What Does Monkey Mean in Blackjack: Learn The Card Slang

The term is more common among the Asian community, and this is where the confusion begins.

It has been said that it comes from the word “Monarchy”, which references the royals featured on all face cards. Apparently, Asian gamblers who didn’t speak perfect English would try to say “Monarchy” and it would sound more like “monkey” to English ears.

We don’t subscribe to this idea, though. If you asked a native English speaker to devise a single word describing the face cards, they would probably say a hundred things before they got to monarchy. It’s not exactly a common word.

A more believable origin story is that it comes from the Mandarin word meaning “face card”, which sounds like “me-an-kah”, and is very close to “monkey”.

We’ve also heard a similar story suggesting the word comes from the Cantonese word for “nothing”, which players would shout while at the baccarat tables. Face cards are worth nothing in baccarat, so if they had bet on the banker and the banker was winning, they would shout this as they prayed the next player card would be a face card.

Over time, the word morphed into a similar-sounding Indonesian word, which also means monkey. Players would then shout the word as a curse.

These stories make much more sense, but it’s hard to know the actual origins.

What is a Monkey in Blackjack?

While people dispute the origin of the word “monkey” in blackjack, they all agree that it comes from the Asian gambling community and either from baccarat or blackjack. But if you’re playing blackjack in Australia or the United Kingdom, you must be careful, as the word means something else entirely.

In both cases, it references money — £500 in the UK and $500 in Australia. It’s more common in the UK than in Australia and is typically reserved for parts of London. It’s thought that it comes from old Indian 500 rupee notes, which featured an image of a monkey and were brought back to the UK by British soldiers.

Should I Say Monkey in a Casino?

You certainly can if you want, but it’s not necessary. It doesn’t indicate a specific mood or tell the players or dealer anything. If you have one of the best starting hands in blackjack, such as a 10 or 11, you can say “monkey” as you await a face card, but it’s not going to do anything. It’s like a poker player yelling “one time” in the hope this is their moment or even a slots player calling, “Come on!”.

Other Blackjack Slang

Monkey is just one of many slang words and expressions you’ll hear around a blackjack table. Some other common words include:

• A Natural: Another word for a blackjack, also known as a natural blackjack.
• Burn Card: The top card of the deck, which is removed and cast aside by the dealer.
• Basic Strategy: A blackjack strategy based on high-probability moves.
• Black Chip: A $100 casino chip.
• First Base: The first position to the left of the dealer. The player in this position will always be dealt the first hand.
• Hard Hand: A hand that doesn’t have an ace.
• Heads-up: Playing one-on-one against the dealer.
• Shoe: A device that holds the card decks. The dealer takes the cards from the shoe and deals them to the players.
• Soft Hand: A hand with an ace.
• Ploppy: A low-skill blackjack player, so named because they “plop” down at a blackjack table without sparing a thought for strategy.

Summary: Monkey and Other Blackjack Slang

So, why do they say monkey in blackjack? Well, they say it because they want a face card. It’s mostly limited to the Asian gambling community and either comes from the Chinese word for “face card”, the Cantonese for “nothing”, the Indonesian for “monkey”, or a mixture of all three.

To learn more about blackjack and master the game, check out our BetUS multi-hand blackjack guide, where we discuss some of the most complicated elements of the game, including the strategy of playing multiple tables at once.