Stating that there is a special casino language might be to stretch it, but knowing the terms used by the dealer and other players too for that matter, is essential for you to play the games right. Throwing out some of the more unusual gambling expressions will off course also give you some well-deserved respect at the tables.
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If you are searching for a word or a gambling related term but can't find it in our list, please contact us here.
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A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y
A
- Ace-King
- A Caribbean Stud hand where the total hand value is less than a pair but the hand contain an ace and a king
- Action
- The amount one player wager during a session
- Add-on
- An optional buy-in amonut that can be used to aquire additional chips
- Advantage
- The percentage the casino has on a bet - same as the edge
- Aggregate limit
- The payout limit of a casino game
- Aggregate winnings
- Total earnings
- All-in
- Origionally a poker term for wagering all your money in play
- All or Nothing
- A Keno ticket that pays off if either all or none of its numbers has been drawn
- The person playing the last box on the right hand side of the Blackjack dealer
- Ante Bet
- A mandatory bet posted prior to the dealing of the cards in some casino card games
- Any craps
- A one-roll wager in Craps that the next roll is 2, 3 or 12 - pays 7 to 1
- Any seven
- A one-roll wager in Craps that the next roll is 7 - pays 4 to 1
- Arm
- Term used to describe a skillfull craps player. See also Dice Control
- Auto dauber
- A tool that automatically marks your numbers on an online Keno ticket
B
- Back Line
- Same as ‘Don't Pass line'
- Backtrack
- The outside rim where the ball spins in the Roulette wheel
- Banca Francesa
- A three diced casino game played in Portuguese casinos
- Banco
- The banker in Baccarat
- Banker
- The banker is the player's opponent in a Pai Gow poker game
- Banking game
- A slot machine game where continued play stores up credits in a "bank". Clearing a certain task in the game "releases" the bank and awards you the credits. Banking games are used to encourage players to keep on playing the machine. If you leave a banking machine in a live casino. you are also leaving the bonus credits for a new player to win
- bankroll
- The money you have available for gambling. Avoid putting your entire bankroll in play at one time and keep your gaming bankroll separate from your other budget.
- Bet
- To place a wager
- Bet max
- A feature on the slot machine giving you the option to play the maximum amount of coins allowed on the machine. This button will speed up your play
- Biased numbers
- Frequently winning numbers on a Roulette wheel
- Biased wheels
- A faulty Roulette wheel where certain numbers appear more often than probability allows
- Big 6
- A bet that 6 will be rolled before 7 in Craps - pays 1 to 1
- Big 8
- A bet that 8 will be rolled before 7 in Craps - pays 1 to 1
- Big red
- Another name for 7 in Craps
- Blind bet
- A pre-posted bet in poker placed before the player have seen his or her cards
- Black bet
- A bet on the next number to come out on the Roulette wheel to be black
- Black book
- People not allowed into Las Vegas Casinos are in the Black Book
- Blank
- See Brick
- Blackjack Trainer
- An online program that helps you to play strategically correct Blackjack
- Blower
- A glass container from which Keno balls are drawn
- Bones
- See Dice
- Bonus
- A game offers special bonuses for hitting certain types of hands. Also can refer to a sign-up or loyalty bonus, which is extra money added to your account for signing up or continuing to play at a specific online casino
- Boxcars
- A roll of two sixes in Craps
- Boxing
- Betting on which three horses will finish first, second and third in correct order in a horse race
- Boxman
- The casino employee who is in charge of the bets in Craps
- Brick
- A playing card that apperars not to help any of the players to improve their hand in a poker game. also called blank.
- Brick and Mortar
- Land based casinos
- Bug
- Online slang for software failure, also another word for a joker in card games
- Bump
- A raise
- Burn cards
- Cards that are removed from the top of the deck to obstruct dishonest play
- Bust
- To go broke, OR in Blackjack, to exceed the hand value of 21
- Buy in
- To buy casino/table credits
C
- Card counting
- To keep track of the cards that have been dealt in order to give the player an advantage
- Card sharp
- A competent card player, sometimes also a cheating player
- Carousel
- A group of slot machines arranged in a circle formation
- Carpet joint
- Slang for a luxurious casino
- Carré
- A corner bet in Roulette
- Casino advantage
- See House Edge
- Casino Junket
- See Junket
- Chasing
- Trying to win back money lost to the casino
- Chemin de Fer
- A casino card game, similar to Baccarat
- Center bets
- The bets in the middle of the Craps layout - one-roll wagers
- Cheval
- A split bet in Roulette
- Coat tailing
- To follow the same betting patterns as a winning player at the table
- Co-banking
- A Pai Gow option that is available in some casinos (not all), where the player and the house are 50/50 partners as the bank
- Cold
- A player who hasn't won in a while
- Cold streak
- A long session without winning
- Color up
- Change smaller chips to ones with a higher value
- Column bet
- A bet on one of three columns on the betting layout of roulette
- Combination way ticket
- A Keno ticket in which a group of numbers are bet in several ways, allowing you to spread your money over several different combinations
- Come bet
- Can only be made after the come-out roll in Craps and works like a pass-line bet Come out roll - The come-out roll starts a round of betting in Craps. Pass-line and don't pass-line bets have to be placed before this roll
- Community cards
- The shared open cards placed in the middle of the poker table
- Comp
- Gifts that live casinos offer players for continued play at the casino. It can take the form of free meals, shows or even cash rewards. See also Sign-up Bonus
- Copies
- Another name for a tie in Pai Gow. When the player's and the banker's hand have the same value, the hand is won by the banker
- Corner bet
- A Roulette wager where the player marks four numbers by placing the chips in the between four numbers
- Coup
- A round of play in Baccarat
- Cracking the nut
- Covering all your expenses with your casino winnings
- Craps
- When the craps shooter throws 2, 3 or 12 on the come-out roll
- Credits
- A bet at an online casino is expressed in credits
- Croupier
- The casino employee who manages the Roulette wheel or Baccarat game
- Cut card
- A plastic card used to cut a deck of cards
- Cycle
- Number of video poker hands you should expect to have to play before hitting a jackpot. A typical jackpot cycle is 40,000 hands, although playing 40,000 hands of course does not guarantee you will hit a jackpot
D
- D'Alembert system
- A betting system in which you raise your bets one unit when you are winning and drop one when you are losing
- Dauber
- The tool you use to mark your numbers on a Bingo/keno ticket
- Deposit
- The money transferred into an online account
- Deuce
- The number two (2)
- Deuces wild
- A variety of video poker where a deuce becomes the best card possible for your hand and the payouts are harder to achieve
- Dice
- Numbered cubes used in casino games
- Dice contol
- The ability to control the outcome of the dice in a craps game
- Die
- Singular for dice
- Dime bet
- A $1,000 bet
- Dolly
- A marker used in Roulette to display the winning number
- Don't come line bet
- Can only be made after the come-out roll in Craps and works like a don't pass-line bet - pays 1:1
- Don't pass line bet
- A Craps wager that the come-out roll is 12, 3 or 2 and looses if it's 7 or 11. All other numbers establish a point
- Double or nothing
- Even money bet where the winner of the previous bet puts the winnings at stake to win the double amount
- Doubling down
- A betting option in Blackjack. Player gets one additional card to complete the hand
- Double zero
- Additional pocket on the American Roulette wheel
- Down card
- A playing card dealt face down
- Down to the felt
- Out of gambling chips, broke
- Dragon Hand
- A Pai Gow hand dealt to an empty seat at the table. In some casinos a player may be allowed to pick up the dragon hand and play it as his/her own
- Drop box
- The tray on the gambling table used to store the chips while playing
E
- e-COGRA
- E-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. An organization overseeing the interests of fair gaming on the internet
- Edge
- Advantage. See also House Edge
- Encryption
- A system for secure money transactions online
- En prison rule
- Also known as the surrender rule in Roulette. A rule that allows players who have made an outside bet (Black/red, odds/even) to lose half the bet if the ball stops at 0, or to leave the money on the table as a new bet for the next round
- Exclusive bonus
- A bonus deal negotiated by a third party affiliate
- Expected win rate
- A percentage of the total money wagered that can be expected back to the players in form of winnings. See also Payout percentage
- Eye in the sky
- Surveillance cameras in the roof of live casinos
F
- Face cards
- A King, a Queen or a Jack in any card game
- Ficheur
- A tool that helps the croupier to separate each player's chips at the Roulette table
- Field bet
- A Craps wager that the next roll is 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 - pays 1 to 1
- First base
- The first betting box to the left of the dealer at a Blackjack table
- Flat top
- A casino machine without a progressive jackpot
- Flash casino
- An online casino that uses the web programming language Flash. It allows you to play games directly in your web browser
- Flush
- A hand with all five cards in the same suit, i.e., spades, hearts, clubs or diamonds. All suits have the same value
- Four-of-a-kind
- A hand that contains four cards of the same value
- Full House
- Three cards of the same value plus two of another (same) value
- Full Pay
- A machine that offers the most favorable payouts. These are also called 9/6 machines because they pay nine coins for a full house and six coins for a flush
G
- Gambler's fallacy
- The belief that a previous, isolated event will affect the outcome of the next.
- Gambler's Anonymous
- A support group to problem/compulsive gamblers
- Gross
- Gross winnings. The total payout. How much did you gross?
- Gutshot straight
- A term used in poker and video poker for a straight that can only be filled by one rank of card. For example, if the screen shows 8 9 T 4 Q you can discard the 4 and go for one of the four jacks to make a gut shot straight. This is not a recommended play
H
- Hand Behind
- The name given to the five-card hand in Pai Gow, as it is placed behind the smaller two-card hand, also High Hand
- Hand in Front
- The name of the two-card hand placed in front of the five-card hand in Pai Gow, also Low hand
- Hard hand
- A hand risking to go bust if the player hits. See soft hand
- Hardway
- Means that the craps dice show the same number; 22, 33, 44 etc.
- High Card
- If no player has a Pai Gow poker hand with a pair or better, the highest card, or sequence of cards, will determine the winner
- High hand
- Same as Hand behind
- High roller
- A player wagering amounts high above the average gambler
- Hit
- Draw another card in Blackjack
- Hold your own
- To break even in a gambling session
- Horn bet
- A Craps bet on that the next roll is 2, 3, 11 or 12 - pays 15 to 1 or 30 to 1
- Hot streak
- A long period of winning
- House
- The casino
- House edge
- The amount the casino is mathematically guaranteed to win over a long enough period of play. If the House has an edge of 5 percent on a particular game, they will win five cents over every dollar played at that game over a long enough time
- House way
- A predetermined strategy in table games where the players let the dealer set their hands
I
- Inside bet
- When players place their bets on or between the betting layouts of the casino tables
- Inside numbers
- A place bet on 2, 6, 8 and 9 in Craps
- Insurance
- If the dealer showing an Ace up in Blackjack, the players are offered to insure their wagers in the case of a natural blackjack for the dealer. Insurance is not a recommended Blackjack strategy in the long run
- IVT
- Interactive Video Terminals
J
- Jackpot
- A large payout. See also Progressive Jackpot
- Jacks or Better
- A Video Poker game where you need at least a pair of jacks to win
- Joker
- A card that works as a "wild card" in Pai Gow. It can be used to complete a straight, a flush, or a straight flush. If it can't be used this way, it is automatically used as an ace
- Joker Poker
- A video poker variation where the joker is wild as in Deuces Wild
- Juice
- See Vig
- Junket
- Free trip offered by casinos to get high rollers to come out to the casinos. Also a large group trip organized by the casino and or a casino affiliate.
- Junket Rep
- Person responsible for the casino junket
K
- Keno runner
- A casino employee in live casinos who collect your bets and handle the prizes
- Kalooki
- A card game played with wild cards
L
- La partage rule
- A Roulette rule where the player only loose half his/her outside bet if the ball stops at 0
- Ladderman
- Casino personnel overseeing the gambling action in table games
- Lay bet
- A bet that the craps shooter rolls a 7 before the number - pays 1 to 2, 2 to 3 or 5 to 6
- Lay odds
- An additional craps bet when a point is established, offers true odds
- Layout
- The betting area on the casino table where players place their wagers
- Le Grande Natural
- A natural nine in Baccarat. Beats ‘Le Petit Natural'
- Le Petit Natural
- A natural eight in Baccarat. Loses to ‘Le Grande Natural'
- Let it Ride
- To keep the latest winnings on the table as a new bet for the next round
- Load up
- To wager the maximum amount on a machine OR to ask for more chips
- Lobby
- From where you navigate to the games or to the cashier at online casinos
- Loose games/machines
- Games or machines with a generous payout
- Low hand
- Same as Hand in Front
M
- Martingale System
- A roulette strategy system where a player doubles his losing bet for the next wager. The system has not proven to be very profitable in the long run
- Match bonus
- A certain percentage of your deposit will be matched by the casino and added to your account as a bonus
- Mechanic
- A cheating dealer
- Money management
- A healthy approach to make your bankroll last longer
- Multiplayer Casino
- A casino where you can play with or against other players
N
- Natural
- When the come-out roll is 7 or 11 in Craps OR eight or nine with the two first Baccarat cards
- No-deposit bonus
- A bonus given by the casino without the player depositing any money. However, most times there are at least some strings attached. See Wagering Requirements
- Non-negotiable chips
- Casino credits that cannot be traded into cash
- Non-negotiates
- Promotional casino chips that cannot be traded back to cash. This is not negotiable
- Number pool
- the range of keno numbers from which you select your numbers to play. Most common is the range from 1 to 80
- Nuts
- the strongest poker hand possible, depending on the community cards
O
- Odds
- Ratio of probability. See also True Odds
- One-Armed bandit
- An old name for slot machines, named for the "arm" on the side of the machine that once had to be pulled in order to set the reels in motion
- On tilt
- A player gambling wrecklessly, see also Tilt
- Orphans or Orphelins
- Three numbers that are close on the roulette layout but far apart on the wheel
- Outside bet
- When players place their bets outside the betting layout of the casino tables. (for example, an even number bet in Roulette)
- Outside numbers
- The place-bet numbers in Craps: 4, 5, 9 and 10
- Over-lay
- A well-paid bet where the player has an edge over the casino
P
- Paint card
- See Face Cards
- Pair
- A hand with two cards of the same value
- Palette
- A long flat tool used in Baccarat to move the cards on the table
- Parlay
- A single bet that is linked together with another wager. For example, if you bet on number 18 in Roulette, you could also bet on the color red, or even numbers
- Paroli
- In European Roulette, Paroli is the order given to the croupier to let the latest winnings stay on the table as a new bet. See also Let it ride
- Pass line bet
- A craps bet that wins if the come-out roll is 7 or 11 and looses if it's 2, 3 or 12. All other numbers establish a point
- Pay Line
- The line on a slot machine where the symbols should line up in order for you to win
- Pay Table
- The chart that lists how much each hand pays out when you win
- Payback
- The opposite of House edge, it's the amount of every dollar put in that the casino gives back to the players
- Payout
- The amount you win for hitting a specific hand or number in any casino game
- Payout Percentage
- The percentage of the total money wagered in one game that will be paid out to the players
- Pigeon
- Inexperienced, unsophisticated gambler
- Pit
- Gambling area in the casino
- Pit boss
- Casino supervisor
- Pit manager
- Casino employee who deals with the customers and handles the comps
- Pinching
- Cheating by removing chips from the table after the result has been settled
- Place bet
- A craps wager that the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled before 7 - pays 9 to 8, 7 to 5 or 7 to 6 depending on which number is chosen
- Point
- The number that is established when the come-out roll in craps is 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10. Anyone who bet on pass line must hit the point before a 7 is rolled
- Progressive jackpot
- A jackpot that builds as players pay into it. All the machines connected to and eligible for a specific progressive jackpot contribute to the jackpot with each spin. Since it is a very rare combination of symbols that triggers the jackpot, progressive jackpots can reach enormous amounts of money. You can only win the progressive jackpot by playing the maximum amount of coins
- Proposition bets
- All ‘hardway' and one-roll bets in Craps
- Punto
- The player in Baccarat
- Punto Banco
- European Baccarat
- Push
- A tie in casino games like Blackjack, Caribbean Stud and Baccarat
Q
- Qualifier
- A tournament where one or several players qualifies for the next round. See also Satellite
- Quads
- Four of a kind
- Quarter bet
- A four number bet, similar to Corner Bet and Carré in Roulette
R
- Racinos
- Racetrack casinos
- Rack
- A plastic container used to hold your casino chips/tokens
- Reload bonus
- A bonus offered by a casino to reward re-depositing players
- Red bet
- A roulette bet on the next number to be red
- RFB'd
- Complemented by the casino with free room, food and beverage
- RNG
- Random Number Generator, the program that randomly selects the cards that will be dealt out
- Rouletto
- Irish Roulette
- Royal flush
- The highest hand in poker. A-K-Q-J-T of the same suit, i.e., spades, diamonds, hearts or clubs
S
- Satellite
- A qualifying tournament. See also Qualifier
- Sawdust joint
- Slang for a non-luxurious casino
- Scared money
- Money used for wagering that a player cannot afford to lose
- Scatter
- A symbol often found on slots machines, that enables free spins. A specified number of scatter symbols anyware on the screen will award free spins or other bonuses
- Seven out
- When a 7 is rolled after a point has been established but before the point is rolled again. This ends a round in Craps
- Shill
- A casino employee who fills empty seats at the tables
- Shiner
- A reflecting devise used to determine unexposed cards
- Shoe
- A device used in card games to store the cards
- Shooter
- The craps player rolling the dice
- Short pay
- In contrast to a full pay machine, a short pay machine does not offer the optimal payout odds to the player
- Shuffle tracking
- A technique used by card counters to locate important cards in the deck
- Sign-up bonus
- A bonus rewarded to players for registering and depositing money at an online casino
- Silver mining
- To search for coins in unattended gambling machines. See also Slot Walking
- Single zero
- The European roulette wheel without the American 00 pocket
- Six number bet
- A roulette bet on six different numbers, also Sixainne
- Sixainne
- See Six number bet
- Slot walking
- To search slot machines for credits/coins. See also Silver Mining
- Snake eyes
- When you roll a two in Craps
- Soft Hand
- A hand that is not risking to ‘go bust' if the player hits in Blackjack. See also Hard hand
- Stack
- Chips available for gambling
- Standoff
- a Tie
- Stiff hand
- A hand between twelve and sixteen in Blackjack, Very likely to go bust if the player hits
- Stickman
- The casino employee handling the dice and calling the rolls in Craps
- Straight
- A hand with five sequential cards, i.e., 9-8-7-6-5, regardless of suit
- Straight flush
- A hand with five sequential cards of the same suit, i.e., 9-8-7-6-5, all hearts
- Straight bet
- A roulette bet on one single number
- Street bet
- A roulette bet on three numbers. See also Transversale
- Surrender rule
- See En prison rule
T
- Tapping out/ Tapped out
- Losing one's entire bankroll
- Three-of-a-kind
- A hand with three cards of the same value
- Third base
- The position closest to the dealer's right. Last person to act before the dealer in blackjack
- Tiers du cylinder
- A French roulette term where a player bets on several numbers close to each other on the betting layout
- Tilt
- Wreckless gambling often caused by unlucky previous bets
- Token
- Gambling credit/coin
- Touch wand
- A pointing device used to pick the numbers on some keno machines
- Transversale
- French word for Street bet
- Trips
- Three of a kind
- True odds
- The real odds of an event to occur, not the odds presented to you by the casino
- Two Pair
- A hand with two pairs (cards of the same value)
U
- Upcard
- The one dealer card showing in casino games like Blackjack and Caribbean Stud
V
- Vig
- The casino Commission. Abbreviation of vigorish. Also Juice
- Voisins du zero
- When you bet the on a group of numbers close to the zero on a roulette wheel
W
- Wagering requirements
- Obligations to wager a certain amount in order to clear different bonuses at online casinos
- Washing
- To show that they are not taking any chips from the table, croupiers show (wash) their hands when leaving
- Web wallet
- Generic term for payment solutions for monetary transfers online
- Whale
- A gambler making unusually large bets, not necessarily a very good player
- Wild Card
- Another name for the Joker
- Wonging
- (Named after Blackjack expert Stanford Wong) To count the cards at a table and join the game when the count is in the players favor
Y
- Yo/ Yo-Leven
- Are used instead of 11, so it's not confused with seven at the craps table
