A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
A
All or Nothing – This is a Keno gambling term referring to a card with numbers that only pay out when all the selected numbers are drawn or conversely if none of the selected numbers are drawn.
Ante - In card games, this is the absolute minimum wager required to take part in that hand.
Arm – This is a Craps term and it refers to expert ‘rollers of the dice.’
B
Baccarat - known as Punto Banco and Chemin De Fer and it is a table card game using 6 or 8 decks of cards.
Banker – This is most often the dealer in card games, sometimes dealers rotate.
Basic Strategy - In Blackjack, this refers to the set of plays made to maximize player advantage.
Betting Limits - The minimum and maximum amounts of money permitted for a player to wager on a bet in a table game.
Betting Limit – This specifies the maximum or minimum bets permissible in a single bet. They are generally inflexible.
Blackjack - The currently-accepted name of the game formerly known as "21". The name for a winning hand of two cards- an ace plus a ten-value card. See our complete blackjack glossary
Black Book – This is the list of people of barred people.
Blind Bet – a bet that players are required to make to stay in the game.
Boxing - In horse racing, a single ticket made up of more than one parlay, which is a bet plus its winnings bet again.
Break-Even Point – This is the point at which if you played indefinitely, the bets you made would cancel out the payouts you received.
Buck - A bet of $100.
Bump - To raise a bet to as higher value.
Burn Cards – Removing cards from the top of the deck and placing them in the discard tray after the cards have been shuffled and cut
Bust – In Blackjack a player goes ‘bust’ if he/she has more than 21.
C
Capping – This means the capping of bets by placing extra chips on top of a bet already placed after the deal has begun. In other words, increasing the bet after play has started. This is a serious form of cheating.
Card Shark – One who is an expert card player.
Carousel - Slot machines positioned in a circle allowing a money changer to be stationed in the center.
Carpet Joint – A luxury gambling establishment.
Case money – Emergency gambling money.
Cashier’s Cage – This refers to the cash desk where chips are cashed in at the conclusion of play.
Casino Advantage – The edge that the casino has over the players.
Casino Rate – A reduced room rate for big gamblers.
Chemin De Fer – A table game similar to Baccarat.
Chips - Circular plastic discs used for the purposes of betting in a casino, in lieu of money.
Chouette - A more social version of backgammon that allows more than two players to compete on the same board.
Chip Tray - The tray in front of a dealer where the table’s stock of chips is kept.
Coat-tail – Betting on the same numbers as someone who is presently winning.
Cold – Either a player on a losing streak or a machine that is not paying out.
Coloring Up – The act of exchanging smaller chip denominations for larger ones.
Come Bet – A Craps term referring to a bet made on the come - after a point is made. This bet can be located on the come line.
Come Out Roll – A Craps term referring to the first roll of the dice and any other roll when there is no point established.
Comps - Complimentary gifts given by the casino to lure gamblers in.
Cracking The Nut – A big win in gambling which covers all expenses and generates substantial profit.
Craps - This is a casino table game played with dice.
Credit - A term from online casinos. Expresses 1 unit of a player's monetary wager.
Credit Button – In Slots this is a button which allows a player to bank winnings, to be paid out at a later stage or gambled with.
Croupier – A dealer in Roulette and Baccarat.
Cut – After the shuffle the deck of cards is cut by the dealer by dividing the deck into two parts.
Card Counting – In Blackjack this is a technique of keeping track of the cards in a deck and calculating probabilities of specific cards appearing.
Comps - Complimentary gifts or complimentary points given to players while they play at a specific casino.
D
Deal – The act of giving out cards during a hand.
Deuce - A '2' in deck of cards or on Dice.
Dime Bet - A $1000 wager
Discard Tray - A tray on the dealer's right side holding all the cards that have been played or discarded.
Dollar Bet - A $100 bet.
Double Down - In Blackjack, the player has the option to double the original bet in exchange for one more card.
Doubling-Up - After a loss, a player sometimes doubles the size of the previous bet in the hopes of winning back the money lost and scoring a profit.
Double or Nothing – This is an even-money bet (1:1).
Down To The Felt – A broke player.
Drop Box – The repository box for cash, chips and markers at the casino
E
Even Money - A bet that pays back the same money that was wagered at the casino
Edge – The advantage over your opponent (either a bettor or casino).
Expected Win Rate – The expected winnings percentage over a period of time
F
Face cards - The Jack, Queen and King in a deck of cards (Royals).
Field Bet – A Craps term which refers to one of the numbers on the field appearing on the next roll of the dice.
First Base – A Blackjack term which refers to the first position to play, on the far left of the dealer.
Front Money – Cash or bank checks deposited with the casino to establish credit.
G
Green Chip – A casino chip that has a value of $25.
Gross Winnings - The total casino payout which includes the original stake.
H
High Roller - A casino player who bets big and either wins/loses big.
Hit – In Blackjack a Hit is when a player receives another card from the Dealer.
Hand - Refers to the cards that you hold, or to everything that happens in a casino card game between shuffles of the deck.
Hard Hand - In Blackjack, this is any hand not containing an ace valued at eleven.
Hole Card - In Blackjack, this is the facedown card that the dealer gets.
Horn Bets - In Craps, this is a bet placed with an equal amount on these numbers: 2, 3 or 11, or 12. A horn bet is a one-roll bet that wins if any of these numbers (2, 3, 11 or 12) is thrown.
House - The casino.
Hot – A casino player on a winning streak.
I
Insurance – This player safety measure is a side bet resulting in the player being even if the dealer has Blackjack.
Inside Bets – Roulette bets placed on any number.
J
Jackpot – In Slot machine gaming, this is a mega prize awarded for winning on a special game/combination of symbols.
Joker - The additional card in a 52-card deck. The wild card in a casino game.
K
Keno – Similar to Bingo but players select 10 numbers from 80 and make a wager on how many of their selected numbers will be called.
Keno Board – A large board displaying winning Keno numbers
L
Late Surrender – A Blackjack rule where the player may surrender half the original bet after seeing the dealers up card, provided that the dealer has not hit Blackjack.
Laying The Odds – When casino odds are so high in the favor of a winner that the return is far less than the amount wagered.
Lever – Slot machines of yesteryear required levers to be pulled in order to spin the reels.
Line Bet – This is a Roulette bet involving 6 different number bets simultaneously.
Load Up – Playing the max number of coins per slots spin.
Loaded Dice – Dice that are not clean – they have been adjusted for player or house advantage.
Loose – In Slots a loose machine is one that pays out at a higher rate than other machines.
M
M
Marker – The Casino provides players with credit to continue gambling.
Match Play - Tournaments often us this competition system. Matches between two players are decided on which player accumulates a required number of points.
Maximum Bet - A button appearing on the slot machine that signals a wager of the maximum coin size. Outside of slots, the 'maximum bet' is the highest bet a player is allowed to make.
Martingale - A mathematical betting system based on doubling ones bet after each loss in order to once again break even.
Mini-Baccarat - A smaller version of the game Baccarat.
Mechanic - A slang term referring to a dealer who cheats.
Multi Game Ticket – A Keno ticket valid for multiple Keno games.
Multi-player Casino - An online casino feature allowing two players to play against each other.
N
Natural - A natural is a two-card hand of twenty one points in blackjack. In baccarat it is a two-card total of eight, or nine.
Non-Negotiable Chips – Chips gifted by the casino to players – they cannot be cashed out.
Net Winnings – Total payout less the casino gambling stake.
Number Pool – The complete range of casino betting numbers from which to select your choices.
O
Odds – This is the ratio of probabilities at casino or sportsbook.
On Tilt – A casino player who suddenly starts playing wildly after encountering misfortune.
Outside Bets – In Roulette these are located on the outside of the layout.
Overlay – A superior bet with an advantage over a casino.
P
Paint - A casino face card - one of the three picture cards; Jack, Queen, King.
Pigeon - An inexperienced and naive casino gambler.
Pit Boss – The supervisor of the games and casino staff during a particular shift.
Point - In Craps this is the starting number for the casino game that the player must roll again before that player ‘sevens-out.’
R
Red or Black Bet – In Roulette this is an even-money, outside bet on red or black.
RFB - Some of the possible comps offered by a casino- Room, Food, and Beverage.
Roulette - a highly popular casino game named after a French word which means little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors black or red, or whether the number is odd or even. See our complete roulette glossary.
S
Session – Casino gambling time.
Seven Out – A Craps term for rolling a seven after a point has been made.
Slots - the world's most popular and widespread casino game is a machine with three or more reels which spin when a lever is pulled or, in modern versions, a button is pushed. Slots has many local nicknames: "Slot Machine" in the US; "Fruit Machine" in the UK; "Slots" in Canada; "Poker Machine" and "Pokies" in Australia and New Zealand. See our complete slots glossary
Snake Eyes - Rolling a two in craps. The 'snake' means bad news for the shooter. The 'eyes' because the two two's resemble eyes.
Soft Hand – A Blackjack term for any hand where the ace is counted as eleven.
Standing Hand - Any hand in blackjack totaling a 17 or more that has a high likelihood to bust if one more card is dealt and brings the total over 21. A player is expected to stand in such a scenario.
Stand – A Blackjack term where no more cards are taken.
Suit - Any one of four types of cards that aren't face cards. Suit cards are called clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
Surrender - An option provided in blackjack and roulette to give u half of one's bet in order not to play out a hand.
T
Third Base – A Blackjack term for the position nearest the dealer’s right hand. This player is the last to play.
Tournament - A casino competition inviting a group of players over a period of time. A tournament often results not only in one grand winner, but 2nd place, 3rd, and so on.
U
Upcard – In Blackjack this is the first card the dealer deals himself which is placed face-up.
V
VIP - Very Important Person (High Roller)
VLT – Video Lottery Terminal
W
Whale – Huge bettors in casinos.
Wild Card – A card which can substitute for any card in a hand to complete a winning combination.
Wild Royal Flush - A Royal Flush in casino poker that takes advantage of the wild card option.
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