Born 1946) Author, researcher, columnist, gaming mathematician and editor of numerous blackjack books including this book. Author of the book Blackjack Attack and a regular contributor to Blackjack Forum and the online blackjack discussions on BJ21.com and other sites.  A 2015 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.  See SCORE.  See Illustrious 18.  See Fab 4.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ Don Schlesinger’s Basic Strategy Cards ]
[ Wiki: Don Schlesinger ]
[ Wiki: Blackjack Hall of Fame ]
[ Don’s Domain: AdvantagePlayer Archives ]
[ Archive:  blackjackbomb.com/don-schlesinger/ ]
[ gamblingsites.org ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 295 ]
[ PODCASTS: Apr 13, 2012, Feb 13, 2015 ]

Schipani, Frank.  See Al Francesco.

Schoenberg, Erica.  (Born March 25, 1978) A former model turned blackjack player and professional poker player.  Originally received professional blackjack training by a member of the MIT blackjack team.  Schoenberg was a contestant in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour and World Series of Blackjack TV shows.  A native of Akron, Ohio, she earned the nickname of “Blackjack Babe” for her good looks and modeling career.  On May 29, 2011, she married fellow poker player Erick Lindgren.  They have one child.  Lindgren and Schoenberg divorced in March 2014.
[ BlackjackLife.com ]
[ CardPlayer.com ]

Schwartz, Howard. Since 1979, Howard Schwartz was the former marketing director for the Gambler’s Book Club / Shop (GBC).   Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., he earned graduate degrees from Kansas State University and the University of Northern Colorado (Greely) in Technical Journalism and Secondary Education (Reading Specialist).  He worked for newspapers in New York, Montana, Nevada, California and Missouri, plus The Associated Press. He considers himself, in reality, a “librarian for gamblers,” and has helped edit more than 40 books published by the GBC. Schwartz has written book reviews for five gaming publications, weekly and monthly and, according to sources, has read more than 100 books a year related to the gaming industry. 

Scobe, King.  See Frank Scoblete.

Scoblete, Frank.  (Born 1947) aka King Scobe. An American author of several books on blackjack and gambling including Best Blackjack and the Armada Strategies for Spanish 21.  Promoter of the Speed Count.
[ Wiki: Frank Scoblete ]
[ frankscoblete.com/ ]

SCORE. (1999) Term coined by Don Schlesinger that stands for Standardized Comparison Of Risk and Expectation – a methodology for evaluating different games based on the number of decks, rules, penetration, and bet spread. Initial computer simulation work was performed by John Auston.  See OSR.
[ 97 Schlesinger Blackjack Attack ]
[ Sum 99 Schlesinger BJF 07 ]
[ 2010 Wattenberger Modern Blackjack 99 ]

scratch. A player’s motion to the dealer to indicate a hit. This is done by scraping the edge of the cards, in face down games, or the finger, in face up games, on the layout.

SD. 1) Acronym for standard deviation. 2) Acronym for South Dakota.

SD1. A card counter who goes by the name “SD1”.  Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Dec 5, 2019 ]

second base. aka centerfield. Between first base and third base.  A seat in the middle of the table.

seconds. {CHS}. A cheating technique where the top card of the deck is not dealt. Seconds generally refers to the dealing of the second card from the top of the deck, however, expert cheats, magicians, and dealers can also deal thirds and bottoms. See peeking.
[ 66 Thorp Beat the Dealer 150 ]
[ 12/81,3/82 Case The Second Deal BJF ]
[ 9/90 Collier The Second Deal BJF ]

2nd Chance Blackjack. A blackjack variation offered for about 2 months at the Western Hotel in downtown Las Vegas (c1984?). In this game, after your first hand is decided, you have the option of playing a second hand, at a bet of up to the amount you wagered on your first hand, against the same dealer hand.
[ 1/84 Wong NBJ 15 ]

SECT. {STS} (Michael Dalton) This stands for Shuffle Enhancement and Cutting Technique and is a methodology for creating a basic strategy for shuffle tracking multi-deck shoe games. The player is not required to actually track the shoe but must be able to identify the type of shuffle a casino generally uses (e.g., 2 stack simple shuffle?, zone shuffle?, single plugging?, double plugging?) In other words, if you only know the shuffle and the end-count (or other section count) then you know where to best cut the cards.  According to Dalton, this technique provided a great deal of cover and was successful in the casinos that had a defined simple shuffle.
[ 90 Dalton The Florida Cruise Ship Report ]

See-Thru 21. See Double Exposure.

self control. See discipline.

sequence. As in a rising or falling sequence.  A rising sequence is a reference to a rising of card suits and denomination (e.g., 2§ , 3§ , 4§ , 5§ ).   A falling sequence is a  reference to a falling of card suits and denomination (e.g., 5§ , 4§ , 3§ , 2§ ).  See sequencing.

sequencing or sequence tracking.  See location play.  See ace tracking.

Seri 1 Count. {PCS/L3}

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-2 1 1 2 3 2 1 0 0 -2

BC = .98 PE = .56 IC = .76

[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 124 ]

Seri 2 Count. {PCS/L3} See Wong’s Halves.

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-2 1 2 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2

BC = .99 PE = .57 IC =.72

[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 124 ]

Seri 3 Count. {PCS/L3}

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 1 2 3 2 1 0 -1 -2

BC = .97 PE = .63 IC =.78

[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 124 ]

Seri 5 Count. {PCS/L5}

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-4 3 3 4 5 4 2 0 -1 -4

BC = 1.00 PE = .57 IC = .76

[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 124 ]

session. As in a one hour session.  A time period usually used for recording the results of play.  According to the editor of this book recording the results of your blackjack sessions is a key element to success in this game.   See session bankroll.

session bankroll. See bankroll.

seven card Charlie. See Charlie.

seventeen-card cut. {STS}. This is a card location tactic which requires that the player see the bottom card before the cut. If the table is full (7 players) the known card is 17 cards from the bottom of the deck or stack. If one card is burned the bottom card will become the dealer’s hole-card. See location betting.
[ 90 Zender Card Counting for the Casino Executive ]
[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack ]

Seven to 1 Blackjack. (c2014) TCS John Huxley. A blackjack side bet that pays 7 to 1 if the player’s first two cards AND the dealer’s card are all the same color AND the player wins the bet.  IMAGE1 IMAGE2

SFL.  Acronym for Split For Less.
[ 888casino.com ]

Shackleford, Michael.  … is the Wizard of Odds!  (Born May 23, 1965) An American  mathematician and actuary and best known for his analysis of casino games. Shackleford won the 2011 “Grosjean Cup” at Max Rubin’s annual Blackjack Ball.  Author of the book Gambling 102: The Best Strategies for All Casino Games.  See WizardofOdds.com.
[ Wiki: Michael Shackleford ]
[ maxrubin.com ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ wizardofvegas.com/ ]
[ Archive: aleaconsultinggroup.com ]
[ PODCASTS: Nov 4, 2011, Jan 30, 2015, Dec 14, 2017, Mar21, 2019, Jun 6, 2019, Dec 25, 2019 ] A few of many!

Sharp, Maverick. Author of the book Dynamic Blackjack and developer of the Dynamic Matrix Pro Count.

Shelly II. A card counting system. ??? TBD

shift. The 8 hours a day a typical dealer works. Three shifts (graveyard, day, and swing) make up a full day.
[ 80 Solkey Dummy Up and Deal 117 ]

shift boss. The casino employee who controls the casino on his shift and reports to the casino manager. See pit boss.

shill. An employee of the casino who acts like a player and bets casino money in order to attract players and stimulate interest in the game. Shills generally follow what are referred to as shill rules: They never double down, split, or insure and often stand on stiff hands. Shills are legal in Nevada but regulations [NGC §23.065] state that no more than four shills may play in any card game at the same time. According to regulations issued by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission it is unlawful for Atlantic City casinos to use shills.
[ 1/89 Morningstar BJC 28 ]

shoe. The container from which multiple-deck games are dealt from. These boxes are usually made of plastic and come in different sizes to accommodate 4, 6, or 8 decks.  Before Ed Thorp’s book Beat the Dealer (c1962), all blackjack was dealt from a single deck.   Shoes were introduced to make it more difficult to count and had the added benefit of increasing the casino advantage. 
[ 80 Braun How to Play Winning Blackjack 93 ]
[ 9/86 Schlesinger Attacking the Shoe BJF 5 ]
[ 2/90 Marshall Automatic Shoe WIN 30 ]

short deck. To remove cards from a deck (or shoe) to improve the odds of winning. A cheating dealer would want to remove tens whereas a cheating player would want to remove low cards (i.e., 4’s, 5’s and 6’s). A short deck can also refer to a deck (or shoe) in which cards have been added.
[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 65 ]

Shortie. (SBJ) (c2010) A blackjack side bet where the player wins if his first two cards are 9 or less.  HA = 5.0%
[ 888casino.com ]
[ Archive: pair-me-up.com ]
[ youtube.com ]

short-run. As opposed to long-run. A short period of time usually measured in days, a weekend, or a small number of bets.

short-run strategy. A strategy used to optimize a player’s chances of winning a particular bet or series of bets. Also called a hedge strategy. Progressive betting systems would fit in this category. Most short run strategies have the characteristic of winning most of the time for the player. However, the wins generated by using these types of strategies are generally small in relation to the money put at risk and the player usually has a high probability of eventually being wiped out if play continues. See long-run strategy.

short shoe. See short deck.

shot. Dealer’s slang for an illegal move by a player.

shuffle. To mix the cards in a random manner prior to play. The process a dealer goes through before and after all cards are dealt to the players. Although the basic definition of shuffle is to randomly mix the cards it is rare to find games that truly have a random distribution. It can be proven that randomness does not occur in a single-deck of cards until that deck is shuffled at least 7 times. See amateur shuffle, perfect shuffle, random shuffle, zone shuffle, stutter shuffle, strip shuffle. See riffle.
[ 9/85 Player Card Behavior & Shuffling GT 82 ]
[ 86 Patterson Break the Dealer 71 ]
[ 6/87 Snyder The Human Shuffle BJF 16 ]
[ 3/90 Chuman The Science of Shuffling WIN 56 ]
[ 3/90 Snyder Ruffled by the Shuffle BJF 5 ]

shuffle card. See cut card.

shuffle check. Some casinos require a floorman to check a dealer’s shuffle before inserting the final product into the shoe or before beginning the second shuffle of the cards. After riffling each deck portion a dealer would create a stack of cards but not press the two halves together. This would allow the floorman to verify a good mix had been accomplished. See tail checking.

shuffle machine. A mechanical or electronic device that shuffles the cards.  The are several varieties of these machines which include continuous shuffling machines (CSM) which continuously mix used cards back into the pack and automatic shuffling machines (ASM) which shuffle an entire pack of cards from one to eight decks all at once.  See Shuffle Master.
[ Wiki: Shuffling machine ]

Shuffle Master. (SM) (NASDAQ:SHFL) An automatic shuffling machine designed and built by Shuffle Master, Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minn. At time of writing many of these machines were being used at blackjack tables throughout the world.  This company develops, manufactures and markets automatic card shuffling equipment, table games and video/slot machine game software for the gaming industry.  Shuffle Master, Inc was incorporated in 1983.  Bally Technologies acquired them in 2013, and SG Gaming (now Light & Wonder) acquired Bally’s soon after.
[ gaming.unlv.edu ]
[ sggaming.com ]
[ Light & Wonder ]

shuffle point. Also referred to as penetration point. A reference to the number of cards or decks a dealer deals before shuffling the cards. See penetration.

shuffle tracking. {STS}. As in to track the shuffle. Also called tracking the cutoffs. To track specific areas of a deck or decks through the shuffle process. As cards are dealt a player might mentally (or by use of chips or other devices) note the count value of specific areas of the deck(s). Using this knowledge the player, if given the cut card, can either cut these cards into or out of play. See location betting.  See Ace tracking.
[ Wiki: Shuffle Tracking ]
[ BJRnet Shuffle Tracking Forum:  web.archive.org ]
[ 97 Goren Response to Arnold Snyder ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 17 ]
[ XX Snyder Blackjack Forum Shuffle Tracking Series ]
[ 97 Goren Blackjack Review Shuffle Tracking Series ]
[ 92 Mesa Verde Shuffle Trak Software IBM ]
[ 91 Hall Shuffle Tracking Treatise ]
[ 90 Patterson Blackjack: A Winner’s Handbook 51 ]
[ 90 Zender Card Counting for the Casino Exec 79 ]
[ 10,11,12/89, 1/90 Olsen Blackjack Confidential ]
[ 9/88 Smallwood S.T. Can Cost You Money BJF 13 ]
[ 86 Patterson Break the Dealer 83 ]
[ 83 Snyder Blackbelt in Blackjack 87 ]
[ GWAE: Shuffle Tracking and Ace Sequencing ]

shuffle up. Also called preferential shuffle or breaking the deck.  A casino countermeasure where the dealer shuffles the cards before reaching the cut card or before the usual place for shuffling. Casinos often shuffle up on large bet players who enter games during the middle of a deck or shoe. This is done to discourage card counters. See game control.

side bet. A separate bet that can be placed before or during a regular blackjack game. Examples of blackjack side bets include insurance, Royal Match 21 and Over/Under 13. An excellent resource for understanding side bets can be found in Eliot Jacobson’s book Advanced Advantage Play.
[ Jacobson Advanced Advantage Play ]
[ 888casino.com ] [ 888casino.com ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ discountgambling.net ]

side count. As in to keep a side count of aces. A separate count of cards not normally counted as part of your card counting system.  Examples of side counts include:

• Ace side count for betting (in Ace neutral counts)
• Ace side count for playing (in Ace reckoned counts)
• Ten side count for better Insurance decisions
• Different counts for betting and playing (team play)
• Multi-parameter side counts to improve playing decisions
• Side counts specially designed for side bet decisions

[ 9/84 Snyder Can Side-Counting Make You a Super Counter? BJF 10 ]
[ qfit.com ]

side loading. The dealing practice of loading the hole-card from the side of the up-card. See front loading.

sigma. See standard deviation.

signals. As in signaling another team member. As a member of a blackjack team players are usually required to learn a method of secretly signaling other team members. This can be done by use of hand and body signals, verbal comments, or by use of a player’s chips or items used at a table.
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 174 ]
[ 81 C&S Vol.17, 10 ]

signature cards. {STS} Cards used to predict what the following cards are likely to be.   See steering. See ace tracking.  See location play.
[ 1997 Morse Blackjack Reality 98 ]

silver. 1) Silver dollars. 2) $1 chips or gaming tokens. Although silver is not typically used in casino gaming this term is still widely used to designate the metallic tokens used in $1 slot machines.

Silver Fox. See Ralph Stricker.

Silver Fox Count. (PCS/L1). (1996) (Ralph Stricker)  A balanced counting system described in Stricker’s book The Silver Fox Blackjack System.  Computer analysis by Bobby Fisher. See Green Fountain Count.

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1

BC = .96 PE = .54 IC = .69

[ 97 Stricker Silver Fox Blackjack System ]
[ qfit.com ]

Silverthorne Blackjack Strategy {RWC ???} Silverthorne Publications, Inc.,  Albuquerque, NM.   (Martin Silverthorne) According to the advertising, “The Silverthorne Blackjack Strategy is not a theoretical strategy or system developed by only using computer simulations — like most of the card counting systems. It is a practical set of rules developed playing real blackjack.”  This system is NOT recommended.
[ Archive: casinogamblersbookcase.com/blackjack.htm ]

Simmons, Wally.   A former professional blackjack player and developer of some of the first electronic shuffle tracking computers.  According to Max Rubin, “Simmons is one of the smartest and most creative minds in the professional gambling world.  He is a long-term associate of the Tommy Hyland blackjack team, a computer whiz and a guy no one in their right mind ever takes a bet from.  … Wally went on to parlay his blackjack money into incredible success as a technically savvy and data-driven horse racing programming prognosticator. … He is also known for hosting the second most famous party for Blackjack players, dubbed “Wally’s Super Bowl Party,” which went on for about 15 years, and was attended by many of the more famous and successful practitioners of the Blackjack arts. Sparing no expense, the cost of one of Wally’s infamous parties would have easily funded most Blackjack Professionals’ entire starting Bankrolls.”   Simmons won the 1997 “Blackjack Cup” at Max Rubin’s first annual Blackjack Ball.  Inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2018.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ maxrubin.com ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 310 ]
[ bjinsider.com ]

SIMSIMP. See listing under software.

SIN. Acronym for Surveillance Information Network.  See SSIN.

Singer, Bobby.  A blackjack instructor from the 1980s.  Author of the blackjack course entitled The Bobby Singer Method – Winning At Blackjack.   See Mastering the Flow.  Author of the video Winning at Blackjack with Bobby Singer.
[ youtube.com ]
[ Archive: changetheodds.com ]
[ Archive: gamblingtimes.com/writers/bsinger ]

single-cut.  A reference to a  single-deck game where a cut card is used.  In general, it is worse to play in a single deck game with a cut card than a single deck game played by number of rounds dealt. See single fixed.
[ qfit.com ]

single-deck. A game played with one 52 card deck and almost always hand held by the dealer. See double-deck. See shoe.   PA = +.02%  Assuming Las Vegas Strip rules.  See basic strategy section.
[ Photo by Michael Dalton: Silver City Casino – Las Vegas 1999 ]
[ 80 Wong Single-deck Penetration… C&S Vol.13, 18 ]
[ 1/81 Wong Single-deck Penetration… CBN ]
[ 82 Math Analysis of Single-Deck Games BJF ]
[ 82 Gwynn Single-Deck Computer Simulations BJF ]
[ 87 Snyder Beat the Single-deck Game ]
[ 88 Griffin Theory of Blackjack ]
[ 12/89 William Judging Single-deck Games BJF ]

Frequently Asked Question
Are single-deck games better than multi-deck games?

single-fixed. A reference to a  single-deck game where a fixed number of rounds are dealt.  See single cut.
[ qfit.com ]

Situations and Sequence System. {BS}. (SSS) (See Doug Grant).  ???

six card 21. A favorable rule option that gives the player with a 6-card hand of 21 or less an automatic win or possibly a 2 to 1 payoff instead of the normal even money. Available at the Las Vegas Tropicana and Four Queens casinos during 1991. The Las Vegas Club casino had also offered this rule option for many years in the 1990s. See Five Card 21.
[ 2/92 Olsen Blackjack Variations BJC 11 ]

six card Charlie. See Charlie.

six deck. A game played with six decks and dealt from a shoe.  PA = -.56%
[ 81 Atlantic City’s 6-Deck Games Analyzed BJF ]
[ 87 Snyder Beat the Six Deck Game BJF ]

Sklansky, David.  Author and co-author of several excellent gambling and poker books.   Author of the book Sklansky Talks Blackjack.
[ twoplustwo.com ]

Sklansky Key Card Concept. {PCS/U}. (David Sklansky) (c1977) An idea and concept for single-deck games. Based on the principle that there are times when the proportions of one or two denominations of cards have far more importance on your playing decisions than the count has. See DHM Ultimate.
[ 8/77 Gambling Times ]
[ 82,89 Sklansky Getting the Best of It ]

Skovand, David C.  Developer of a card counting system he calls the Skovand Single-Column.

Skovand Single-Column. {PCS/L1}. (c1968) (David C. Skovand).  In this interesting concept of a card counting system, players count +100 for all the 10s, 0 for the 9 and Ace and +1 for the rest.  I guess he didn’t want any negative numbers to have to worry about 🙂

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  10
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 +100

BC = -.72 PE = .24 IC = -1.0

[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 159 ]

sky. See eye-in-the-sky.

Slapjack.  (c2015) A hilarious variation of blackjack where the winner (dealer or player) gets “slapped” by the other if they lose.  First seen on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon 🙂

Slingo Bonus Bet 21. (c2006) A blackjack side bet that pays on the total of your first two cards.  HA ~ 2.4% – 7.4% 
[ 888casino.com ] [ 888casino.com ]

slot machines. Where all the noise is coming from when you play blackjack. Don’t be alarmed when you hear, every now and then, a little old lady screaming.  Over the years, some types of slot machines were beatable.  Check out Charles W. Lund’s book Robbing the One-Armed Bandits (2nd Edition): An Encyclopedic Guide to Finding and Exploiting Advantageous Slot Machines.  Most, if not all, of the machines that Lund describes in his book are no longer available.  However, some progressive slot machines can still be beat. 🙂
[ BJRNET: Slot Experts Guide to Slots by John Robison ]

What modern slot machines have come to!
SHARKNADO VIDEO CLIP

Sludikoff, Stanley R.  See Stanley Roberts.

slugging. See plugging.

SmallCap. A card counter who goes by the name of “SmallCap”.  Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCASTS: Jun 23, 2015,  May 4, 2016,  Jan 11, 2018 ]

Smallwood, Jake.  aka Jack Edmondson (May 25, 1041 – Dec 25, 2019) An expert blackjack shuffle tracker, author and frequent contributor to Blackjack Forum magazine.  See Quick Count.  See Crush Count. See merge.
[ Archive: blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ OBITUARY ]

SmartShoe 21. According to the advertising, this is a “Powerful Counter Detection Tool” by Advanced Casino Technologies.  According to the patent abstract: “An integrated blackjack game control system having multiple sensors and output devices, electronic signal processing equipment, passive and active operator control devices, and a computer system. The system components are capable of being installed on or near existing blackjack tables and support equipment, and to operate with standard playing cards. The system performs several simultaneous functions to accelerate the play of a game of blackjack, enhance the shuffling process, and perform continuous monitoring of key dealer and table performance attributes.“
[ Sum 2000 BJF 19 ]
[ google.com/patents/US6126166 ]

Smith, Ken.  (aka Kenneth R. Smith) Creator of the excellent site BlackjackInfo.com.  According to his own biography, Ken is an “avid blackjack player for many years, I began playing seriously in the early 1990s when casino gambling arrived in my home state of Mississippi. In 1994, I participated in a blackjack tournament for the first time; I have been on the tournament trail ever since, tallying numerous big wins over the years. I have competed in literally thousands of tournament events and I continue to play regularly. Fans of blackjack tournaments should also visit my tournament-specific website BlackjackTournaments.com, where upcoming events are discussed, along with tournament strategy.“
[ blackjackinfo.com ]
[ PODCAST: Jan 3, 2014 ]

Smoke.  Winner of the 2014 “Grosjean Cup” at Max Rubin’s annual Blackjack Ball.  Interviewed on the Gambling with an Edge podcast.
[ PODCAST: Feb 7, 2014 ]

Snackjack.  A highly simplified version of blackjack that was proposed in Stewart Ethier’s The Doctrine of Chances (2010, p. 674) and given its name by Richard Epstein.  The deck consisted of 8 cards comprising of 2 aces, 2 deuces and 4 treys, with aces having a value of either 1 or 4.  The target total is 7 (vs 21 in blackjack) and ace-trey is a natural.  The point of this game was to allow mathematicians to do computations that would have been prohibitively time-consuming at blackjack.  Similar to Richard Epstein’s Grayjack, but simpler. 
[ 19 Stewart N. Ethier and Jiyeon Lee Snackjack: A Toy Model for Blackjack ]
[ 13 Epstein The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic 291 ]
[ 17th Intl Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking ]

snapper. A blackjack or natural. The term snapper supposedly came from the early days of face down games when players would snap down their cards when they had a blackjack.

Snyder, Arnold.  (aka Thomas Hover) (Born Feb 12, 1948) A professional player and author of several excellent blackjack books including Radical Blackjack, Blackbelt in Blackjack, Blackjack Wisdom, and The Big Book of Blackjack.  Known to many as the “Bish” or the “Bishop of Blackjack“.  Editor and publisher of Blackjack Forum magazine.  A 2003 member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.  See Zen Count. See Red Seven Count. See Bishop.  See Reports. See Videos.
[ BlackjackHallOfFame.com ]
[ rge21.com ]
[ blackjackforumonline.com ]
[ livedealer.org ] 
[ Wiki: Blackjack_Hall_of_Fame ]
[ Wiki: Arnold_Snyder ]
[ Archive:  blackjackbomb.com/arnold-snyder/ ]
[ PODCASTS: Jun 15, 2012, Jun 22, 2012, Nov 9, 2012, Aug 30, 2013, Jul 11, 2014, July 15, 2021 ] A few of many!

soft. A hand value in which an ace is counted as 11. Proper hitting of soft hands gives the player a .3% gain over a mimic the dealer strategy. See hard.

soft 17. (S-17). An advantageous rule for the player requiring the dealer to stand on all 17’s including those hands with an ace counting as 11. This rule was prevalent along the strip in Las Vegas and in Atlantic City in the 1990s. PA = +.2%. See hit soft 17.

soft-21.  (S-21) If you split two tens and receive an Ace on one, then you have what is referred to as a soft-21, since it is not treated as a natural blackjack.  If your first two cards are an Ace and a ten-valued card, then technically, you also have a soft-21, but we general refer to that situation as a natural or a blackjack. 

Solinas, Michael. An elected co-moderator and long-time contributor to rec.gambling.*.  He has published many articles on blackjack and has an A.B. in Statistics from U.C. Berkeley.  See Michael Hall.

soft double down.  If the casino rules allow it, you can also double your bet on the soft hands (e.g., A2, A3, A4, etc).  Here is the rhyme I used to remember the basic strategy decisions for multi-deck:

SOMP. Acronym for Spur of the Moment Publishing which is owned and operated by Michael Dalton.  SOMP is the publisher of the Blackjack Review Network and this book.
[ BJRnet.com ]
[ BlackjackReview.com ]
[ BlackjackBooks.com ]
[ BlackjackHistory.com ]

sorts or sorting. See Edge Sorting.

South Carolina. (SC)  In 2016, the state of South Carolina had 2 casinos with 15 blackjack tables.
[ qfit.com/maps.shtml ]

South Dakota. (SD) See Dakota.

Space Jack.  (c2014) A online blackjack variant.  Players must bet 3 bets of equal size.   This game may also have a jackpot to win.  See link below for more information.
[ wizardofodds.com ]

spade. The black figure marking one of the four suits of playing cards.
[ Wiki: Suit (cards) ]

Spanish 21. (S21) (Aug 28, 1995) This blackjack variation is played with a short pack and was introduced in the mid-1990s by Masque Publishing.   Invented by Kurt and Richard Lofink. All 10s are removed from each deck, leaving only Aces through 9s and face cards.  Versions of this game are also available under names such as Spanish Blackjack and Pontoon.

According to an analysis by Stanford Wong this is equivalent to starting a shoe with a count per deck of -4, and costs you 2.3% compared to the use of full decks.   Casino advantages for several different game types are as follows:

• H-17, 6 decks = .83%
• H-17, 8 decks = .85%
• S-17, 6 decks = .42%
• S-17, 8 decks = .44%

On the positive side, this game has very liberal rules and are typically as follows:

• Player blackjack always beats dealer’s blackjack and pays 3 to 2.
• Player total of 21 always beats dealer’s total of 21 and are paid immediately.
• Player may split cards of equal value including Aces up to 4 times.
• Hitting and doubling after splitting cards, including Aces, is allowed.
• Doubling down on any total and on any number of cards is allowed.
• After doubling, if you are dissatisfied with your non-busted hand,  you may surrender.  This is called double-down rescue.
• 5-card 21 pays 3 to 2.
• 6-card 21 pays 2 to 1.
• 7-card 21 pays 3 to 1.
• 6-7-8 mixed pays 3 to 2.
• 6-7-8 suited pays 2 to 1.
• 6-7-8 spaded pays 3 to 1.
• 7-7-7 mixed pays 3 to 2.
• 7-7-7 suited pays 2 to 1.
• 7-7-7 spaded pays 3 to 1.

Other bonuses may be available from time to time.  See Match the Dealer.
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ 08 Walker Pros Guide to Spanish 21… ]
[ Wiki: Spanish 21 ] 
[ PATENT ]

Spanish Blackjack. See Spanish 21.

Spanos, Vas.  A blackjack instructor in Minnesota.  Vas Spanos Blackjack Experts, Inc.,  According to his bio, Vas Spanos is originally from Greece where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics.  In 1969, he moved to Canada and earned his M.S. degree.  In 1972, he moved to the United States and earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota where he taught mathematics until 1980.  His course advertising claims he can teach you a strategy that can give you an approximate 2% advantage over the house.  He also talks about the ability to take advantage of hot and cold streaks and patterns.  He calls this “stability theory”. This system is NOT recommended.
[ blackjackmaster.com/ ]

Sparks. City and region near Reno, Nevada with rules typical of Reno.

Spartan.  According to Blackjack Apprenticeship, Spartan has managed multiple iterations of teams with and invested in and developed many players outside of the team with great success.
[ blackjackapprenticeship.com ]

Speed Count.  (c2002) A counting system created by Dan Pronovost and promoted by Frank Scoblete in his book Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution!  What is unique about this count is that there are no negative-value cards, true-count conversions or tables of index numbers to memorize.  However, according to The Wizard of Odds, the power is only about 1/3 to 1/2 of the Hi-Lo count. 
[ 888casino.com ]
[ blackjacktheforum.com ]
[ deepnettech.com ]

Spengler, Walter. Former member of the Czech Team.  See George Hascik.

Spin To Win. (c1999) A blackjack side-bet game.  Details TBD. Photo link available.

splitting. See pair splitting.

split aces. In most casinos, when you split a pair of aces you are allowed only one card. If the player is allowed to take additional cards he would have a gain of +0.1%. See re-split aces.

spook. A player who can read the dealer’s hole-card.  See spooking.

spooking. {HCS}. This is a play where the player has an agent or spook positioned behind the dealer who views the dealer’s hole-card when he checks for a blackjack. The spook then signals the player at the table what the hole-card is. A spook is often seated at another blackjack table on the other side of the pit. Another form of spooking employs an agent in front of the dealer who uses typical front loading techniques to view the hole-card. This technique may be considered cheating in some locals. It is impossible in all casinos that use an auto-peek or no-peek device. See first basing. See pips.
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 223 ]
[ 83 How Casinos Detect Cheaters C&S Vol.23,71 ]
[ 6/87 Snyder Is Spooking Legal BJF 7 ]
[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack ]
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 191 ]

spot. The area on a blackjack table layout designating where the bets are to be placed. Six or seven spots are typical arrangements in today’s casinos.

spotter. Someone who identifies opportunities for another player or team.  The term back-spotter is often used to refer to someone who can count cards but is not seated at the table.  The spotter or back-spotter will signal for a gorilla or big player — when the count is high enough to gain a statistical advantage.
[ blackjackinfo.com/knowledge-base/blackjack-advanced-strategies/big-player-vs-gorilla/ ]

spread. 1) As in to spread to 2 hands. To bet more than one hand at a time. 2) As in bet spread. The difference between a player’s minimum and maximum bets during a game. (e.g., A 1-to-4 spread would indicate that a player’s minimum bet is 1 unit and his maximum bet is 4 units.) 3) When the floorman spreads the cards on the layout when new cards are introduced or when the dealer spreads the cards when he is relieved by another dealer.

Sprint Strategies. {PBS} (1992) (Julian St. John) A progressive betting scheme. This system is NOT recommended.
[ 92 Julian No-Nonsense Guide to Winning Blackjack 79 ]

square. As in squaring the deck. What the dealer does with his two index fingers after a single-deck shuffle to properly align the deck.

SS Count. See Uston SS Count.

SSIN. Acronym for Security and Surveillance Information Network.  The SSIN is a fully encrypted, peer-to-peer private information system, which allows for the notification of people, events, alerts or warnings. SSIN is managed out of Biometrica’s Fusion Center in Las Vegas.
[ biometrica.com/casinos/ ]

SSS. Acronym for the Situations and Sequence System.

stability. As in the stability of a game. Described in some sources as a measure of how long players have been at a table. See TARGET.
[ 85 Patterson TARGET Manual 6 ]

stack. A pile of chips.

stacked deck. {CHS}. A cheating technique where the deck used by the dealer is in a pre-arranged sequence. See cooler.
[ 66 Thorp Beat the Dealer 152 ]
[ 3/83 Case Stacking a Deck BJF 13 ]

Stadium Blackjack. (c2018) aka Fusion Hybrid Stadium Blackjack.  From Scientific Gaming, this is a modern way to play blackjack that consists of up to 44 electronic player terminals spread out in a stadium-type arrangement.   All players start with the same starting hand against the same dealer up-card.  However, at the end of each round, each player could have a different final hand against a possible different final dealer hand. 
[ sggaming.com ]
[ 888casino.com ] [ 888casino.com ]

stake. The wager or bet.

stand. Finished. A player’s decision not to draw any more cards.  Waving your hand over your cards left and right is the proper signal to the dealer to “stand” on your hand.  In a face down game, you would place your cards under (or near) your bet to stand. See hit. See wave.

stand off. A push or tie.

stand on soft-17. See soft 17.

standard deviation. (SD). Also called fluctuation or luck. The standard deviation (SD) for a single hand in blackjack is about 1.15¹⁾A standard deviation of 1.15 is based on a blackjack game with liberal rules.  If the rules are not so generous the SD can be as low as 1.10 or so.

This statistical index is often used in technical blackjack texts as a measure of how much individual wins and losses can differ from the average. In statistics, the SD is the square root of its variance and is used as a measure of dispersion in a distribution. In an even game, the SD is often approximated as the square root of the total number of hands or bets divided by 2 as shown below:

STANDARD DEVIATION FORMULA

SD = (Square Root of N) / 2

where N = number of hands.

For all practical purposes (99.7% of the time), you will be within 3 SDs (3 sigma) of your expectation. 95.4% of the time you will be within 2 SDs (2 sigma) and 68.3% of the time you will be within 1 SD (1 sigma).

In blackjack, where one side enjoys an advantage, it is more appropriate to express SD as a percentage. The percentage of the SD can be expressed as:

% SD = (1.1 / (Square Root of N)) x 100

See Kelly Criterion.
[ 80 Snyder The Blackjack Formula ]
[ 87 Snyder Beat the X-Deck Game 11 ]
[ 90 Chambliss Fundamentals of Blackjack 207 ]
[ 90 Malmuth Gambling Theory 27 ]
[ Wiki: Standard deviation ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]

standard error. (SE) A term related to the standard deviation but generally used as a measure of how close a simulation is to what probably is the exact answer. A name often given to the standard deviation of a sampling distribution.
[ Wiki: Standard error ]

Stann, Dave.  (Born Nov 12, 1974) Author of the book Hollywood Blackjack: An Uncensored Guide to Doing It Like a Pro.   He has appeared in nearly 100 episodes of gambling TV and has written several columns on game theory.  He has spent several years playing and winning poker and blackjack tournaments, playing with a professional card counting team and placing second on GSN’s World Series of Blackjack.  Stann is a classically trained theater actor from Cleveland, OH. According to his bio, he has a Mensa-certified IQ who started playing advantage blackjack as means to support himself between acting jobs.
[ IMDb.com ]
[ PODCAST: Jul 20, 2012 ]

Stateline. City and region near Lake Tahoe, California that borders the state of Nevada. Several large casino resorts are in Stateline. Blackjack rules are similar to Reno.

steaming.  1) {CS} A player who has lost control and is betting progressively higher, usually after a series of losing hands. Occasionally, used as part of an expert player’s act in camouflaging the fact that he is a card counter … 2) but more often used as part of a bad player’s tactic to financial ruin.
[ Fall 92 Dalton The art of 21: Steaming BJR ]

steering. {STS}{HCS} Cutting a group of cards into play.  See location play.
[ 1997 Morse Blackjack Reality 98 ]

steering strategy. {HCS} Any strategy in which the player steers a card to the dealer or a good card to a player, himself or a teammate.
[ 21 Snyder Radical Blackjack 207 ]

Steppine count. {PCS/L2} See Hi-Opt II count.

Stevens, George. See Casey.

stiff. A reference to a stiff hand or stiff card.

stiff hand. 1) A breaking hand. A hard two-card total of 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16. Stiff hands must always be hit by the dealer but the player has the option of hitting or standing. Proper standing with a stiff versus a stiff gives the player a 3.2% gain over a mimic the dealer strategy. 2) Dealers often refer to players who are winning but not tipping as stiffs. See 2-6.

stiff card. A dealer up-card of 2 through 6 which suggests that the dealer potentially has a stiff hand.

stop loss. A money management term and self discipline tactic that requires that the player establish a fixed loss at which he will quit playing. This loss could be per table, per day or per trip. See stop win.

stop win. A money management term and self discipline tactic that requires that the player establish a fixed win at which he will quit playing. This will prevent the player from giving back winnings at a particular table, in a particular casino or during a particular trip.

Straight Jack. A blackjack side bet from Bally Technologies.  According to their literature: The Longer the straight, the more you win. A side bet that wins if a player’s first two cards make a Straight–but it doesn’t end there. When a player hits his or her hand, the longer the straight the bigger the win! Players make the Straight Jack bet by placing a wager in the marked area in addition to their regular blackjack wager.  Players win if their first two cards are of consecutive rank, (i.e. a Straight). The order of the cards does not matter–a 3 followed by a 4 or a 4 followed by a 3, both are winners. Every time a player hits his or her hand, if it makes the Straight longer, the player’s payout increases.
[ Archive: ballytech.com ]

Strategic Investments.  (SI)  (c1992-1993) Name of a limited partnership between Bill Kaplan, J. P. Massar and John Chang.  This MIT Blackjack Team group had grown to nearly 80 players in 1993.  Officially dissolved on December 31, 1993.
[ Wiki: Strategic Investments 1992-1993 ]

strategy. A method or theoretical outline of play intended to give optimum results. Epstein defines a strategy as “A system of divisions that selects each move from the totality of possible moves at prescribed instances….” See basic strategy. See system.
[ 77 Epstein Theory of Gambling & Stat. Logic 34 ]

strategy number. See index.

strategy variation. To deviate from basic strategy. Counters will vary from basic strategy when the true count indicates. (e.g., Standing on hard 16 versus a dealer 10 when the count is > 0 would be an example of a correct strategy variation.)

streak. A run of wins or losses.

Streak. A blackjack side bet (circa 2000). Streak is a bet on winning a specified number of consecutive bets. 
[ wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/8/ ]

Stricker, Ralph.  (c1921 – July 20, 2012) Also known as the Silver Fox.  Blackjack instructor and developer of the Silver Fox Blackjack System.  Former moderator for the Blackjack Review Network Team Forum. Ralph was also a talented music teacher and owner of the East Brunswick Academy of Music.  Ralph Stricker passed away in 2012, at the age of 81.  See Silver Fox Count. REPORTS | ARTICLES | MORE INFO
[ Photo credit: Ralph Stricker Interview Courtesy: The Hot Shoe ]
[ Archive: silverfoxbj.com 2001 ]
[ Spring 96 BJR 5.2:Interview With Ralph Stricker  ]
[ lasvegassun.com/news/1996/jun/16/bob-shemeligian-count-on-this-card-to-entertain/ ]
[ Old Ralph Stricker Ad – Boston Herald ]
[ OBITUARY ] [ MUSIC ]

strike number. In a card counting system, the plus or minus true count at which the size of the bet or the play of the hand is varied. See index. See strategy variation.
[ 81 Uston Million Dollar Blackjack 322 ]

Strip. See Las Vegas Strip.

strip. 1)  As in to strip the deck. See strip shuffle. 2) See Las Vegas Strip.

strip shuffle. A type of shuffle. In some casinos, a part of a regular shuffling procedure. Stripping is performed by the dealer by holding about one deck’s worth of cards in the hand. Small clumps of one or more cards are then removed (stripped) from the top, middle, or bottom of the deck and placed on the table as a stack. Stripping tends to reverse the order of the cards and is often used as a game control measure when players begin to win. See riffle.

strong arm tell. Term coined by Steve Forte to refer to tells that take place when the dealer wants to see you win.
[ 86 Forte Read the Dealer 40 ]

STS. Acronym used in this book to mean a location or Shuffle Tracking System.

Stupak, Bob. (April 6, 1942 – Sept 25, 2009) Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur.  Stupak opened Bob Stupak’s Vegas World hotel and casino which was known for its promotions and the world’s largest sign and new twists on games.  Stupak is credited for introducing Double Exposure 21 to Las Vegas.
[ Wiki: Bob Stupak ]
[ 1983 Vegas World Advertisement ]

stutter shuffle. A type of shuffle. When cards that have already been shuffled are reshuffled into another area of the deck. See merge.

sucker bet.  What is a sucker bet?  Marvin Karlins tells us there are three types:

• Dumb bet: Playing with no knowledge of the game
• Dumber bet: Playing a game with a high house advantage
• Dumbest bet: Betting more than you can afford to lose.

So…. a good example of a sucker bet at the blackjack table is playing in a game with 6:5 rules.
[ YouTube: Las Vegas Sucker Bets ]

suit. Any of the four sets of thirteen playing cards each (spades , clubs , hearts , diamonds ) that together make up a deck of cards. The particular suit of a card plays no role in playing the game of blackjack, however, suits can play a role in some advanced sequence / ace tracking and location betting strategy methods. See rank.
[ Wiki: Suit (cards) ]

suit aware.  As in a suit aware count.  Some counting systems assign different values to red and black cards.  An example of a suit aware count is the Red Seven count.

Suit’Em Up Blackjack. (c2013) A blackjack side-bet seen at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
[ discountgambling.net ]

Sum-Plus-One Strategy. {TCS} (George Watson III) A ten-count strategy.
[ 88 Watson Beating Casino’s Blackjack 23 ]

Super 4 Progressive Blackjack.  (c2017) An optional side bet from AGS for blackjack games with the option of up to eight decks and seven seats. All house rules apply to the standard game of blackjack. The Super 4 wager pays out based on different scenarios.  A blackjack player hit a $1,242,066 jackpot on the Super 4 progressive at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek in Florida on Feb 8, 2023. After placing a $5 side bet, the player was dealt a four-card royal flush in diamonds, with his king and queen combined with the dealer’s jack and ace. The jackpot marked the largest table game progressive jackpot at Coconut Creek. According to the Wizard of Odds, there are at least four known versions of this game using 5, 6 and 8 decks.  See progressive blackjack.
[ AGS ]
[ YouTube ]
[ Rack Card ]
[ Wizard of Odds ]

Super 21. ??? Similar to Super Fun 21.  Blackjack pay even money.  A blackjack with diamond cards pays 2 to 1. Six card Charlie rules.  Five card 21 wins automatically.  Player’s blackjack beats dealer blackjack.  You can split Aces and double after a split. Surrender available.
[ BlackjackInfo.com ]
[ Rules of Super 21 ]

Super Bucks. (1992) Also called 21 Super Bucks. This is a progressive jackpot blackjack game introduced by Progressive Games, Inc. This company also holds the patent/trademark for Caribbean Stud Poker which includes a progressive jackpot and bonus jackpots.

Super Fun 21. (SF21) (c1999) Invented by Howard Grossman, a blackjack variation where blackjacks pay either even money or 2 to 1 depending on the situation. Players may re-split aces, double down on split aces, double on any number of cards and surrender after doubling. This variation has its own unique basic strategy. (HA ~ 1.25% to 1.40%)  See Fun 21. 
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ echartinc.com/super_fun_21.shtml ]
[ Wiki: Super Fun 21 ]

Super Method. {PBS} TBD ???

Super Sevens. (S7) (c1992) A blackjack side bet based on the player’s first 3 cards. A typical pay table might be:

• $1 bet only
• 777 on first 3 cards suited pays $5000
• 777 on first 3 cards any suit pays $500
• 77 on first 2 cards suited pays $100
• 77 on first 2 cards any suit pays $50
• 7 on first card any suit pays $3

In general, only the highest bonus is paid and in the case of a dealer blackjack, the player will still get a third card if two sevens have been dealt. If the player splits sevens, the player will receive only the “two seven” payout.  (HA ~ 9% to 17%)   See Crazy Sevens.
[ 9/92 Schlesinger Lost in the Maze of New Rules 15 ]
[ wizardofodds.com ]
[ 888casino.com ]

super shuffle. A reference to a type of shuffling procedure usually referring to three (or more) clean, crisp shuffles with large picks (1/2 deck or more).
[ 85 Patterson TARGET Manual ]

surrender. As in to surrender a hand. A rule option believed to have been first introduced at the Continental Casino in Manila, Philippines in 1958. Since then it had become a standard feature in the casinos of East Asia.  If available, it should be the player’s first basic strategy decision to make.  If the player has the option to surrender he may forfeit his original two card hand before drawing any other cards. The dealer takes half of the wager placed and returns the other half back to the player. In effect, the player loses only half of his wager. See five card surrender. See the basic strategy section. See blackjack school.  See Casino Surrender. Two types of surrender are available as described below:

• late surrender. (LS). Also called conventional surrender. An advantageous rule option that allows the player to give up half of his bet but only after the dealer checks to determine whether he has a natural. If the dealer has a natural the player is not allowed to surrender his hand. In the United States, if the dealer has a ten valued up-card a button is placed on top of the player’s chips and it is announced to the pit. Late surrender is considerably more important in multiple-deck play than it is in single-deck as can be seen from the player advantage figures below.  See basic strategy section.
  

PA = +.022% (single-deck)
PA = +.065% (multi-deck)

• early surrender. (ES). A rule option that allows the player to give up half of his bet before the dealer checks to determine whether he has a blackjack. This is a very advantageous rule for the player, which explains why it is rarely found in casinos today. See basic strategy section.

PA = +0.7% against ten and ace
PA = +0.3% against ten only

[ 92 Wong Basic Blackjack 72 ] [ blackjackinfo.com ] [ wizardofodds.com ]

sweat. As in sweating the action. As in sweating the rainbow. To play carefully but nervously. Also called bleed.
[ 86 Forte Read the Dealer 38 ]

sweat card. The joker or cut card used to cut the deck before the deal.
[ 77 Anness Dummy Up ]

Swedish Pub Blackjack.  A reference to the poor rules in the blackjack games found in Swedish nightclubs and pubs.  In these games, if the player and dealer both have a hand of 17, 18 or 19, the player loses to the dealer.
[ pagat.com ] [ wizardofvegas.com ]

sweep. As in to sweep a casino. To enter a casino and survey all the blackjack tables before making a decision about table selection or whether or not to play at all.

swing shift. This is the evening shift in a casino.  Typical hours are 6PM to around 3AM.

Switch.  See Blackjack Switch.

system. A method or strategy that promises to increase a player’s chance of winning in a particular game of chance.

Systems Research. (PCS/L1). See Green Fountain Count.

A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  10
-1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 -1 -1

BC = .96 PE = .54 IC = .69

[ 80 Revere Playing Blackjack as a Business 170 ]

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