There
is a lot of jargon in the casino world and people may use it to
try to confuse and impress you. We've tried to help simplify things
- Below is a list of words and phases used in Casinos and what they
mean in plain english.
If some explanations
use other words you havent heard before simply look up that word
as well. The list is in alphabetical order.
|
| action |
The
amount of money wagered. In poker, the placing of money into the pot. |
| active
player |
One
who is still in the pot. |
| ante |
In
poker, a small portion of the minimum bet that each player is required
to put into the pot before a new hand starts. |
| banker |
In
a card game, dealer or the players who books the action of the other
bettors at the table. |
| bankroll |
A
players total available gambling money. |
| basic
strategy |
In
blackjack, the set of plays that you should make to maximise your
advantage. |
| bet |
Wager |
| betting
limits |
In
a table game, the minimum and maximum amounts of money that you can
wager on one bet. You cannot wager less than the minimum or more than
the maximum amount posted. |
| bingo
marker |
A
crayon or ink dauber that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo
game card. |
| black |
The
most common colour used for $100 chips. |
| blind
bet |
A
bet that certain poker players are required to make because of their
betting positions. |
| bluff |
In
poker, players bluff when raising with a weak hand in hopes of driving
out players with stronger hands. |
| board |
In
poker, the community cards dealt face-up in the centre of the table
are referred to as on the 'board'. |
| boat |
Another
term for a full house. |
| break-even
point |
The
break-even point is the point at which if you played forever, the
bets you made would approximately equal the payoffs you'd receive. |
| bring-in |
In
seven-card stud, the bring-in is a mandatory bet made by the player
with the lowest upcard in the first round of betting. |
| buck |
A
$100 wager |
| bug |
A
joker |
| bump |
To
raise |
| burn
card |
In
card games, the card temporarily removed from play. After a shuffle
and cut, one card is placed on the bottom of the deck or in the discard
tray, which is called burning the card. |
| bust |
In
blackjack, to go over twenty-one. If you bust you lose |
| button |
In
poker, a small plastic disc used as a marker that is moved from player
to player after each hand to designate the dealer position. |
| call |
In
poker, when a player matches the current bet on the table. In keno
and bingo, to draw the numbers for each game. |
| caller |
In
a bingo game, the person who is responsible for choosing the game
pattern, drawing each bingo ball and reading each number clearly.
In poker, someone who has called a bet. |
| card
counting |
Keeping
track of all cards that have been played since the shuffle. |
| card
sharp |
A
person who is an expert at cards. |
| carousel |
A
group of slot machines that are positioned in a ring, enabling a change
person to stand in the centre. |
| cashiers
cage |
The
place in a casino where players may redeem their casino chips for
cash. |
| casino
advantage |
The
edge that the house has over the players |
| casino
rate |
A
reduced hotel-room rate that the casinos offer good customers. |
| catch |
In
keno, to catch a number means that a number you have marked on your
keno ticket has been drawn |
| check |
In
casino gambling, a check is another term for a chip. In poker, a player
can check in order to stay in the game but not bet. |
| chips |
Round
tokens that are used on casino gaming tables in lieu of cash. |
| chip
tray |
The
tray in front of a dealer that holds that tables inventory of chips. |
| cold |
A
player on a losing streak, or a slot machine that isn't paying out. |
| colour
up |
When
a player leaving a game exchanges smaller denomination chips for larger
denomination chips. |
| combination
way ticket |
In
keno, a ticket in which groups of numbers are bet several different
ways, allowing the player to spread money over more combinations. |
| comps |
Complimentary
gifts used by casinos to entice players to gamble. Typical comps include
free room, food and beverage. |
| copy |
In
pai gow poker, when a player and the banker have the same two-card
hand, or the same five-card hand. The banker wins all copies. |
| credit
button |
In
slot machines or video machines, the button that allows players to
bank coins in the form of credits. |
| croupier |
The
French word for dealer, used in the games of baccarat and roulette. |
| cut |
When
the dealer divides a deck into two parts and inverts them after they
have been well shuffled. |
| cut
card |
A
card of different colour that is used to cut a deck of cards. |
| deal |
To
give out the cards during a hand |
| designated
dealer |
In
poker games like Texas hold'em, the player to the left of the dealer
bets first. In a poker room where each game has a resident dealer,
a different player serves as the designated dealer for each hand. |
| deuce |
A
two |
| dice |
Two
identical numbered cubes |
| die |
Singular
for dice, a cube with numbers 1-6 on each side. |
| dime
bet |
a
$1000 wager |
| discard
tray |
A
tray on the dealers right side that holds all the cards that have
been played or discarded. |
| dollar
bet |
a
$100 wager |
| double
down |
In
blackjack, it is the players option to double their original bet in
exchange for receiving only one more card. To do this the player turns
over their first two cards and places an equal bet alongside the original
bet. |
| draw |
In
draw poker, the second round of cards that are dealt. |
| draw
button |
In
video poker this button allows the player to draw up to five new cards. |
| drop
box |
On
a gaming table, the box that serves as a repository for cash, markers,
and chips. |
| edge |
An
advantage over an opponent |
| even
money |
A
bet that pays you back the same amount that you wagered, plus your
original wager. shown as a ratio of 1:1. |
| expected
win rate |
A
percentage of the total amount of money wagered that you can expect
to win or lose over time. |
| face
cards |
The
jack, queen, and king of any suit of cards. |
| family
pot |
In
poker, when everyone at the table decides to enter a pot |
| fifth
street |
In
seven-card stud, the third round of betting is called fifth street
because players have five cards. In hold'em , fifth street is the
fifth card on board and the final round of betting. |
| first
base |
At
the blackjack table, the position on the far left of the dealer is
considered to be first base and is the first position dealt with. |
| fishing |
A
player who stays in a poker game longer than advisable generally is
fishing for the card or two that will make the hand a winner. |
| flat
top |
A
slot machine whose jackpot is always a fixed amount, as opposed to
a progressive. |
| flop |
In
a game of hold'em, the three cards dealt face-up in the centre of
the table. |
| flush |
In
poker, a hand consisting of five cards of one suit. |
| front
money |
Cash
or bank checks deposited with the casino to establish credit for a
player who bets against that money. |
| fold |
In
poker, when a player declines a bet and drops out of the hand. |
| foul |
In
pai gow poker, a hand is fouled when the two-card low hand is set
higher than the five-card high hand, or when the hands are set with
the wrong number of cards. A fouled hand is a losing hand. |
| four
of a kind |
Four
cards of the same rank, also known as quads. |
| fourth
street |
In
seven-card stud, the second round of betting is called fourth street
because players have four cards. In hold'em, fourth street is the
fourth card on board and the third round of betting. |
| full
house |
In
poker, a hand consisting of a three of a kind and a pair. |
| green |
The
most common colour used for $25 chips. |
| hand |
Refers
to the cards that you hold, or to everything that happens in a card
game between shuffles of the deck. |
| hard
hand |
In
blackjack, any hand that does not contain an ace valued at eleven. |
| high
poker |
Standard
poker, as compared to low poker or lowball. In high poker, high hands
win. |
| high
roller |
A
big bettor. |
| hit |
In
blackjack, to take another card. The card received is also called
a hit. |
| hold'em |
A
class of poker games |
| holding
your own |
Breaking
even |
| hole
card |
In
blackjack, the facedown card that the dealer gets. In stud and hold'em
poker, the facedown cards dealt to each player. |
| hot |
A
player who is on a winning streak, or a slot machine that is paying
out. |
| house
edge |
The
percentage of each bet that you make that the house takes in. Winning
bets are paid off at less than the true odds to generate income for
the house. |
| inside
bets |
A
roulette bet placed on any number, or small combination of numbers. |
| inside
straight |
In
poker, four cards of a straight where the straight can only be completed
one way. |
| insurance |
In
blackjack, a side bet that the dealer has a natural. Insurance is
offered only when the dealers up card is an ace. The insurance
bet wins double if the dealer has a natural, but loses if the dealer
does not. |
| jackpot |
A
big win on a slot machine. |
| joker |
The
53rd card in a deck, sometimes used as a wild card. |
| keno
board |
A
large electronic board that displays the winning keno numbers. |
| keno
lounge |
The
main area within a casino where keno is played. |
| keno
runner |
A
casino employee who shuttles your keno bet from wherever you are to
the keno writer, and also delivers payment for winning tickets. |
| kicker |
In
a draw poker game, an odd high card held that doesn't contribute to
a straight or a flush, usually an ace or a king. |
| limit |
In
poker, any game that has a fixed limit on how much you can bet or
raise in each round. |
| load
up |
To
play the maximum number of coins per spin that a slot machine or video
game will allow. |
| loose |
Slot
machines are loose when they are paying off and giving the house only
a small advantage over the player. |
| low
poker |
Also
called lowball, is poker in which the pot is awarded to the hand with
the lowest poker value. |
| marker |
A
check that can be written at the gaming tables by a player who has
established credit with the casino |
| mini-baccarat |
The
scaled-down version of baccarat, played with fewer players, dealers,
and formality but following the same rules as baccarat. |
| natural |
In
blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of twenty-one points. In baccarat
a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine. |
| number
pool |
The
range of numbers from which you select the ones you want to play.
A typical lottery pool ranges from 1 to 60, and the keno pool is 1
to 80. |
| nut |
Either
the overhead costs of running a casino, or the fixed amount that a
gambler decides to win in a day. |
| odds |
Ratio
of probabilities |
| open |
In
poker, the player who bets first. |
| outside
bets |
Roulette
bets located on the outside part of the layout. They involve betting
12 to 18 numbers at one time. |
| overlay |
A
good bet where you have an edge over the casino. |
| pair |
Any
two cards that have the same rank. |
| pass |
To
not bet, to fold. |
| pat |
In
draw poker, a hand that does not need any more hands. In blackjack,
an unbusted hand worth at least 17 points. |
| pay
cycle |
A
theoretical expression that reflects the number of plays required
for the machine to cycle through all possible winning and nonwinning
combinations. |
| payline |
The
line on a slot machine window on which the symbols from each reel
must line up. Slot machines can have as many as eight paylines, although
most have only one. |
| payoff |
Your
payback; the return you see on a wager. |
| payout
percentage |
Also
referred to as the payback percentage, the percent of each dollar
played in a video or slot machine that the machine is programmed to
return to the player. Payback percentage is 100 percent minus the
house edge. |
| payout
table |
A
posting somewhere on the front of a slot or video poker machine, that
tells you what each winning hand will pay for the number of coins
or credits played. |
| pit |
An
area of a casino in which a group of table games are arranged, where
the centre area is restricted to dealers and other casino personnel. |
| pit
boss |
The
person who supervises all the games and casino personnel associated
with a pit during a particular work shift. Pit bosses are in place
to watch for cheating, settle disputes, and give comps to big bettors. |
| pot |
In
a poker game, the amount of money that accumulates in the middle of
the table as each player antes, bets, and raises. The pot goes to
the winner of the hand. |
| pressing |
A
player is pressing the bet when they let winnings ride by wagering
them along with the original bet. |
| probability |
A
branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood that an event will
occur. Probabilities are expressed as numbers between 0 and 1. The
probability of an impossible event is 0, while an event that is certain
to occur has a probability of 1. |
| progressive |
A
slot machine whose potential jackpot increases with each coin that
is played. When the progressive jackpot finally hits, the amount resets
to the starting number. |
| push |
A
tie hand between a dealer and a player; no money changes hands. A
push at blackjack occurs when both the player and the dealer have
a unbusted hands with the same total points. |
| quads |
Four
of a kind. |
| qualifier |
In
poker, the minimum standard a hand must meet in order for it to be
eligible for part of the pot. |
| rack |
A
plastic container in which you can transport and count large-denominational
coins, slot machine tokens, and casino plastic chips. |
| raise |
In
poker, a player raises by matching the previous bet and then betting
more, to increase the stake for remaining players. |
| rake |
The
money that the casino charges for each hand of poker. It is usually
a percentage (5-10%) or flat fee that is taken from the pot after
each round of betting. |
| rank |
The
worth of a set of cards. |
| red |
The
most common colour used for $5 chips. |
| red-black
bet |
In
roulette, an outside wager on whether the next spin will be a red
or a black number. This bet is played off at even money. |
| reel |
A
wheel inside a slot machine window on which the slot machine symbols
are printed. The number of reels per slot machine may very but are
usually three. |
| RFB |
High
rollers are comped with free room, food, and beverage. |
| river |
In
poker, the final card dealt in a hand of stud or hold'em. In seven-card
stud, staying in until the fifth and final round of betting is called
going to the river. |
| royal
flush |
In
poker, an ace-high straight flush; the best possible hand. |
| session |
A
series of plays at any gambling game. |
| set |
In
pai gow poker, players set their seven cards into two separate hands
of two and five cards each. |
| seventh
street |
In
seven-card stud, the fifth and final round of betting is called seventh
street because players have seven cards. |
| shoe |
A
plastic or wooden box that holds multiple decks of cards for dealing
more than two decks of cards. |
| showdown |
In
poker, after the last betting round, the players who remain in the
pot must show their hands in the showdown to determine the winner. |
| shuffle |
Before
each hand the dealer mixes up the order of the cards. |
| shutter |
A
window covering a number on a reusable bingo card. The shutter can
be pulled down to mark each number as it is called. |
| singleton |
In
poker, a card that is the only one of its rank. |
| sixth
street |
In
seven-card stud, the fourth round of betting is called sixth street
because players have six cards. |
| soft
hand |
In
blackjack, any hand that contains an ace counted as eleven is called
a soft hand. |
| spot |
Any
number from 1 to 80 that a player selects on a keno ticket. It also
refers to the number of numbers that are marked on a ticket. |
| stand |
In
blackjack, to stand is to refrain from taking another card. |
| stiff |
In
blackjack, a hand that is not pat and that may bust if hit once. Stiffs
include hard twelve through sixteen. |
| steal |
In
poker, to win the pot by bluffing. |
| straight |
In
poker, a hand consisting of five cards of consecutive ranks. |
| straight
flush |
In
poker, a hand consisting of five cards of consecutive ranks of the
same suit. |
| straight
keno |
The
basic keno game, played by marking individual numbers on a keno ticket. |
| surrender |
In
blackjack, to give up half your bet for the privilege of not playing
out a hand. In roulette, you effectively lose only half on an even-money
bet when the ball lands on 0. |
| third
base |
A
plastic container in which you can transport and count large-denominational
coins, slot machine tokens, and casino plastic chips. |
| third
street |
In
poker, a player raises by matching the previous bet and then betting
more, to increase the stake for remaining players. |
| three
of a kind |
The
money that the casino charges for each hand of poker. It is usually
a percentage (5-10%) or flat fee that is taken from the pot after
each round of betting. |
| toke |
The
worth of a set of cards. |
| touch
wand |
The
most common colour used for $5 chips. |
| trey |
In
roulette, an outside wager on whether the next spin will be a red
or a black number. This bet is played off at even money. |
| trips |
A
wheel inside a slot machine window on which the slot machine symbols
are printed. The number of reels per slot machine may very but are
usually three. |
| true
odds |
High
rollers are comped with free room, food, and beverage. |
| two
pair |
In
poker, the final card dealt in a hand of stud or hold'em. In seven-card
stud, staying in until the fifth and final round of betting is called
going to the river. |
| underlay |
In
poker, an ace-high straight flush; the best possible hand. |
| upcard |
A
series of plays at any gambling game. |
| vigorish |
In
pai gow poker, players set their seven cards into two separate hands
of two and five cards each. |
| VIP |
In
seven-card stud, the fifth and final round of betting is called seventh
street because players have seven cards. |
| way
ticket |
A
plastic or wooden box that holds multiple decks of cards for dealing
more than two decks of cards. |
| white |
In
poker, after the last betting round, the players who remain in the
pot must show their hands in the showdown to determine the winner. |
| wild
card |
Before
each hand the dealer mixes up the order of the cards. |
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