Month: September 2019

POKER TERMINOLOGY

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While you can certainly sit down at a poker table and start playing without knowing all the terminology you’ll hear, it would probably be a good idea to be aware of what you might hear.

Betting Round Actions

BET – When a player makes a wager

CALL – When a player pays the same amount of the previous bet

RAISE – When a player bets higher than the previous bet (call plus an additional amount)

RE-RAISE – When a player makes a third bet, higher than the raise amount, after a bet and a                                                                                          raise

FOLD – When a player tosses in his hand without making a bet

CHECK – When a player passes the action to the next player without making a bet

3-BET – The third bet in a betting round, also a re-raise

CAP – The last possible raise in a betting round, in a fixed-limit game.  Players usually can raise up to 4 times in a single betting round and then the action is “capped.” Once a player has capper, the remaining players can only call or fold, no raising is allowed until the next round.

CHECK BEHIND – When a player checks after the previous player checks

Made Hands

BOTTOM PAIR – When you pair the lowest card on the board

MIDDLE PAIR – When you pair a middle card on the board

TOP PAIR – When you pair the highest card on the board

OVER PAIR – A player’s pair that is higher than any card on the board

BOTTOM TWO PAIR – When you pair your cards with the lowest two cards on the board

TOP TWO PAIR – When you pair your two cards with the highest two cards on the board

TWO PAIR -When you pair your two cards with any two cards on the board

SET – 3 of a kind

STRAIGHT – 5 cards in numerical order

FLUSH – 5 cards of the same suit

FULL HOUSE – a pair and a set together, 2 of 1 number and 3 of another

Incomplete or “Draw” Hands

This is when you don’t have a made hand, but can end up with a strong made hand, if the right cards come up on the board.

BACKDOOR DRAW – A drawing hand that needs help from the turn and river.  Hitting on the turn opens a backdoor to hitting again on the river.

OVERCARDS = Cards that are higher than cards on the board

GUTSHOT – When you are missing a card in the middle of a sequence

OESD – Open Ended Straight Draw.  When you have 4 cards in numerical sequence, that will end up in a straight with the 5th card added to either end

FLUSH DRAW – When you have 4 cards of the same suit

Additional Terms

POCKET PAIR – When you are dealt a completed pair

UNRAISED POT – When no one raises before the flop

RAISED POT – When there is a raise before the flop

PRE-FLOP – Refers to everything that happens before the flop is dealt

POST-FLOP – Refers to everything that happens after the flop is dealt

UNIMPROVED – When your hand doesn’t improve with the next card dealt

CONCLUSION

These are the most common poker terms.  Don’t be afraid to ask about a term if you can’t remember or don’t understand when playing. 

All players were beginners at one time and didn’t know the terms either.  They might be happy to answer a question because it will signify that you are a novice and therefore, they might be able to easily take your money!  Play responsibly!

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Why Hit a Soft 18

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Novice players will stand with a soft 18, against a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace, because they figure that there are only 3 cards that will help the hand, 4 card will keep it the same and the remaining 6 cards will make it worse.

Unfortunately, though it is logically correct in that thought, it is flawed because it is only thinking in terms of one additional hit!  Statistically, when you hit a soft 18, you’ll improve your hand with the first hit only 23 out of 100 times.

In that same vein, you’ll make 38 stiffs (12 thru 16), which you will continue to hit!  With the continued hitting, you’ll improve your hand, to 19 or better, 10 more times out of the 38. So, you’ll improve your hand almost 33 out of 100 times.

Statistically it’s been shown that based on 100 hands, 34 times you’ll hit a hard 18, 32.5 times you’ll hit a 17 or bust, and 33.5 times you’ll hit a 19 thru 21.  So, you can figure only 32.5 times out of a hundred, you’ll lose against a dealer’s 9, 10, or Ace.

If you hit a soft 18, you will improve your hand a little more often than not hitting it.  It is a slightly improved chance, but by hitting a soft 18, against a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace, your chance to win goes up more than it goes down, when you don’t.

For example: If you stand with a soft 18 against an Ace, you’ll win 5 out of 13 hands.  If you hit all 13 hands and turn them into 17’s, you’ll win only 3 hands. However, if you hit and make all 19’s, you win 8 out of 13 hands.   So, you’ll have more wins by taking the chance to improve your hand, than by sticking with it.

It’s been figured out that when a dealer has a 9, 10, or Ace, and has to hit a soft 17, if you stand on a soft 18, your win percentage is 39-41%.  If the dealer has to stand on a soft 17, and you stand on a soft 18, your win percentage goes to 41-45%.

If you hit a soft 18, when the dealer has an 9, 10 or Ace and must hit a soft 17, your win percentage is 42-45%.  If you hit a soft 18 and the dealer has a 9, 10 or Ace and must stand on a soft 17, your win percentage is 43-45.5%.

As the basic strategy charts tell you, you should hit a soft 18 against a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace, because testing proves it to result in slightly more wins.  Trust the charts and you’ll win more in the long run!

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Caribbean 21 Blackjack

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This game was developed by Real Time Gaming, an online casino software developer. It is a variant of standard blackjack that has many differences that make it a challenge.  The first and biggest difference is that an Ace is only and always counted as 1.  It is never valued at an 11, so there is never a two-card “21” in this game.  A hand comprised of two 10-value cards and an Ace is the Caribbean 21.  As in standard blackjack, the objective is to beat the dealer’s hand, without going over 21.  Caribbean 21 beats all other hands totaling 21.

RULES

  • All cards are valued the same as in standard blackjack, except for the ACE, which is, at all times, valued at 1
  • The game starts with the player making a bet
  • Two cards are dealt face up to the player and one card is dealt face up to the dealer
  • The dealer does not take a hole card
  • The dealer does not take his final cards until the player has completed all his plays
  • The player can take insurance on whether the dealer will hit a Caribbean 21 if the dealer has an Ace up
  • Insurance can be taken at any time, up to half of the total amount bet at the time
  • The insurance bet pays out at 9 to 1 if the dealer gets two ten value cards as his 2nd and 3rd cards
  • The insurance bet is paid out at the end of the hand
  • The stand and hit moves are the same as standard blackjack
  • The player can double down at any time, even with more than 2 cards, this includes re-doubles, as well as doubles after splits
  • The player can split any two cards
  • The player can surrender at any time, forfeiting half of his total bet at the time

PAYOUTS

  • Dealer wins all ties
  • If the player is dealt a Caribbean 21, the payout is 3-2
  • If the player busts, he loses his bet
  • If the dealer busts, the player wins even money on his bet

HOUSE EDGE vs. STRATEGY

Following a basic strategy developed by Michael Shackelford, a top authority on casino game probabilities, for this version, the house edge can be as low as 0.19%, which is lower than many other blackjack variants.  To be noted though, the house edge on the insurance bet is 5.38% in this version, so that bet should not ever be taken, despite the tantalizing 9-1 payout.

ONLINE PLAY

Being a property of RTG (Real Time Gaming), Caribbean 21 blackjack can be found at many of the top online casinos, as RTG is considered a leading industry software provider.  Take a look at the list below for a few of the most reliable online casinos where you can enjoy a true game of Caribbean 21 blackjack.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The challenge and thrill of play Caribbean 21 lies in the player’s ability to split any two cards and re-doubling.  Because of those extreme player-friendly rules, the house gets a slight advantage back by ruling that all ties go to the dealer.  In other words, without the possibility of a “push,” Caribbean 21 blackjack makes for a more up and down game playing experience, sure to appeal to thrill-seeking players who prefer out right gambling on every hand, instead of a back and forth grind out with pushes.

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