Yes, if you have two cards of the same rank (eg. two aces), you can split them into two separate hands and play each hand independently.

A soft hand contains an Ace counted as 11, which can be adjusted to 1 to prevent busting.

You might consider taking insurance if you're counting cards and know the deck is rich in 10-point cards, significantly increasing the dealer's chances of having a Blackjack.

A 'soft 17' is a hand consisting of an Ace and a 6, where the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11.

To double down is to double your initial bet after receiving your first two cards, committing to stand after receiving one more card.

The best hand is a 'Blackjack', an Ace with a 10-point card, totaling 21 on the first two cards dealt.

If both the player and the dealer have a Blackjack, it results in a push, and the player's bet is returned.

Insurance is a side bet offered when the dealer's up card is an Ace, allowing you to bet that the dealer has a Blackjack.

The 'Illustrious 18' is a set of the 18 most important deviations from basic strategy that card counters use to maximize their advantage. These deviations are based on the true count and involve adjusting plays to increase expected value.

Side bets often have a higher house edge than the main game, so they typically reduce a player's expected value. However, skilled players may find situations where side bets are profitable if they have additional information from card counting.

If the dealer hits on soft 17, they must take another card when their hand totals 17 with an Ace counted as 11.

A 'shoe' is a device used to hold multiple decks of cards, allowing the dealer to deal cards more efficiently.