gambling terms > blackjack

Early Surrender
	Player may give up or surrender after receiving first two cards but before dealer checks for an Ace in the hole. If surrendered, only 50% of bet is lost, instead of entire sum. Excellent method for controlling player losses and therefore not allowed in most casinos.

Early-Out
	Being allowed to leave work before the end of the shift. "I need an early-out to go to the dentist."

Echo
	A response from the floor person when the dealer makes an announcement. When the dealer hears an "echo" the floor person is aware of the transaction and has given his approval. It keeps the dealer from turning around to look for the floor person and exposing the dealer tray unnecessarily.

Edge
	A term used to describe the percentage of advantage either the casino or the player has on a certain game. For example, the casino has a 1.4% edge or advantage on a player making a pass line bet in a craps game. "The house edge is getting to hit after all the players have acted on their hand."

Eighty-Six
	1. To exclude a person from having any more alcoholic beverage. 2. Sometimes to completely expel a customer from the casino. Also "Barred".

Em
	An abbreviation for "E-Mail".

End Play

A style of playing Blackjack in which the player takes advantage of his knowledge of the last un-played cards at the end of the deck. Happens when the player, through an increase in number of hands at the right moment and/or card-eating, manages to force the dealer to run out of cards and deal the rest of the round (or start anew) from the re-shuffled discards, whose composition is favorable to the player. Extremely rare now, it was mostly practiced by self-educated advantage players in the pre-Thorp days, when single deck games were often dealt very deeply, if not completely. Nearly all casinos try to avoid the possibility of end play by cutting off some of the cards at the end of the deck or the shoe.

Eor
	The acronym for Effects Of Removal.

Es
	The acronym for Early Surrender.

European no-Hole-Card Rule

A rule used in blackjack where the dealer does not take a hole card. The dealer hand gets a second card only after all player hands are finished. If the dealer gets a blackjack, a player who has doubled down or has split loses not only his original bet but all additional bets. The name of this rule is derived from the fact that many games in Europe and abroad are played with this rule in effect. It is not the norm in most American and Canadian casinos.

Ev
	The acronym for Expected Value.

Even Money
	1. A bet which returns the same amount in winnings as was wagered by the player if the bet is won. 3. A phrase which is used by players and the casino when a player decides to take insurance on his blackjack when a dealer has an Ace showing. If the player takes this option, he is paid even money on his blackjack regardless of whether the dealer has a blackjack or not.

Expectation

A reference to what a player or the house can statistically expect to win or lose on a given bet or game. For example, the house expectation on a pass line bet at craps is 1.4%. This simply means that the house can expect to win 1.4% of all the money bet on the pass line over the long run. Since the only outcomes are win one unit or lose one unit, a 1.4% expectation means winning 50.7% of the time and losing 49.3% of the time. If the same bet were described for the player, it may be stated by saying the player on average gets 98.6% of his money back on the pass line bet (getting 100% back would be breaking even) or it could be stated that the player has a 1.4% negative expectation on that bet.

Expected Value
	A reference similar to the term expectation. Often, when using the term expected value, players also include the additional value that may result from comps earned during play.

Expected Win
	Another term similar to expectation or expected value. Generally, this term is used to describe what a player or the house may expect to win over a certain period of play. For example, if a card counter is playing with a 1.5% advantage over the house and has an average bet of $100, it may be said that his expected win per 100 hands would be $150.

Extra Board
	A list of dealers hired and processed by the casino, who have not been assigned a permanent work shift. They are allowed to work as needed until a regular position becomes available. "I was on the extra board for a month before a shift opened up on graveyard."

Eye
	1. A colloquial term for the cameras used to watch the gaming areas in any casino. 2. Reference to the casino employee(s) viewing the video screens or employee(s) watching play directly from an unseen vantage point. Also: "Eye in the sky."

Eye in the Sky
	A video camera, usually mounted in a bubble on the ceiling, used by surveillance personnel to observe dealers and customers to catch them if they are stealing or cheating. In some casinos almost every hand of Blackjack is recorded on video to detect cheaters as well as counters.