Casino Gaming Terminology

Casino Terms Lingo & Jargon: A-C. Action: term for play on the casino floor including table games and slots. A full service casino will also offer sportsbetting and bingo. Either way, casino players can count on plenty of action. Aggregate Limit: refers to the casinos’ total payout liability for any casino game. 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. Chemin De Fer - (French) A table game using 6 or 8 decks of cards, similar to Baccarat but requires skill. See Chemin de fer on this site.

Pit: Area behind specialty game tables at a casino where supervisory personnel stand and monitor the games. Shill: Casino employee who goes around to empty tables and pretends to be a player in order to get a game going and attract other players. Soft Count: Activity in which paper currency, charge slips, and bank checks are counted. It is usually done in a special room under tight security. Advantage Player: A casino player who is able to legally gain some kind of advantage over the house. The term is typically used for players who can successfully count cards in blackjack, but can also apply to craps players who use dice control or players who know. Skin gambling; Skin in the game (phrase) Sporting man culture; Spread betting; Sweepstakes parlor.

LAS VEGAS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Action: Sum total of your winnings.

All in: In poker, to put your last remaining chips into 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.

Any craps: A one roll bet in craps totaling 2, 3, or 12.

Any seven: A one roll bet in craps totaling any 7.

Baccarat: A card game where the winning hand totals closest to 9 discounting all units of 10.

Bankroll: Amount of money an individual or a casino has to gamble with.

Basic strategy: In blackjack, the set of plays that you should make to maximize your advantage.

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.

Black: $100 casino chip.

Blackjack: A card game where players try to beat the dealer by getting closest to 21 without going over.

Blind: 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 center of the table are referred to as on the “board.”

Boat: In poker, another term for a full house, a pair and three of a kind.

Book: The room where sports and race bets are made.

Boxcars: Rolling two sixes (12) in craps.

Boxman: The craps dealer who sits over the drop box and supervises bets and payoffs.

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.

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: To exceed a card total of 21 in Blackjack.

Call: In poker, when a player matches the current bet on the table.

Card counting: Keeping track of all cards that have been played since the shuffle.

Caribbean Stud: A five-card poker game where all the players are playing against the house.

Carpet joint: A casino catering to high rollers.

Casino advantage: The edge that the house has over the players.

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.

Color up: When a player leaving a game exchanges smaller denomination chips for larger denomination chips.

Come Bet: In Craps A wager placed on the come line.

Come-Out Roll: In Craps, the first roll of the dice or the first roll after a point has been made. This roll establishes the point.

Comp: Short for free or complimentary.

Coupons: Redeemable for nearly everything from a free meal to a free pull on a slot machine. (Ask the hotel whether it has a coupon book.)

Cover: A wager where the point spread is met for a win.

Craps: A game involving dice and the establishing of points to wager on. or, Dice term for a roll totaling 2, 3, and 12.

Crossroader: A casino cheat.

Croupier: The French word for dealer, used in the games of baccarat, craps, and roulette.

Cut card: A card of different color that is used to cut a deck of cards.

Cut: When the dealer divides a deck into two parts and inverts them after they have been well shuffled.

Dark: No show; as in Dark Sundays means no shows on Sunday.

Deal: To give out the cards during a hand in blackjack and poker.

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 card or on a die.

Dice: Two identical numbered cubes.

Discard tray: A tray on the dealer’s right side that holds all the cards that have been played or discarded.

Double down: In blackjack, it is the player’s 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. Some casinos limit this to card totals of 10 or 11, others allow it on any first two cards.

Draw: In draw poker, the second round of cards that are dealt.

Drop box: A locked box located on live gambling tables where dealers deposit paper money.

Drop: Total cash traded for chips at the gambling table.

Edge: The casino's advantage often referred to as the house advantage. 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.

Exotic wager: Any wager other than a straight bet or parlay (also referred to as a proposition or prop).

Expected win rate: A percentage of the total amount of money wagered that you can expect to win or lose over time.

Eye in the Sky: One-way mirror surveillance in the casino area.

Face cards: The jack, queen, and king of any suit of cards

. 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.

Fold: In poker, when a player declines a bet and drops out of the hand.

Folding money: Greenbacks, dollars, dineros.

Form: A tabloid used for horse racing data.

Front money: Cash or bank checks deposited with the casino to establish credit for a player who bets against that money.

George: A casino patron who is a big tipper. Antonym: Stiff.

Getting down: Placing a bet.

Green chips, Greens, Greenys: $25 casino chip.

Grind joint: Casino that caters to low rollers . See also Sawdust Joint.

Grinder: Low roller.

Hand: Refers to the cards that you hold, or to everything that happens in a card game between shuffles of the deck.

Hard count: Counting the change from slot machines.

High roller: A customer with the reputation of wagering large sums of money in the casino.

Hit me: A phrase used by blackjack players who want another card from the dealer. Usually used in connection with a hand signal.

Hold: House profit from all the wagers.

House advantage: Mathematical edge for winning that the casino gives itself.

In red: A comped customer's name usually appears 'in red' on a maitre d's reservation chart.

Juice: Refers to the amount of money you pay over and above your sports bet, insuring that the casino makes money whether you win or lose.

Junket: A group of high rollers flown in on a chartered plane by the casino.

Ladderman: A baccarat supervisor.

Laying a price: Playing a favorite.

Layoff: Money bet by a house with another bookmaker to reduce its liability.

Limit: The least or maximum bet accepted at a gaming table.

Line: The odds on a game (also referred to as price).

Lock: A surefire winner (there really is no such proposition).

Loose: Slot machines are loose when they are paying off and giving the house only a small advantage over the player.

Low roller: A player who makes small bets; a grinder.

Marker: An IOU owed the casino by a gambler allowed by the hotel to play on credit.

Marryin' Sam: Wedding chapel minister.

Matador: A cover that occurs in the waning moments of a game (also referred to as a back door cover)

Mush: A bettor who is bad luck.

Odds: Ratio of probabilities. Chances of winning expressed in terms of currency.

Off the board: A game on which bookmakers are not accepting wagers (generally because of injuries).

One-Roll Bets: Wagers that will win or lose depending on the very next roll.

Open: In poker, the player who bets first.

Pair: Any two cards that have the same rank.

Pallette: The flat paddle used on baccarat tables to scoop the cards.

Parlay: One bet ticket written with at least two wagers (all must win for the ticket to cash).

Casino Gaming Terminology Free

Pass Line: The area where a pass line bet is placed.

Pass: To not bet, to fold.

Pastposting: The act of increasing or decreasing your bet after the hand/roll/spin has completed. Cheating.

Payoff: Your payback; the return you see on a wager.

Pigeon: A gambler who chases his/her losses. See also Plunger and Steamer.

Pit boss: A casino boss who oversees numerous table dealers.

Pit: The casino employee area behind the table games.

Plunger: A gambler who chases his/her losses. See also Pigeon and Steamer.

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.

Punter: One who gambles in the casino – the player.

Puppy: The underdog.

Rack: Simply the device that holds the chips on gaming tables.

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.

RFB Comp: Room, Food and Beverage complimentary from the hotel.

Roulette: The roulette wheel features the numbers 1 through 36 in alternating red and black, and two green spaces including “0” and “00.” Players can be on a single number, a row or column of numbers, red or black, odd or even, or 1 through 18 or 19 through 36. Players place their chips on the betting layout. Betting continues until the dealer signals, “No more bets.” When the ball comes to rest on a number, all wagers are settled. Odds range from even money to 35 to 1.

Rundown: A list of odds on a particular day's games.

Runner: One who places bets for another.

Sawdust Joint: Casino catering to low roller. See also Grind Joint.

Scalper: Someone who bets both sides of a game.

Score: A big win.

Sharp: A sophisticated or professional sports bettor.

Shill: An employee of the gaming establishment that starts a game.

Shoe: A container from which several decks of cards are dealt on the Baccarat and blackjack tables which prevents the dealer from holding cards.

Shooter: A gambler who is rolling the dice on a craps table.

Shuffle: Before each hand the dealer mixes up the order of the cards.

Soft Count: Counting the folding money.

Spoon: A device used by slot machine cheaters.

Square: A novice sports bettor.

Steal: In poker, to win the pot by bluffing.

Steamer: A gambler who chases his/her losses. See also Pigeon and Plunger.

Stickman: The dealer who moves the dice around on a craps table with a hook-shaped stick.

Stiff: A casino player who never tips or tokes regardless of how much they win.

The Cage: Where a casino keeps its money.

The Pencil: Authority. For example, pit bosses have the pencil to grant players free rooms and authorize markers.

Tip: Same as a toke.

Toke: Gratuity or tip.

Turkey: A gambler who is unpleasant to the dealer.

Underlay: A bad bet; an event that has more money bet on its happening than can be justified by the probability of it happening.

Vigorish: The fee, or commission taken by the house.

Whales: Gamblers who are so wealthy that they routinely lose millions without batting an eye. There are an estimated 250 whales in the world.

Wise guy: A professional sports bettor.

You’re a new gambler, and like any new hobby, many terms and slang words are unique to the hobby. Gambling and casinos are no different.

I will give you a comprehensive list of all the terms/ slang you need to know when gambling in a land-based or online casino.

I have broken them down into sections to make it easier for referencing as you’re getting to know your way around gambling in casinos.

Online Gaming Terminology

Casino Gambling Terms and Slangs Words A-E

• Action: play on the casino floor, including table games and slots.
• Aggregate Limit: the casinos’ total payout liability for any casino game.
• Aggregate Winnings: total winnings.
• All or Nothing: a winning keno ticket that only has the exact numbers drawn or none of the numbers drawn.
• Bankroll: the total amount of money a gambler has for betting.
• Barber Pole: multi-color and/or denomination stack of chips.
• Bet: any wager.
• Betting Limits: usually determined by the casino, the maximum and minimum a gambler can wager on a specific game.
• Black Book: slang for a list of gamblers that have been banned in Nevada casinos.
• Buck: slang for a $100 bet.
• Bug: slang for the joker card.
• Buy-in: money a gambler converts to casino chips for a game.
• Cage: location of the casino cashiers.
• Card Sharp/Shark: an expert casino card gambler.
• Card Washing: a type of dealer card shuffling where the cards are placed face down on the table by the dealer and ‘swishes’ like a washing machine before dealing with a new game.
• Carpet Joints: slang for high-end, luxury casinos.
• Case Bet: a gambler’s bet that includes all remaining chips on the table or all in.
• Cashier’s Cage: the same as the cage, see above.
• Casino Advantage: a percentage advantage that the casino has in any casino game over the gambler.
• Casino Floor: the actual gambling area of the casino.
• Chase: slang for when a gambler loses and tries to win back their money.
• Cheques: original name for casino chips.
• Chips: round discs that come in multiple denominations and colors used in place of money on the casino gambling tables.
• Chip Tray: the tray that holds the dealer’s chips for play.
• Coat-tail: slang for copying a winning gambler’s strategy and expecting the same results in betting.
• Cold: slang for a card deck, craps table, or slot machine that is no longer on a winning streak.
• Coloring Up: slang for exchanging smaller value chips for higher denominations
• Comp: a gift from the casino, usually, in the form of food, drinks, or lodging.
• Cracking the Nut: slang for the net profit of a gambler after all their losses are deducted.
• Credits: 1 credit is the same as the dollar amount of the play. 1 credit on a penny slot would be 1 penny.
• Crossfire: slang for when the dealer talks too much about other things besides the game at the table.
• Croupier: French for a roulette dealer.
• D’Alembert System: a bankroll strategy of adding one monetary amount after a losing bet while the monetary amount is deducted after a winning bet.
• Deposit: when a gambler places money for gambling in their casino account.
• Dime: slang for wagering $1,000.00.
• Dirty Money: slang for the money lost in bets that are collected by the dealer.
• Discard Tray: the tray or stack of cards to the dealer’s right that is out of play
• Dollar Bet: slang for betting $100.00.
• Double or Nothing: a bet that pays the original bet or even-money.
• Down to the Felt: slang for being broke.
• Drop: the amount of money lost by a gambler.
• Drop Box: a box at the gaming table that holds all cash, chips, and markers

Casino Terms and Slang Words: E-J

• Edge: the advantage a gambler or the casino has over another gambler.
• Eighty-Six or 86: slang for being banned from a casino.
• Eye in the Sky: slang for the security surveillance system at a casino.
• Face Cards: the jack, king, or queen.
• Firing: slang for placing large bets.
• Fish: slang for a losing gambler.
• Flat Betting: a betting strategy for placing the same wager amount every bet.
• Flea: slang for a casino gambler who expects unearned comps.
• Foreign: chips from another casino.
• Front Money: the original money put down for a bankroll.
• George: slang for a copious tipper in a casino.
• Grind: a steady betting strategy that is based on knowledge and takes time.
• Handicapper: slang for a gambler who is betting with no skill or knowledge of the game.
• Handle: the sum of the money put in a game.
• High Roller: a high dollar amount bettor.
• Hold: the percentage of money the casino makes on each game played.
• Holding Your Own: a gambler who is neither winning nor losing money on their bets.
• Honeymoon Period: slang for new gamblers that wins on their first time playing the casino. Also known as beginner’s luck.
• Hot: describes a gambler on a winning streak.
• House: slang for the casino, online or land-based.
• House Edge: the same as the casino edge or advantage.
• Jackpot: a massive payout on a slot machine.
• Juice: slang for the amount the house earns per game. See “vigorish.”
• Junket: a VIP casino trip hosted by the casino for high rollers. All expenses are usually covered, High rollers are required to make a minimum bankroll deposit in advance of the junket.

Casino Terms and Slang Words: I-R

• Laying or Taking Odds: laying the odds is winning less than bet, and taking the odds is winning more than bet.
• Layout: a list of all the betting types usually printed on the table felt.
• Load up: betting the max amount on a slot machine or video poker machine.
• Loyalty Club: a casino members club that accumulates points for the gambler as they spend money in the casino. Points can be used towards casino goods and services.
• Marker: a casino sanctioned IOU for gamblers to use for betting.
• Martingale: a betting strategy where the gambler doubles up after every losing bet.
• Maximum Bet: the highest amount allowed to be bet at a table game or the highest amount played on a single spin of a slot machine.
• Mechanic: slang for a casino cheater at a dice or card game via sleight of hand.
• Net Winnings: the amount of total casino winnings less the bets placed.
• Nickel: slang for betting $500.00.
• Odds: the percentage chance a gambler has of winning.
• On Tilt: slang for a gambler reacting to a losing bet with a wildly outlandish bet to follow.
• Overlay: a bet that gives the gambler an advantage over the casino.
• Payoff: the physical money received by a gambler after winning. (cash or chips)
• Payout or Payback %: based on a slot or video poker machine, the programmed result is determined by deducting the casino advantage.
• Pigeon: slang for a gambler who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
• Pips: any spade, club, heart or diamond card or the dots on a dice.
• Pit: where the casino floor managers are stationed on the gambling floor.
• Pit boss: the managers of the casino floor.
• Ploppy: slang for a new gambler who is not playing well but has no problem giving below par advice to more advanced players.
• Press a Bet: increasing your bet amount after winning the previous bet.
• Progression Betting: adding or changing bets as play continues.
• Rack: the device used to count a high dollar amount of chips.
• Racinos: when a casino and a racetrack are on the same property.
• Railbird: slang for someone who observes gamblers. A railbird may be planning to steal gambler’s chips.
• Rated: a casino’s system for valuing a gambler’s action when gambling. This system is used for allocating comps based on skills.
• Rathole: a gambler who slowly put their winning stash of ships so other players don’t notice that they are winning.
• RFB: the prized comp- includes room, food and drinks (beverages).

Casino Terms and Slang Words: S-U

• Sawbuck: slang for $10.00 wager.
• Sawdust Joint: a lower end casino that offers cheaper minimum buy-ins and slots.
• Scamdicapper: a gambler who exaggerates their winnings and skill set.
• Session: time spent playing casino games.
• Shark or Sharp: a gambler who doesn’t let on at the beginning of the game that they are quite skilled.
• Shill: slang for a casino employee that plays other casino’s game tables to drum up business for their employer.
• Single or Straight-Up Bet: a bet on one game.
• Skin or Skoon: slang for a 1 dollar.
• Sleeper: a bet that the gambler wasn’t expecting to win.
• Soft Count: the counting of the money played on a slot machine by the casino.
• Soft Count Room: the location within the casino’s backhouse where soft counts are performed.
• Slot Club Card Member: similar to loyalty club but specifically for slot machine players.
• Spinner: a winning streak.
• Streak Betting: a betting system where the gambler increases or decreases their next bet depending on the previous win or loss. Also known as progressive betting.
• Stripping or Card Stripping: a type of shuffling that reverses the cards’ order in a deck.
• Table Hold: the amount of money won at a table for a dealer’s shift, usually 8 hours.
• Tapping Out: slang for losing all your money at a table or not spending any more money on the current game.
• Toke: slang for a tip left for a dealer by a player.
• Tom: a gambler that doesn’t tip.
• Tournament: a casino or gambling industry association hosted tournament. Tournaments can be online or in-person events. Gamblers usually have to qualify for the tournament or be invited by the host. Tournaments are mostly for card games.
• Underlay: slang for a lousy bet.
• US Casino Megaclubs: a loyalty club that includes multiple casinos. This is possible because the same parent company owns casinos.

Casino Terms and Slang Words: V-Z

Casino Gaming Terminology Games

• Vigorish: a casino’s fee or house take on a designated bet in baccarat, craps, and sportsbooks.
• VIP: a Very Important Player that is recognized by the casino and its staff as deserving of special treatment and attention, usually a high roller.
• VLT: acronym for Video Lottery Terminal
• Wager: another word for a bet.
• Whale: a VIP gambler who places enormous bets.
• White Meat: slang for a casino’s profits.
• Withdrawal: when a gambler removes money from their casino account

Conclusion

Now you have the basics of casino terms and slang words. This should help give you some confidence at your next casino visit.

Casino Gaming Terminology Game

There’s nothing like speaking and understanding the language of the locals.