What Does Charlie Mean in Blackjack?

If you’re an avid Blackjack player, you may have heard of the term “Charlie” being thrown around at the table. But what exactly does it mean? In this article, we’ll be discussing everything there is to know about Charlie in Blackjack.

First things first, Charlie refers to a hand in Blackjack that consists of a certain number of cards without going over 21. The exact number of cards required for a Charlie can vary depending on the specific rules being played, but it’s usually around five or six cards.

Now, you may be wondering why having a Charlie is even significant. Well, having a Charlie can result in an automatic win for the player regardless of what the dealer has. This is because it’s highly unlikely for the dealer to have a higher hand than a player with a Charlie.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s break down how Charlies are counted and what happens when they occur.

When counting Charlies, Aces are always valued as 1 and face cards (King, Queen, and Jack) are valued as 10. The remaining cards are valued according to their numerical value (for example, a 5 of hearts would be worth 5 points).

If a player has a hand consisting of five or six cards without going over 21, they automatically win regardless of what the dealer has. This is known as a Five-Card Charlie or Six-Card Charlie depending on how many cards were used.

It’s worth noting that not all casinos or Blackjack games allow Charlies. Some games may require players to hit on any hand with less than seven cards while others may allow Charlies but limit them to only occur once per round.

So how common are Charlies? Well, they’re relatively rare – especially Six-Card Charlies which only occur once every few thousand hands. However, Five-Card Charlies are slightly more common and can occur once every hundred hands or so.

Now that we’ve covered what Charlies are and how they work, let’s take a look at some strategies for maximizing your chances of getting one.

One strategy is to prioritize hitting on hands with less than three cards. This increases your chances of getting a Five-Card Charlie which can result in an automatic win.

Another strategy is to only double down on hands that have a chance of resulting in a Charlie. For example, if you have a hand with four low-value cards (such as 2s or 3s), it may be worth doubling down in the hopes of drawing another low-value card and achieving a Five-Card Charlie.

In conclusion, Charlies are rare but valuable occurrences in Blackjack that can result in an automatic win for the player. While not all games allow Charlies, players can increase their chances of getting one by prioritizing hitting on hands with less than three cards and doubling down on hands with the potential for a Five-Card Charlie.