Alphabetical Casino Glossary

1,024 Ways to Win

Instead of traditional lines, the slots with 1024 ways to win include winning ways or patterns; as long as you have a combination of one-of-a-kind symbols on any of those patterns, you will win.

243 Ways to Win

Slot machines with 243 ways to win will payout when one-of-a-kind symbols appear on adjacent reels on any of those 243 winning patterns/ways.

3D Video Slots

Online slot machines that feature three-dimensional graphics on screen.

3 Reel

A slot with 3 columns of spinning symbols.

5 Reel

A slot with 5 columns of spinning symbols.

A-Game

A poker term used to describe one‘s best performance. A player playing their a-game will be making the best decisions they‘re capable of without letting factors such as tilt and emotions influence these decisions.

ABC Poker

The basic approach to poker without any fancy moves or big bluffs. Playing ABC poker means sticking to strong starting hands and playing your big hands fast. It’s good for beginner players while learning the ropes as it allows them to stay out of trouble.

Ace-High

Ace-High is the best high-card hand one can have, meaning that there is no made hand possible with all cards being of different rank and the hand containing an Ace, thus Ace-High.

Aces

A bet that the next craps roll will be a total of two points, meaning both dices will land showing one point.

Aces Full

A five-card poker hand containing three aces and any other pair. It is a very strong holding in all high poker variations.

Action

A total amount of bets wagered in a specific round or game. In games such as poker, action can also mean “turn to act” when the dealer says action is on you.

Active Payline

A slot payline is considered active if a bet has been placed on it. It means that it is possible to land winning combinations along it. If you are playing on a slot with adjustable paylines always make sure that all paylines are active.

Add-On

The term is mostly used in poker tournaments, and an add-on is an extra amount of chips players can buy after several levels of play to add to their stacks. It is mostly available in rebuy events and is predetermined before the tournaments start.

Admission Packet

The minimum number of cards needed to be purchased to take part in a bingo game.

Advantage

This refers to the casino edge on any particular bet. Some games or specific bets give a higher advantage to the casino than others.

Advantage Player

An advantage player is a casino player who gains an edge over the casino without employing any illegal techniques. The most popular example of this is card counters in blackjack. So, while casinos frown upon such players, these gamblers technically aren’t breaking the law in any way.

Advertise

Playing in a way that sends a message you have a certain hand even though you’re bluffing. For example, when a flush card comes on the turn and your opponent bets into you, you can raise them to advertise a made flush.

Aggressive

A style of play characterized by many bets and raises, putting pressure on your opponents in a poker game. It’s the opposite of passive.

Ahead

Being ahead in poker means you have a hand that currently beats your opponent’s holding. For example, if you have a made straight, you’re ahead of someone holding a set.

Air

A common poker term for not having much of anything in your hand. If you have air, it means you don’t have a made hand with showdown value, so the only way to win the pot is by bluffing.

Airball Roulette

A special roulette wheel that is made to work automatically using air pressure.

All-In

Putting your entire stack at risk, betting all the chips you have in front of you. When a player is in all in, they can make no future actions for that hand.

All or Nothing

A keno ticket that pays out only if all the chosen numbers were drawn or if none of the chosen numbers were drawn.

All Ways

These are slot machines that have paylines that payout both from left to right and from right to left.

American Airlines

One of many nicknames given to pocket aces, ranked highest among the best starting hands in Texas Hold’em. The name directly relates to the fact that two aces in the hole spell “AA,” i.e., staring letters of the name of the big airline company.

American Roulette/American Wheel

A variation of a roulette game with an additional “00” field. In this game, there are a total of 38 fields on the wheel, but the payout is the same as in the standard roulette version with only 37 fields, making American roulette a very unfavorable game to the player.

Anchor Player

In a blackjack game, this is the player who is in the far left seat, so to the immediate right of the dealer. They are the last player to take a turn before the dealer plays.

Angle Shooting

This term refers to taking action designed to confuse your opponent and give you an advantage in a hand, but in a way that’s either against the rules or very close to breaking them. One example of angle shooting is making a forward move with your chips to gauge a reaction and then pulling your bet back.

Anna Kournikova

This is a nickname given to Ace King, a very strong starting hand that often doesn’t perform as well as expected. In addition to spelling initials of the popular tennis player, the nickname stuck because the hand “looks prettier than it actually plays.”

Ante

An ante is a mandatory initial bet every player has to make before the game can begin. The main concept of the ante is to motivate the players to play less conservatively, as there’s money already in the pot when the game starts. Ante is also another name for a side bet on the table games.

Ante Up

In games with antes, all players need to post their antes before the hand is dealt, i.e., everyone has to ante up for the hand to start.

Any Craps

A specific bet on the next craps roll, meaning the player is betting that the roll will be equal to two, three, or twelve points.

Any Seven

Craps bet that the total points on the next roll will be seven.

Apron

An outside perimeter of the actual craps table in the brick-and-mortar casino.

Autospin

This is a feature that allows slot players to set a predetermined number of spins for the game to play automatically without the need for further player input.

Back Counting

A technique that sees a player stand and observe a blackjack table without playing, while keeping track of the cards. The idea is to then join the table once the cards become favourable.

Backtrack

The outer rim of a roulette wheel where the ball is initially spun, also known as the ball-track.

Back to Back

In poker, the term back to back describes something happening twice in a row. For example, you could win the same tournament twice or river the same opponent twice in two sequential hands.

Baccarat

A simple and very popular card game. The uniqueness of this game comes from the fact that players can play both as the “player” or the “banker.” This game is especially popular among high roller gamblers.

Backdoor

The term backdoor in poker refers to weak draws on the flop. For example, if you have two hearts in your hand and there is just one heart on the flop, you have a backdoor flush draw, as you need both the turn and the river to come hearts to complete your flush.

Back Line

Slang name for popular „don‘t pass line“ bet in the craps game.

Back Line

A person who is providing the money to a poker player to cover their buy-in for a tournament or a cash game. In return, the backer gets an agreed-upon percentage of the player’s winnings in the games they’re backed for. This is known as poker staking.

Bad Beat

A bad beat is a gambling term primarily used in poker. It refers to a situation in which a perceptively strong hand loses improbably, most often because the winning player made a stronger hand with the final card dealt.

Ball Game

In keno this is a game that uses plastic balls from 1 to 80 in order to represent the numbers drawn.

Banco

A term often used in baccarat game to describe a situation when the bet is placed on the banker's hand to win.

Bank Craps

This is the official name of the craps game in the casino, but it is rarely used these days.

Banker

The banker is the person that’s in charge of accepting bets, taking the losing bets, and paying out the winners. In most casino games, the banker is the dealer or the croupier who represents the house.

Bankroll

A bankroll is the fixed sum of money a player sets aside to use only for gambling. The bankroll should always be separate from everyday cash and other expenses.

Barber Pole

Barber pole refers to the recommended way craps players should stack their chips when they are of the different denominations. More specifically, etiquette implies that players should stack their chips with the highest denominations on the bottom.

Bars

These are classic slot symbols with the word ‘BAR’ on them. Often, they come in single, double and triple versions.

Basic Strategy

When a new player in the game starts winning right out of the gate, sometimes without even fully understanding the rules, it is called beginner’s luck.

Behind

Needing to catch a card to improve and beat your opponent. For example, if you have a straight draw and are up against a made hand like the top pair, you’re behind and need to catch up.

Behind the Line

Betting behind the line refers to placing a bet on your pass/don’t pass or come/don’t come bets in a craps game. It’s called this because you place the chips directly behind your original bet, as there’s no specially marked place on the table.

Bet

A bet is the amount of money every participant puts into the game when playing. It is the risk the player is willing to take for a chance to win.

Betting Layout

The betting layout is the area of the game’s table where players can put the chips to make their bets. For example, the roulette betting board is the betting layout of every roulette game.

Betting Limits

The betting limits are the minimum and maximum stakes the house has for a specific game or casino table.

Biased Wheel

A roulette wheel that is imperfectly constructed resulting in certain numbers or areas of the wheel appearing more often than they statistically should.

Big Bertha

This is a term used in land casinos for physically big slot machines that are used to grab the attention of people as they walk in.

Big Blind

A mandatory bet posted by one of the players (usually two to the left of the dealer position) before cards are dealt. It is used to start the pot and create action.

Big Blind Ante

In games with antes, the big blind ante is used to speed up the action. Instead of each player posting their ante every hand, the big blind player will post the full ante amount for the entire table.

Big Eight

A bet in craps game that an 8 will be rolled out before a 7. It’s similar to the “place 8” bet, only this one pays even money while the “place 8” bet pays 7 to 6. That said, the “place 8” bet has a house edge of just 1.5%, and the big eight bet has a house edge of 9.1%.

Big Six

This is the craps bet that a 6 will be rolled before a 7. This is an even-money bet with the house edge of only 1.5%.

Big Slick

One of several nicknames given to Ace-King in Texas Hold’em poker.

Big Red

This term describes a bet that craps roll will total seven points in any possible variation such as “1 and 6”, “3 and 4”, or “5 and 2.“

Bingo

A game in which numbers or letters are drawn from a drum and players win by matching those drawn to preprinted tickets that are purchased before the start of the game.

Bingo Ball

A ball with a number or letter printed on it that is drawn in a bingo game.

Bingo Board

An electronic display board that shows each number as it is drawn.

Bingo Machine

A selection device used in bingo games to draw the balls.

Black Bet

An outside bet in roulette that the color of the next number will be black.

Blackjack

One of the most popular casino card games where you need to score 21 points or go as close to that as possible without exceeding that mark. In this popular “21 game,” every player plays against the dealer. The strongest winning hand in blackjack has the same name as the game and comprises an ace and any ten-point card.

Blackout

A bingo pattern in which the entire card is covered, also known as coverall.

Blank

A keno ticket that has not been used.

Blind Bet

A bet made in the dark before the next card is dealt. For example, after the flop action finishes, the player who acts on the turn first can make a blind bet before the dealer show the turn card.

Blinds

Blinds are a part of poker gameplay in flop-style variations. These are forced bets posted by the players to the left of the dealer button. There are most commonly two blinds - the small blind and the big blind.

Blocker

A card held by the player that blocks certain combinations that other players could have. For example, if a straight draw on the board requires a hand like 6-7 to complete and you’re holding one 7 in your hand, you’re blocking some of the 6-7 combinations and making your opponent less likely to have it.

Blocking Bet

A bet, usually on the smaller side, designed to prevent your opponent from betting bigger if you check to them. It’s used when the betting player has a marginal hand with some showdown value, but they’d rather avoid making a big decision.

Blower

In bingo, this is a machine that is used to draw winning numbers. It is very similar to the machines used for lottery draws on television.

Bluff

A bet designed to convince the opponent you have a strong hand while you actually don’t have anything, and the only way to win the pot is if you get them to fold.

Bluff Catcher

A poker hand with some showdown value but not strong enough to beat any hands that your opponent would bet for value. When you call with a bluff catcher, you only expect to win against the opponent’s bluffs, hence the name.

Boat

Just another name for a full house, i.e., a five-card poker hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.

Bones

A popular slang term for dice.

Bonus

A bonus is any reward players get for playing with the casino, either in the form of extra playing money or comp points they can exchange for different amenities. Bonuses are more common in online casinos, where players get them when they sign up or make a deposit with an online gambling site.

Bonus Hunting

A technique where the player plays on one casino until he clears the bonus and then moves to another casino to get the next bonus in line. If the player keeps doing that, it is known as bonus hunting.

Bonus Hunting

The bowl is the container that holds the craps dice. The bowl itself can be made out of plastic, wood, or metal, depending on the casino you’re playing at, and it is also called the dice bowl.

Boxcars

This is a slang term for betting that two sixes will be rolled on the next throw in the craps game.

Boys (The Boys)

Boys, or the boys, is an old-school slang term for craps dealers. This term is more of a relic from the old days, as it’s not used as much due to the high number of female craps dealers in casinos.

Break

Also known as bust is when a hand’s value goes above 21 in a game of blackjack.

Brick

A card dealt face up that changes absolutely nothing, i.e., it isn’t likely to either improve or hurt your or your opponent’s current situation. An example of brick would be a 2d on the turn after the flop comes three high cards.

Bring In

A mandatory bet in stud games posted by the player showing the weakest card after the initial deal.

Broadway

The term Broadway in poker describes all picture cards, i.e., kings, queens, and jacks.

Bubble

In poker tournaments, the bubble is the situation just before reaching paid spots where the next eliminated player is getting nothing, and everyone who outlasts him is guaranteed a payout. For example, if a tournament pays ten players, the player finishing in 11th place went out on the tournament's bubble.

Buffalo

A buffalo is a craps bet that covers each hardway bet and any seven.

Buffalo Yo

A buffalo yo bet is a bet that covers each hardway bet and any eleven in a craps game.

Bullets

The term bullets is another nickname you’ll hear at the tables when referring to pocket aces. The expression's origin is quite clear – this is the deadliest hand you can get in Hold’em.

Bump

“Bump” is a craps slang term that refers to the situation when a craps dealer gets an extra break because there are too few players at the table, so the table is overstaffed.

Burn Card

A burn card is a card taken from the top of the deck and discarded to prevent any cheating attempts and is mostly used to counter “marked” cards. It is usually the first card after the shuffle or the top card in the in-play deck before a new round is dealt.

Bust

When a player is eliminated from a poker tournament, they bust or bust out.

Bust Card

The individual card that causes the player’s or the dealer’s hand in blackjack to go above 21.

Busting

Losing your bet in a game or even an entire bankroll is known as busting. That said, this term is most often used to refer to the blackjack situation when the player goes over 21 and automatically loses the hand and his initial wager.

Button

A position at the poker table showing the designated dealer for the hand. It’s also the most favorable position of all poker table positions in all games with blinds as the button player gets to act last on all betting streets except for the first one, so they always have a position on other players.

Buy-In

A buy-in is an element of poker games, and it marks the minimum amount the player needs to have to participate in a particular game. It is most often the entry fee for participating in a tournament or cash game, but this term can also be used in some casino games where the buy-in is required to play.

Buy Bet

A buy bet is essentially the same as a place bet in craps since it includes wagering on the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. But, you give the casino a 5% commission on the bet in return for true odds. In most casinos, you have to pay the commission for every buy bet you place, while some casinos will only take the commission if you win the bet.

C&E Bet

The c&e is a one-roll bet on “any craps” and “eleven.” One bet unit is placed on any craps of 2, 3, or 12, and one unit is placed on the eleven bet. If “any craps” bet wins, the “eleven” bet loses, and vice versa.

Cage

The apparatus used to hold keno balls that are drawn during the game.

Call

Call bets are a group of roulette bets that are only available in the French and European variations. What makes them different from regular bets is that they are announced or called instead of placed on the betting board. The different types of call bets include voisins du zero, jeu zero, tiers du cylindre, orphelins, and neighbors.

Caller

A caller is the person who announces the keno numbers to players.

Calling Station

A passive poker player type who rarely bets or raises himself but doesn’t like to fold his hand, either. This player type will often call bets from others and take their hand to a showdown even with relatively poor holdings.

Candle

This refers to the light on the top of a physical slot machine in a land casino. It is used to call for assistance and, on some games, it will also be lit if the jackpot is won.

Cap

The maximum amount the player can bet at the game or in particular betting round.

Cap (Poker)

The term cap in poker refers to a few different things. It can mean the maximum amount someone can buy-in into a cash game, the maximum number of bets per street in limit games, as well as a particular game format where the betting is capped to a certain amount. In all cases, it refers to a limit of some kind.

Capped Dice

Capped dice is a slang term for crooked or loaded dice in the craps game. You can identify them by scratching the dice, and if there’s a mark left, the dice are capped.

Capping

Secretly adding additional chips to your bet when the hand has already started. Most often refers to blackjack games.

Card Counting

Card counting is a form of advantage play in blackjack. This strategy involves the card counter attempting to get an edge over the casino by keeping track of which cards have been used in the previous rounds to better estimate which cards could come up next.

Card Washing

Card washing is a special card shuffling technique in which the dealer spreads all of the cards on the tables and mixes them around, effectively “washing the cards.”

Carousel

This is a group or bank of slot machines that are together on a casino floor. Often, they will be of a common denomination of betting units, such as dollar slots.

Carre

The French term for a Corner Bet, a bet on four numbers that form a square on the betting area.

Cascading Reels

This is a slot feature whereby winning combinations are removed from the reels in order to allow more symbols to fall, or cascade, from above.

Cash-Out

To exchange your chips/ticket from the slot machines for real money, withdraw money from your account.

Cashback

A percentage of player losses that are returned as a refund to reward losing players and keep them in the games.

Cashier

A cashier is a person in the traditional land-based casinos who works at the desk and exchanges players' real money for chips and vise versus. Cashiers also exist online, where they refer to banking sections players use to deposit money into the online site before playing.

Center Bets

Center bets, also called the center field, are all bets located in the middle of the craps table. These include the proposition bets and the one-roll.

Chase

A player who continues to gamble, hoping to win back the money lost.

Chasing Losses

Chasing losses is the action of trying to recoup for previous bad results by increasing the stakes, playing after depleting the initial bankroll, or placing very high-risk and high-reward bets with the hope of winning back the money. This is a very poor tactic that often results in even bigger losses for the player.

Charting a table

Charting a table refers to keeping track of the previous outcomes to employ a particular strategy.

Change Only

Change only is a rule most casinos have that requires players to convert their money into gambling chips before placing a bet. In other words, this rule prevents players from placing cash bets.

Check

A non-aggressive action that keeps the player in a hand and passes the action to the next player.

Cheval

French for a Split Bet, a bet on two adjacent numbers on the betting area.

Chips

Chips are the casino’s tokens that players use as the currency when gambling in a casino. Just like traditional money, casino chips come in different denominations.

Cocked Dice

This term refers to dice that end up at an angle instead of ending up flat on the table in a craps game. If this scenario occurs, the stickman determines the final number, usually based on the casino's predetermined rule.

Cold Call

When there is a bet and a raise in front of a poker player and they decide to make a call, their action is usually referred to as “cold calling.”

Cold Streak

Cold streak is a slang term that refers to an extended losing run or bad results. It’s the opposite of a hot streak.

Cold Table

A cold table is a situation in which all shooters at the craps table are crapping out before the point number is established. Also known as cold dice.

Colonne

French for a Column Bet, a bet on one of the three columns of 12 numbers on the betting area.

Color In / Color Up

The term “color in” refers to the action of exchanging smaller chips for higher-valued ones when leaving the table.

Column Bet

A roulette bet placed on one of three available twelve number columns.

Come Bet

The come bet is the same type of bet as the pass-line bet. The only difference is that it’s made after the come out roll after the point number has already been made.

Come Out Roll

The “come out” roll is the first roll of the craps game. Players who want to place pass/don’t pass bets have to do so before the come out roll. If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, they win with the pass bet and losses with the don’t pass bet.

If the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12, they lose, and the players who made the don’t pass bet win. If the shooter rolls a 12, it’s a push. If the outcome of a roll is a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the point number is established, and the game continues.

Community Cards

Cards dealt in the middle of the table that all players can use to make their best five-card poker hand. These are used in games like Hold’em and Omaha.

Comp Points

In most land-based and online casinos, players earn comp points just for playing the house’s games. If they accumulate enough points, they can exchange them for more betting chips, food, drinks, or other conveniences.

Comp

Comps or complimentary services are benefits players enjoy while playing at the casino. These comps can be in the form of accommodation, free drinks, meals, or other amenities.

Connectors

Two cards in a sequence like 4-5 or 9-10. Their value in poker is that they have a possibility of making straights.

Continuation Bet

A bet made by the player who was the aggressor on the previous street. It usually refers to a flop bet made by the player who raised before the flop.

Cooler

A poker hand in which two or more players have very strong holdings that they can’t get away from, so all the chips end up in the middle. An example of a cooler would be AK vs. Aces, and the flop comes A K K, then the player with AK is said to be “coolered.”

Corner Bet

A roulette bet on four numbers that form a square on the betting area.

Corner Red

Corner red is a craps lingo term for the section of the table which has the “big 6” and the “big 8” bets, as these bets are most often written in red.

Counterfeit

When a player has a relatively strong hand, but the next card suddenly makes their hand much weaker, they’re counterfeited. For example, a player flopping two pairs with 3 – 5 on a board reading A 3 5 is counterfeited when another ace comes on the turn as the absolute strength of their hand has seriously diminished.

Cowboys

A popular nickname given to pocket Kings, the second-best starting hand in Texas Hold’em.

Crap Out

Crapping out is the action of rolling a 2, 3, or 12, after which the round finishes and the shooter changes.

Crapless Craps

Crapless Craps is an unusual variant of craps. You can only find it in a handful of Las Vegas casinos, most notably at the STRAT casino.

Craps

The most popular casino dice game involves players betting on the outcome of a pair of dice rolls. It’s one of the most flexible casino games in terms of betting, as players can wager against each other or the bank.

Craps Numbers

Craps numbers are the numbers 2, 3, and 12 in a craps roll.

Crayon

In land casinos, a crayon is used to mark keno tickets. It is usually black.

Crew

A slang term for the craps dealers at the table. They are also called “the boys.”

Croupier

Croupier is the French word for “dealer.” This is the person in charge of everything that happens at the table.

Cut-Off

A poker position just before the dealer button, i.e., seated to the dealer's immediate right.

Cut Card

A cut card is a special blank card used to indicate the location at which the deck should be cut. Additionally, the cut card covers the bottom card and prevents anyone from seeing it.

Cut the Deck

The action of removing a portion of the deck from the top and placing it to the bottom. Cutting the deck is used primarily as an anti-cheating prevention technique when dealing cards.

DAS

An abbreviation of Doubling After Split (when Double Down is allowed after a hand has been split) in blackjack.

D’Alembert System

The D’Alembert system is one of the most popular gambling strategies in the world. It’s a conservative betting system that involves adding only one unit after a losing bet and taking one unit after a winning bet.

Dead Man‘s Hand

A two-pair poker hand containing a pair of aces and a pair of eights. The strange name comes from a legend that this was the hand that the Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot dead.

Dead Money

Chips or money in the pot that are up for grabs. For example, if there is a raise and three or four calls, there is a lot of dead money in the pot, as players who made the call are unlikely to have a strong hand and will usually fold to any aggression.

Dead Table

A casino table with no players is called a dead table.

Deal

The action of dealing cards in a poker/blackjack or any other card game. Every round starts with the deal. The term is also used in poker tournaments where several players reach a deal to split the prize money.

Dealer

A member of casino staff who is responsible for dealing the cards in the games. The dealer controls all of the action at the table and assists players in placing their bets.

Deck

A deck of cards consisting of 52 playing cards of four different suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) and 13 different rankings (from a deuce to an ace).

Deck Penetration

Deck penetration is a term mostly used in blackjack, and it refers to the number of cards that the dealer cuts off compared to the number of cards dealt. It can also be used to describe the approximate amount of cards before they are shuffled.

Deposit

A deposit is an action of transferring funds to the player’s online gambling account from their real money wallet, using one of the site’s featured payment methods.

Deposit bonus

A casino deposit bonus is one of the most common promotional offers aimed to attract new customers to an online casino or keep them playing at the site they’ve already signed up for. Nearly all online gambling sites offer deposit bonuses every time a player puts money into their online account.

Deuce

Two keno spots that neighbor one another.

Discard Tray

The discard tray is one of the tools at the dealer’s disposal that help them ensure everything at the table is in proper order. Dealers put used or discarded cards in this tray to ensure that they don’t come into play when they shouldn’t.

DOA

An abbreviation of Double on Anything, which means that doubling down is allowed on any initial two cards.

Dominating Hands

Hands that are likely to dominate the opponent’s holding, i.e., have them in really bad shape. Ace King is a good example of a dominating hand as it will beat all other hands containing a king if the flop brings a king unless the other player catches two pairs.

Donk Bet

Betting into the original aggressor instead of checking to him. For example, when someone raises before the flop and the big blind calls, the normal flow of the hand is for the big blind to check to the raiser and continue from there. However, sometimes they’ll bet out first instead of checking, and this action is known as donk betting.

Donkey

A bad poker player who doesn’t know much about strategy. It’s a derogatory term but quite common in poker lingo.

Dolly

The dolly is a special marker that the croupier places on the winning numbers on the board after the ball lands in a particular roulette pocket. When the dolly is on the table, no one can place or remove their bets until the croupier removes it.

Don’t Come Bet

A don’t come bet is placed after the come out roll in craps. It works the same way as the don’t pass bet, only after making the point number and pays even money.

Don’t Pass Bet

The don’t pass bet is a bet on the come out roll, predicting that the outcome in the craps game will be a 2 or 3. It automatically loses if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11. If the shooter rolls a 12, it’s a push. If any other number is rolled, it becomes the point number.

Double Down

Double down is a betting option that’s most famous in blackjack. In short, when a casino player doubles down, they place a bet of the same size as their initial bet in exchange for one card, after which they have to stand.

Double Odds

Double the odds is a craps game bet placed on the pass, don’t pass, come, or don’t come bet only at twice the original bet amount.

Double-Up

Doubling the number of chips in one’s stack, mostly used in a poker game. When a player moves all in and is called by someone who has more chips than them, they will double up if they win the all-in.

Douzaine

French for a dozen bet in roulette.

Down (Take Me Down)

Craps players who want to indicate that they want to remove and get back their original bet will say: “take me down” to the craps dealer.

Down Behind

Down behind is a phrase that the craps dealer says to indicate that the players who placed a “don’t” bet lost their wager.

Down Card

A down card is a card that’s dealt unexposed. In other words, it’s facing the table, which it’s also called a face-down card.

Downswing

This poker term is used to describe a losing period of play in one’s poker career, primarily caused by variance. Even winning players go on downswings, i.e., periods during which they can’t maintain their standard winning rates due to bad luck.

Downtown Odds

The term “downtown odds” refers to better odds or payoffs on specific bets. It was coined after downtown Las Vegas casinos, which historically offered better odds than strip casinos.

Dozen Bet

A bet on one of the groups of 12 numbers as defined by the betting area.

Draw

A poker hand that has no real showdown value but can improve with certain cards. For example, four cards of the same suit constitute a flush draw, a hand that has no value, but it’s usually a strong draw that can turn into a good made hand with another card of the same suit.

Draw (Keno)

In keno, the draw is the 20 numbers that are selected during the game.

Dry Board

A board consisting of cards that don’t offer many potential combinations for straights and flushes in community card games is known as dry. A good example of a dry board is something like 2 7 K rainbow as it’s virtually impossible for a player to have any reasonable draw.

Duker

Duker indicates a situation in which a large amount of money enters a craps table suddenly. This often involves including all colors of chips, so the table staff must be on maximum alert. This slang term came from the word duke, referring to a player with a lot of money.

Early Position

The name used for the first couple of players to act in a poker hand with several players left to act behind them.

Early Surrender

The option for a player to abandon their hand and receive half of the bet back before the dealer has checked for Blackjack.

Easy Way

The easy way is a roll in a craps game in which a player makes a 4, 6, 8, or 10 with dice that have any two numbers on them that add up to the specific outcome. For instance, an “easy way 8” could be made from a “2 and a 6” or a “3 and a 5”. It’s the opposite of a hard way 8, which can only be made from two 4’s.

Early Bird Game

A bingo game that takes place before another regularly scheduled game.

Edge

Having the advantage over another player. Usually, casino have the edge in all of the games.

Effective Stack

The smaller of the two stacks in the poker hand, i.e., the maximum number of chips both opponents can put in the pot. If one player has 1,000 chips and the other has 10,000, the effective stack is just 1,000, as games are played with table limits, and neither player can risk more than 1,000 in that hand.

Electronic Roulette

A roulette wheel that is fully automated and does not require the presence of a dealer/croupier.

En Plein

The French term for a straight up bet in roulette.

En Prison

En prison is a variation of the la partage roulette rule. This rule allows players to recover their bets if the spin lands on a zero, but only if they have made an even money bet. Most casinos worldwide, especially in the US, don’t use the en prison rule in their roulette games.

Entry Fee

In poker tournaments, a monetary amount is added to the buy-in kept by the house to cover expenses of organizing the event, paying the dealers, etc. If the tournament has $1000+$100 buy-in, that extra $100 on top of the thousand is an entry fee that goes to organizers.

Entry-Level Card Counting System

This is a simple card counting system that is designed to be easy to learn and use, but it is not as nuanced or effective as a traditional system.

Equity

Poker equity is a number that shows how much money a player is expected to win in the long run with a particular hand in a particular situation. For example, with Aces against Kings, your equity is roughly 80%, so for every $100 in the pot, you expect to win $80 over the long run.

European Roulette

The most popular roulette version has a wheel consisting of 37 fields ranging from 1 to 36 and one zero field.

Even Money Bet

An even money bet is a type of bet that has the same payout as the stake that the player puts in. In other words, it pays out 1:1, meaning that the player gets their bet back and an identical amount of money on top of it.

Exacta

In keno, a ticket with a special payoff rate.

Expanding Wilds

This is a special type of wild symbol that will grow to fill additional rows when they land, often the entire reel. Occasionally there are wilds that expand horizontally rather than vertically.

Expected Value (EV)

The number used to express your decisions' value (or profitability) in different spots in the long run.

Exposed Cards

Cards that get accidentally turned over (exposed) during a hand.

Eye in the sky

“Eye in the sky” is a popular slang term for casino cameras. Modern casinos are entirely covered in cameras that monitor all player and employee activities around the clock.

Eyeballs

Eyeballs is another name for a roll of two ones in a craps game, as the two dots resemble a pair of eyes close to each other.

Face Card

A face card is a card that has a face on it instead of a number. The only face cards in card games are jacks, queens, and kings. Despite being the highest valued card in most card games, an ace is not a face card.

Face Up Card

A face-up card is the opposite of a face-down card (or just down card). It’s a card that the dealer distributes facing up, so it’s already exposed. These up cards are a feature in many casino card games, most notably blackjack and poker.

Family Pot

A multiway pot, usually with four or more players seeing the flop or proceeding to the next betting round.

Field

In keno, a group of un-circled spots on a ticket.

Field Bet

A field bet in a craps game is a bet that the next roll will be a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12. The field bet pays even money for the 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11. The payout for the 2 and the 12 is either 3 to 1 or 2 to 1, as this can vary from casino to casino.

Fifty-Yard Line

The fifty-yard line is a colloquial term for the middle of the craps table. The craps shooter must roll the dice beyond this line for the roll to be valid.

First Base

The first seat at a Blackjack table, it is located to the dealer’s far left and the player who sits there is the first to play in each round.

Fish

Like a donkey, fish is a derogatory term for a poker player with little to no skill who is expected to lose money in the long run. However, in any given session or a tournament, even a fish can win.

Five Card Charlie

In some versions of blackjack, a hand of five cards that does not bust will automatically win (except against Blackjack).

Five-Number Bet

A type of bet only available in American Roulette; it is a single chip bet on 0, 00,1, 2, and 3.

Fixed limit

A betting structure in which all bet and raise sizes are predetermined, and players have no say in how much they want to bet. The size of the bet is fixed by the rules and can’t be changed during the hand.

Fixed Value Slots

These are machines where the betting amount and coin size cannot be changed.

Five Liner

This is a term for classic slots with three reels and five paylines. Usually there are three horizontal paylines and two diagonal paylines.

Flash Casino

A flash casino is a type of online casino in which the players can instantly play their favorite games directly through a browser. Flash casinos are also known as instant casinos, as they don’t require any downloads before a player can gamble.

Flat Betting

Flat betting is a betting style in which players bet the same-sized stake each time they place a wager.

Float

Making a call with a weak hand in poker to try and outplay your opponent on later streets if they give up or show weakness.

Floorman

The person (usually a casino or poker room employee) in charge of running and overseeing card games. Their job is to ensure everyone plays by the rules, respects dealers and other players and abides by basic casino etiquette rules.

Flop

The first three community cards dealt in community card games like Hold’em and Omaha.

Flush

A five-card poker hand containing all cards of the same suit. When two players have the flush, the winner is the one holding the highest card of the suit regardless of their other cards.

Fold

The action of throwing away your cards and giving up your participation in a hand.

Fold Equity

While it’s not easy to calculate an exact number, fold equity expresses the percentage you expect your opponent to fold and give you the pot without going to a showdown.

Forced Bet

These bets are used to drive action in a poker game. Best examples of these are blinds and antes as well as bring-ins in stud games. Without forced bets, players would have no incentive to play any starting hands except premiums.

Free Card

A card that you get to see without paying any bets. For example, if you and your opponent both check on the flop, you’re both seeing a free turn.

Free Space

This is the center square on some bingo cards that is left blank. It works as a joker or wild square and can be used to count towards winning patterns.

Freeroll

It is usually used to describe a poker tournament with no buy-in but still offers real prizes, be it cash, tournament tickets, or something of value.

Freezeout

A poker tournament that allows no re-entries and no rebuys, so if you lose all your chips, you are out of the game. Players eliminated from a freezeout tournament don’t get any second chances.

Full House

A full house is one of the strongest poker hand combinations. It’s a hand that includes three cards of the same value and two cards of another rank. For example, it could be three kings and two nines or any other combination that includes this pattern. It’s also called a boat or a full boat.

Front Line Bet

The front line bet is the same type of wager as the pass line bet in a craps game.

Free Odds

Free odds is another common term for true odds, also known as an odds bet, meaning that the casino is not having any advantage over the player on this particular bet.

Free Spins

One of the most popular casino bonuses used to attract new players by rewarding them free wagers for slot machines. Players can win actual money with these free bets, but they often have to wager their winning multiple times before cashing out.

Gaffed Wheel

A roulette wheel that has been rigged, by the player or the casino.

Gambler’s Fallacy

The gambler’s fallacy is the name for a common misconception in which casino players believe that previous results influence the outcome of the next event. An example of a gambler’s fallacy is believing that the roulette wheel must land red because it produced only black numbers for the last few spins.

Garden

The garden craps slang term refers to the field bets at the craps table.

George

The term “George” in gambling refers to players who are generous tippers. The term derives from the one-dollar bill with George Washington’s face on it, as this was a good tip in the older generations when this term came about.

Getting Down

Making a bet and participating in the game.

GG

An abbreviation for “good game,” an expression that players use to show respect for their opponents. Sometimes, the expression is also used in a snarky manner.

GL

The lingo used in online casinos, meaning “good luck.”

Going South

Removing chips from a table during a cash game, i.e., taking chips off of your stack and putting them in your pocket or somewhere else, effectively removing them from the game. The practice isn’t just frowned upon, but it’s also against poker rules.

Grinding

Wagering small amounts for a long period of time in order to make a steady profit.

Group

In keno, the number of spots on a ticket that have been marked.

GTO

Game Theory Optimal, a poker strategy that tries to find the perfect mathematical solution for every possible situation. When you play perfect GTO, your opponents can never exploit your decisions as they’re entirely independent of their actions.

Guarantee

A prize pool that’s guaranteed for a particular poker tournament. The tournament organizer guarantees that they will give out this amount in prize money, even if they don’t get enough participants to cover it.

Gutshot

A straight that can only be completed with four cards instead of eight, also known as “inside straight draw.” For example, if you have 4-5 and the board comes A 2 9, you have a gutshot, as only four 3s in the deck can make you the straight.

Hand-In

A hand-in is a slang term for a tip directly handed to a craps dealer. Craps players often give a hand-in tip after a particularly good roll or when cashing out from the craps table.

Hand

Combination of cards that you are holding.

Hand for Hand

A phase of play in a poker tournament where every table waits for all other tables to finish the current hand before dealing the next one. The hand for hand play is usually instituted near the bubble to avoid players taking advantage of the situation by stalling and waiting for players to bust at other tables.

Hard Hand

A term used to describe a blackjack hand that does not contain an ace.

Hard Way

A hard way is when a craps player rolls an even number like 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 with two matching numbers on both dices like 2-2, 3-3, and so on. It’s called “hard way” because rolling a number in such a manner is less common and harder to do than rolling with two different numbers on the dice.

Hard Way Bet

Craps bet that roll's outcome will be made with a pair of the same numbers like 2-2, 3-3 4-4, or 5-5, it is known as a hard way bet. Hard way bets are located on the center of the table alongside one-roll proposition bets.

Hard Way Bingo

A bingo pattern in a straight line that does not use the free space.

Hawking the Dice

Hawking the dice refers to the craps dealers closely observing the dice as they roll across the table. Craps dealers are always expected to keep an eye on all of the action at the table, as this ensures a fair game and makes sure everyone at the table has a good time.

Heads Up

A poker hand between just two players (one on one). The expression is also used to describe the final stage of a tournament, where only two players remain, and they play heads up for the title.

Hero Call

Calling a bet with a relatively weak hand in hopes of catching your opponent in a bluff. It usually refers to a situation on the final betting street, where the player has to make a difficult choice about calling a substantial bet with a hand that doesn’t have great prospects of winning at a showdown.

Hi-Lo

A Hi-Lo bet in a craps game involves betting that the next roll's outcome will either be a 2 or a 12.

High Bet

An even odds roulette bet that is placed on the 19-36 number field. If the ball lands on ay number 19 and up, the player wins and doubles the initial bet.

High End Ticket

In Keno, a ticket that pays for catching a large number of numbers.

High Roller

A high roller is a casino player who spends more money than an average player and usually plays only in high games. High rollers often risk thousands, if not hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars during one session. They also enjoy special treatment from the casino in the form of more rewarding comps and amenities.

High Roller Ticket

In Keno, a ticket that has a high minimum ticket price.

Hit (Blackjack)

The action of taking another card, most famously used in blackjack. In this game, it’s one of the fundamental options a blackjack player can choose, besides split, stand, double, and surrender.

Hit (Poker)

To hit a card in poker means to get one of the outs you need to improve your hand. For example, if you’re on a flush draw and another card of your suit comes on the turn, you hit your flush.

Hit (Keno)

The amount of numbers a player has chosen that are then drawn in a keno game.

Hit Frequency

This is the term used to refer to how often a machine pays out on average. For example, a slot with a hit frequency of 3 will on average payout on one out of three spins.

Hit a Brick

“Hitting a brick” is a situation in a dice game in which one or both dice hit a stack of chips on the table and don’t roll for the entire length of the table’s playing surface.

Hit and Run

A practice frowned upon, where a player joins a cash game, wins a few big pots, and then gets up and leaves after a short while, taking money off of tables. While not against the rules, a hit and run is considered to be bad poker etiquette.

Hold

“Hold” is a term referring to the percentage of money that the casino expects to keep at the end of the day. Because of this, it depends on how much time and money the players spend on different casino games. While the players don’t have to think about this, casinos primarily use it to determine which games in their venue are the most profitable.

Hole Cards

Hole cards are private cards that can only be viewed by the player that has them. For example, the blackjack dealer has a hole card that the players can’t see until the end of the game. In poker, players have hole cards they can look at but shouldn’t show to their opponents until the showdown.

Hollywood

To act or pretend at a poker table. For example, a player with the nuts could “Hollywood” on the river as if they had a tough decision before moving all-in to try and confuse their opponent.

Hook

The hook refers to the fourth and fifth position at the craps table. These two positions are located at the corner of both ends of the table. For this reason, they are also commonly called the inside and outside hook.

Hopper

The area below the reels on a physical slot machine that is used to catch the winning coin payouts.

Horn Bet

A horn bet is a specific one-time roll bet in a craps game that the outcome of the next roll will be a 2, 3, 11, or 12. A one-unit bet is placed on each of the four numbers. If the outcome is a 2 or 12, the player gets paid 30 to 1. If the outcome is either a 3 or 11, the player gets paid 15 to 1.

Horn High Bet

A horn high bet is similar to the horn bet, only involving five bet units instead of four. One unit is placed on the 2, 3, 11, and 12, and the extra fifth unit is added to one of these four numbers.

Hot Deck

The term hot deck refers to a player who’s catching a lot of strong hands. If a player finds himself in a situation where they’re getting a lot of strong hands, they’ll often say they found a hot deck.

Hot Streak

When a player is on a hot streak, it can mean they’re winning a lot of pots in a single session or that they’ve been winning a lot of sessions or tournaments lately. For example, someone winning several tournaments in just a few weeks is said to be on a hot streak. It could also be referred to consecutive winning spins on slots.

Hot Table

A hot table is a craps slang term for a table where all of the shooters have been playing for some time without anyone sevening out.

House

The term refers to the casino. While you don’t play against the house in poker (like you do in other casino games), the house still makes money by charging the rake.

House Bank

The house bank is all of the gambling chips in front of the box man at the craps table. It’s used to pay out the winning players.

House Edge

House edge is the built-in advantage the casino has in every gambling game. The house edge guarantees the casino’s profits in the long run and is gained by paying slightly lower odds for games than their true winning odds. The house edge goes hand-in-hand with RTP (return to player) and is expressed in percentages.

House Rules

Every casino operates similarly, but still, they have their own “house rules”. These are certain rules that are specific to a venue, such as game requirements, accepted gambling age, dress code, or anything else.

ICM

An abbreviation for “Independent Chip Model,” a strategic concept very important for tournaments, where the value of chips is calculated based on several important factors, such as the prize pool and distribution, the number of players remaining in an event, distribution of chips, etc.

Image

A short for “table image,” i.e., the impression that other players at the table have of you. For example, if you’ve been betting and raising a lot over the past couple of hours, you’ll likely have a very aggressive image.

Impair

The French term for a bet on the odd numbers in roulette.

Implied Odds

A number that tells you how much more money or chips you stand to win if you make your hand. The concept of implied odds is combined with that of the pot odds to allow players to calculate the best decision in any given situation.

Improve

To improve means to catch a card that helps your hand in some way. If you have one pair and catch the second card on the turn, you’ll improve to two pairs. If you’re holding a pair and three cards of the same suit, the fourth card of that suit will improve you to a pair and a flush draw.

Inside Bets (Roulette)

Inside bets are one of two main types of roulette bets, opposite to outside bets. These bets offer higher payouts than outside bets but are harder to win, as they involve betting on a single number or a small selection of numbers instead of whole groups of numbers.

Inside Bet (Craps)

An inside bet is a wager placed on a 5, 6, 8, and 9 in a craps game.

Inside Numbers

The craps inside numbers are the 5, 6, 8, and 9 numbers.

Inside Straight

Also known as “gutshot.” A straight that can only be completed with four cards “on the inside.” An example of an inside straight is having 7-8 in your hand and the board reading 4 5 K. Only a 6 would complete your inside straight.

Insurance (Blackjack)

When a dealer shows an ace in the blackjack hand, you can opt to make a side bet end insure yourself against the dealer having the blackjack from his initial two cards. This insurance pays 2 to 1 and is usually half of your initial bet.

Insurance (Poker)

When a player is all-in and ahead, but their opponent can still catch some cards to beat them, the player who’s ahead will sometimes take insurance from other players at the table. If they end up losing, the insuring players will pay them according to agreed odds. If their hand holds up, they’ll owe money to the players who offered insurance.

Jackpot

A jackpot is the largest prize available in the game. It’s most popular in slot machines, where it’s mostly used for special prizes that are significantly more rewarding than the next prize available.

Jam

Usually refers to an act of moving all-in with your stack, although it can be used to describe a very big raise as well.

Jam-Up

A jam-up refers to the slowdown of the action at the craps table. A jam-up might happen when there are more craps players at the table, and all of them are making multiple heavy bets.

Juice

The juice is a slang term for the vig (commission) that the casino takes on some bets.

Keno

Keno is a luck-based game similar to a traditional lottery. Players choose a set of numbers, usually between 1 and 80. After that, a ball machine or a random number generator produces the winning number combination, and the players get paid out accordingly, depending on how many winning numbers they got right.

Keno Board

A board displaying the numbers drawn during a game.

Keno Counter

The place where payers place bets and collect winnings.

Keno Punch

In land casinos, a machine that punches holes in the keno draw sheet.

Keno Lounge

An area in a land casino where keno players may mark their tickets.

Keno Writer

The person employed to take player’s wagers at the keno counter.

Key Card

An important card that heavily influences the action in a hand. For example, on a board containing three hearts, a player facing a bet while holding Ace of Hearts can be certain their opponent doesn’t have the nuts because they’re holding the key card, i.e., the Ace of that suit.

Kicker

A kicker, also known as a side card, is a card that doesn’t directly take place in determining the hand’s rank but is used to break a tie if more players have a hand of the same value. It’s primarily found its way into poker games. For example, if two players each have two equally-valued pairs, one of which has an ace as their fifth card and the other a king, the player with the ace card wins the round as they have a higher-valued kicker.

King

In keno, when just one number is selected.

King Ticket

A way ticket with two or more kings.

La Partage

A rule found in French Roulette that states half of all even money bets are returned to players if the ball lands on 0.

Last Longer Bet

A bet between players participating in the same poker tournament on who’ll survive the longest. The last player to remain in the tournament wins the bet.

Late Bet

A late bet occurs when a craps player tries to place a bet when the dice are already in the air. In such a situation, the boxman or the dealer can decide on the validity of the bet.

Late Position

A position that gets to act after several other players at the table has already acted. In poker, the button, the cutoff, and the hijack are usually considered the late position.

Late Surrender

A game that offers Late Surrender will allow a player to abandon their hand in exchange for half of their bet after the dealer has checked for Blackjack.

Lay Bet

A lay bet is made by a wrong-way bettor who predicts that the shooter will roll a 7 before they roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 in a particular craps game. Players must pay a 5% commission to get true odds for the lay bet. In some cases, the casino will only charge the commission if you win the lay bet.

Lay Odds Bet

The lay odds bet is an extra bet placed on the don’t come and don’t pass by wrong-way bettors. Players place this bet behind their original bet and can put up two or three times their initial bet.

Layout

The layout is the felt part of the casino game table where players can place the bets. All possible bets are usually marked on the layout, and players place their bets by putting their chips directly on them.

Lights Out

The stickman at the craps table will often say “lights out” to indicate to the dealers that they should move the marker puck to the off position on the black side.

Leak

A flaw in one’s game that causes the player to lose money and allows others to take advantage of that mistake. An example of an obvious leak is when someone plays too many hands before the flop, as there is no way to make this strategy profitable.

Limit

In poker, the limit can refer to a betting structure, i.e., a type of game where bets are fixed and can’t be changed by the players. It can also mean table limit, describing the stakes played.

Limp

To enter the pot by just calling the initial bet on the first betting street without raising.

Line Bet (Craps)

A line bet is another term for pass line, and don’t pass line bets in craps.

Line Bet (Slots)

This is the amount bet on each of the active paylines.

Line Bet (Roulette)

A bet on six numbers from the betting area, specifically two adjacent rows of three (Streets).

Little Joe

Little Joe is a popular slang term for rolling a hard way four made from 2-2 in a craps game.

Live Dealer Game

Live dealer games are online casino games in which online gamblers can enjoy the presence of a real live dealer instead of playing with a machine. Live dealer games are broadcast through a live stream directly from the gaming studio of the online casino’s software provider.

Loaded Dice

Loaded dice have been tampered with or improperly weighed to ensure a specific outcome of the roll. Also known as capped or crooked dice.

Lobby

Lobbies exist both in traditional land-based casinos and their online counterparts. In classic casinos, a lobby is an area where the players wait before entering the casino or a specific VIP room. In online casinos, the lobby is practically the game library where gamblers pick the games they want to load up and play.

Lock

To have a lock on a hand means a player can’t lose the hand unless they decide to fold. One good example of this situation is a flush over flush scenario, where the player with the lower flush often has no outs to win the pot, meaning the other player has the lock on the hand.

Longshot

The situation in which you are very unlikely to win.

Loose

A style of play characterized by recklessly playing many hands, calling bets with weak holdings, and raising a lot of pots without much to show for.

Loose Slots

A term for a slot that pays out regularly or has a higher than average RTP.

Lowball

The term lowball is used to describe all poker variations that use low hand rankings instead of high ones. In lowball games, as the name suggests, the best hands are the ones containing low cards.

Low Bet

A popular roulette bet on the first 18 numbers that pay even odds making you a winner if the ball lands between 1 and 18.

Loyalty Program

A loyalty program is a reward scheme mostly used in the online casino industry as a player engagement and retention method. Loyalty programs give out many rewards and perks depending on how much a player spends and how often they play at the gambling site. It can also be used in land-based casinos.

Lump

A lump is a slang name for an unskilled craps dealer who has difficulties keeping up with the action at the table.

Lump Sum

Winning that is paid in a single payment, no matter how big or small it is.

Made Hand

A poker hand that needs no further help to improve. Two pair, for example, is made hand. It can still improve to a full house, but this is a strong enough hand on its own that can win quite often.

Main Pot

The main pot is the one in which all players in a hand participates. Sometimes, there will be side pots in addition to the main that only some players can win, but the main pot is always the one that includes all players that have started a particular hand.

Maniac

A player that plays with no fear and no regard for either money or strategy. A maniac will bet big, call with marginal hands, and put everyone in tough spots, but once other players figure out their game, they’ll usually end up losing unless they catch a very lucky run of cards.

Manque

French term for the low bet in Roulette.

Mark the Point

When the dealer “marks the point,” they indicate the point number by putting the marker puck on the craps table.

Marked Cards

Cards that have some sort of markings on them, allowing players who know about these to gain information about other players’ holdings. It’s one of the most popular forms of cheating in casinos.

Marker Puck

A marker puck is a simple plastic disk that the craps dealer uses in live casinos to indicate which bets are on and off the table.

Martingale System

The martingale system is a progressive betting system and one of the most popular gambling strategies in the world. The main principle of the martingale system is that the players should double their bet after every losing outcome and revert to the initial bet after a winning wager.

Maximum Bet

The maximum bet is the biggest amount the house will allow the gamblers to wager in a single game. The maximum amount can apply to a single bet, all bets in a single game, or even specific amounts that the players can bet or raise during a round.

Mechanic

Another term for a cheater in poker. A mechanic is someone who is very skillful with the deck of cards, allowing them to deal the cards they want and set up situations where unsuspecting players will lose their entire stacks.

Mechanical Slots

Traditional, old-fashioned slot machines that have physical reels displayed behind glass.

Middle Position

A position at the table that gets to act after early position players, but before those in the late position.

Midnight

Midnight is a one-roll proposition bet on 12 in a craps game. Also commonly known as “any twelve.”

Minimum Bet

The minimum bet refers to the same thing as the maximum bet, only it sets the minimum amount the players can wager when playing a particular casino game.

Misdeal

A situation where the dealer makes a mistake dealing the cards, and there is no other way to rectify the mistake but to deal the hand again. For example, if a dealer forgets to deal in one of the players at the table, they’ll announce the misdeal, collect all the cards, reshuffle, and deal again.

Mississippi Straddle

A blind bet usually posted by the player on the button. When Mississippi Straddle is in play, the player in the small blind position acts first before the flop. After the flop, the normal betting order is restored.

Money Ball

A number drawn before a bingo game that will double the player’s winnings if bingo is hit on that number.

Monkey

A card that is worth 10 points in blackjack – a 10 or a face card.

Monster

A very strong poker hand that’s unlikely to lose. For example, if you flop a full house holding pocket aces, you have a monster.

Monster Roll

A monster roll refers to any roll that wins a lot of money for everyone at the craps table. It can also mean a prolonged roll in which the craps shooter is rolling for more than twenty minutes.

Moonlight Bingo

A bingo game that starts late at night.

Mop

The mop is a slang name for the stick that the stickman uses to control the dice on the craps table.

Muck

As a verb, muck means to fold your cards, giving up your participation in a hand. As a noun, the muck is the area of the table containing all folded cards.

Multiplier

A bonus feature or symbol that will increase the payouts in a slot game. For example, a x3 multiplier will triple the payout.

Multi Race Ticket

A keno ticket that is used to play multiple keno games.

Multi-Roll Bet

Multi-roll bets are all bets that can’t be settled on the next single roll of the dice, as it takes a few rolls to determine the outcome. The best-known examples of multi-roll craps bets are come and don’t come bets, hard way bets, place and buy bets, big 6 and 8 bets.

Natural

Multi-roll bets are all bets that can’t be settled on the next single roll of the dice, as it takes a few rolls to determine the outcome. The best-known examples of multi-roll craps bets are come and don’t come bets, hard way bets, place and buy bets, big 6 and 8 bets.

NH

Abbreviation of “nice hand.”

No Bet

If the player places a late bet, the boxman or the croupier may declare a “no bet,” indicating that the player’s bet doesn’t count and is pushed back.

No-Limit

A poker betting structure where there are no limits or restrictions on bet sizes. While players have to bet at least the minimum bet (for example, one big blind), they’re allowed to go up to any amount up to the maximum of the value of their stack..

Noir

French term for betting on the black numbers in Roulette.

No Roll

The craps dealer or stickman can declare a “no roll” to indicate that a particular roll isn’t valid. This can occur if the dice slip from the shooter’s hand, roll off the table, or if the shooter doesn’t roll the dice far enough.

Nosebleeds

Very high stakes games that usually only available to wealthy gamblers.

Nudge Slot

Slot machines with reels that can move symbols up or down one row to help and form wins after they have stopped spinning.

Number Pool

The number pool is the range of featured numbers the players can bet on when playing a particular casino game. For example, the number pool in keno is usually between 1 and 80, while in bingo, it can be from 1 to 75, 1 to 90, or other.

Nut Draw

A hand drawing to the nuts, i.e., the best possible hand. When you’re holding two spades, one of them being the Ace of spades, and there are two spades on an unpaired board, you have the nut draw, as any non-pairing spade will give you the best possible hand.

Nuts

The absolute best poker hand one can have in any given situation. A player holding the nuts cannot lose in a showdown. However, in games like Hold’em, having the nuts on the turn doesn’t mean you’ll still have the nuts once the river is dealt.

Odds

Odds are the predetermined ratios the casino has set for a particular bet. If a player wins a bet, odds, along with the size of the player’s bet, directly determine how much money the gambler will receive upon landing a win.

Odds Bet (Craps)

An odds bet is an additional bet the players can place behind the pass/don’t pass, come/don’t come bets without any house edge, at true odds. Craps players can put up two or three times their original bet.

Odds Bet (Roulette)

A bet on the odd numbers on the roulette wheel.

Off Bet

Off bets are all bets that aren’t in action on the next dice roll of a craps game. The opposite of “on bets.”

Offsuit

Cards of different suits, not suited.

Omaha

A popular poker variation similar to Hold’em in some regards. Players are dealt four starting cards instead of two, and they have to use exactly two cards from their hand and combine them with three of the five community cards to make the best hand.

On Bet

On bets are the ones that are eligible to win on the next roll of a craps game. The opposite of “off bets.”

One Armed Bandit

A slang term for slot machines with a physical lever that is pulled to start the reels.

One-Roll Bet

A one-roll bet includes betting exclusively on the outcome of the next roll of the dice in a craps game. After that, it’s not active for subsequent rolls. The players can either win or lose and have to bet again after the roll if they want to remain active at the craps table. It’s the opposite of a multi-roll bet.

On Tilt

When someone is on tilt, it means emotions impact their judgment. A player can go on tilt for many reasons, but the outcome is almost always they’ll make subpar decisions that their logical brain knows are wrong, but their emotions take over.

Open Ended Straight Draw

A straight draw that can be completed with eight cards. An example is a player holding 8-9 on a 6-7-A board, as four 5s and four 10s can complete the straight.

Opener

The player who started the action on any given street by betting. Before the flop, the player to make the first raise in a poker hand is the opener.

Optimal Strategy

An optimal strategy is the “correct” way of playing a particular game, mainly because it gives the player the best winning chances or that it minimizes their chances of losing. It’s commonly used in luck-based games that involve a bit of strategy, like blackjack and video poker.

Outdraw

To catch a card that improves your hand and makes it better than your opponent’s after they were ahead on the previous street.

Outs

All the cards in the deck that can help you improve your hand. For example, if you’re on a flush draw, all cards of the particular suit are your outs, as all of them will give you a flush.

Outside Bets

Outside bets are the second type of roulette bets and are the opposite of inside bets, as they are located on the outside of the table. Outside bets are safer but less profitable, as they involve large groups that include 12 or 18 numbers.

Outside Dealer

An outside dealer is the craps stickman who stands outside of the pit.

Outside Numbers

Outside numbers in craps are 4, 5, 9, and 10.

Outside Ticket

A Keno ticket that is returned to the player in exchange for a marked ticket together with the wager placed.

Over the Top

To come over the top means to raise someone’s raise. If one player bets, their opponent raises them, and then the first player raises again, they come over the top.

Overbet

A large bet, usually much bigger than the size of the pot. The term is used because most bets in poker are smaller than the size of the pot, and standard bets are anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the pot.

Overcards

Two cards in a hole that are higher than any of the community cards on the board. For example, on a board reading 5 7 9, a player holding KQ has overcards to the board.

Overlay

The term “overlay” can mean several things, depending on the context it’s used in. It can refer to overly generous odds in which the player has the edge over the casino. An overlay can also refer to the amount of money the venue adds into the prize pool on top of the player’s buy-ins in competitive gambling tournaments.

Overpair

A pocket pair that’s higher than any of the community cards, which means that it beats all one-pair hands made using community cards.

Overplay

To play your hand faster than you should in relation to its actual value in a particular situation. For example, if there is a four-flush on a board and you have two pairs and decide to move all-in, you’re overplaying your hand, as it’s very unlikely you’ll get called by any weaker holdings.

Paint

A picture card in blackjack – Jack, Queen and King.

Pair

The French term for an Even bet.

Pair Splitting

An option that gives players the ability to split a hand of two identical cards into two individual hands. It requires the player to place a second bet that is equal to the first.

Parlay

Parlay is the action of increasing a betting amount by adding the winnings to the original bet.

Paroli System

The Paroli system is a progressive betting system that aims to generate small wins consistently and minimize the risk of any substantial losses. Unlike most other progressive betting systems, the Paroli system requires increasing the stakes after a win instead of after a loss.

Pass

To fold or muck. The term isn’t as popular as the term fold, but it’s often heard at UK casinos and poker rooms.

Pass Line Bet

The pass line bet is one of the most common and easiest to understand craps bets. If the outcome of a roll is 7 or 11, the bet wins. If the outcome is a 2, 3, or 12, the bet losses. If any other number comes up, it then becomes the point.

Passe

The French term for a high bet in roulette.

Passive

A style of play characterized by very little aggression. A passive player will make a lot of calls, but they’ll rarely bet or raise themselves.

Pat Hand

A blackjack hand that has a total of between 17 and 21 and does not require a hit.

Pattern (Bingo)

In bingo, a pattern is the shape that needs to be formed on a card with called out number in order to win a prize.

Pattern (Keno)

The numbers that have been circled on a keno ticket.

Pay Off

To call an opponent’s bet when you are pretty sure you’re behind. Paying off your opponent means that you know that chances of winning are slim, but you still do it for one reason or another. It’s something to avoid if you strive to be a good poker player.

Payline

A line, pattern, or path, through the reels that the symbols need to land on in order to award a payout.

Paytable

A paytable is a list of all available payouts for a casino game and is mostly used in the context of table games, slots, and video poker. The pay table shows all possible options and how much the player will win if they line up a particular combination.

Paying Behind

Paying behind refers to the craps dealer paying winning players who have made don’t bets.

Payout (Payoff)

The payout is the total amount of money returned to the player after they win a bet. It includes both the original wager and the winning amount.

Payout Percentage

Also known as return to the player. The payout percentage is the total amount of money the players get in return in the long run. It’s expressed in percentages. For instance, a game with a 97% payout percentage returns $97 for every $100, while the remaining $3 the casino takes through the house edge.

Peel

When you call a bet to see the next card, i.e., call the flop bet to peel the turn.

Premiere

The French term for a bet on the first group of 12 numbers in the dozen bet.

Pips

Pips are the dots on the dice that indicate the number in a craps game.

Pit

A casino pit, or simply a pit, is a designated area of the casino that contains tables for various gambling games. It’s most often arranged into two rows of gaming tables, with each row facing an open aisleway.

Pit Boss

A pit boss or a pit manager is the person in charge of the employees that work in the casino pit. Usually, one pit boss manages and supervises all of the activities that go on in one pit, including overseeing both the dealers and the players.

Pigeon

A pigeon is a beginner gambler who lacks experience and isn’t familiar with any sophisticated strategies, rules, or slang terms. In most cases, a pigeon doesn’t even know how to play a game properly they’re wagering on.

Place Bet

A place bet is a bet that a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will be rolled before a 7. The place bet pays 9 to 5 for the 4 or the 10 outcomes, 7 to 5 for the 5 and the 9, and 7 to 6 for the 6 or the 8 outcomes.

Place Numbers

The place numbers in craps are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

Play 1/Play 5

If an online keno player presses the Play 1 button, then they will play 1 game using their chosen numbers. Similarly, the play 5 button is used to play 5 games.

Play for Fun

Play for fun is an option available in most online casinos, and it allows the players to try out and play online casino games in demo mode without risking any of their real money. Many online gamblers use the play for fun feature to familiarize themselves with an online casino game before putting any real money in it.

Play the Board

When your hole cards can’t be used to make a combination stronger than the one created by the community cards, you’ll be playing the board. It’s a term specific to Hold’em, as it’s impossible to play the board in the Omaha poker game.

Ploppy

This is a slang term that is used for Blackjack players who have no idea about basic playing strategy.

Pocket Pair

A pair in the hole, i.e., when you are dealt two cards of the same rank to start the hand.

Pocket Rockets

Yet another name given to pocket aces. The term was coined because the shape of the letter ‘A’ on the cards resembles the top of a rocket, and also because this is a very strong hand that can sky-rocket your winnings.

Point

The point is a specific betting number established for the rest of the round when a shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 on the come out roll in a craps game. Right-way bettors bet that the point number will be rolled before a 7, while wrong-way bettors predict that a 7 will be rolled before the point.

Poker Face

An expressionless face that gives away no tells. While it’s most often used at the tables, the term has found its ways to other areas of life to describe a person who’s very good at hiding their emotions.

Poker Room

The venue where the games take place. A poker room can be a physical location where tables are located, but the term also describes online poker sites.

Pokies

A slang term referring to slot games that is used in Australia and New Zealand.

Polarized

A type of bet that indicates that the opponent either has the nuts or nothing. Polarized bets are usually on the larger side and on boards where it’s unlikely the player would bet their mediocre hands for value.

Position

The term used to describe your position at the table relative to other players. There are three major position groups – early, middle, and late. The later the position, the better, as you get to see more players act before you have to make a decision.

Pot

In poker, the pot is the sum of money all active players make by placing their bets during one game or single hand. When the hand ends, the last standing player or the one with the best-ranked hand collects the pot.

Pot Committed

When you put so many chips in the pot that you can no longer fold your hand even if it’s evident the opponent has you beat. You are mathematically correct to call and try to catch up as you’d already invested too much.

Pot Limit

A betting structure in which the largest bet one can make is determined by the size of the pot.

Pot Odds

Mathematical odds that help you determine whether you should call a bet based on the size of the bet and the total amount of chips in the pot. These are only useful when combined with hand odds (equity).

Preflop

The first betting street in community card games before the flop is dealt. The preflop betting begins with players only knowing their hole cards.

Premium Hand

The term usually refers to starting hands in different poker variations, and it is used to describe the strongest hands one can be dealt. In Hold’em, big pocket pairs like Aces, Kings, and Queens and a hand like Ace-King are considered premium hands.

Press a Bet

Pressing a bet involves increasing the amount of the original bet, usually by adding winnings from the previous round to your current bet.

Probe Bet

A bet made on the turn when the opponent who had the lead before the flop skips on continuation betting the flop. The goal of the bet is to test your opponent and protect your equity in a hand if you have a piece and don’t want to let them improve for free.

Progressive Jackpot

A progressive jackpot is a type of jackpot prize that keeps growing until one lucky player claims it. Progressive jackpot slots often go into millions, even tens of millions, as these games are connected across many casinos, so the prize pool is constantly growing whenever a player anywhere plays this particular game.

Progressive Slot

Slot machine that is linked to shared progressive jackpot available to multiple players playing different slot games.

Proposition Bets

All hardway and one-roll bets located in the center of the craps table layout are called proposition bets.

Protect

When you bet or raise believing you have the best hand and do not want to allow your opponent to catch up. The goal of your bet is to protect your hand.

Push

A situation resulting in a tie, meaning that players take back their bets and neither win nor lose on that particular round.

Quads

A common poker term refers to a hand in which the player has the same card in all four suits. For example, four aces.

Quarter Bet

Roulette bet placed on four numbers with a single bet which is made by placing your chips on the shared corner of all four of these numbers.

Quick Pick

In online bingo, this button will automatically select the numbers for the player.

Quit Race

When a keno player opts to cash in a multi-game ticket before the end of the keno game.

Rabbit Hunting

Asking the dealer to reveal the un-dealt community cards once the hand is over. Rabbit hunting does not influence play itself but can slow down the action, so it’s not allowed in most poker rooms.

Race

A single game of keno is often called a race.

Rack

A simple plastic box or a container used to hold the chips to make them easier to carry around.

Rag

A meaningless card that does not improve your hand or chances of winning in any way.

Rail

Observe a game and root for someone to win. If you have someone you like, you might be railing for them when they play.

Rail (Craps)

The rail is the area on top of the craps table perimeter. Players typically use the rail to store their chips on it. Also known as a rack.

Raise

The action of increasing the bet in front of you. If someone bets and you announce a raise in no-limit games, you’ll need to at least double their initial bet.

Rake

A fee paid for game organizers for participation in that game. There are various rake options, starting from a fixed fee and going all the way to the time-based charge.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

The random number generator (RNG) is a software or algorithm used to generate random and unpredictable results and ensure a fair outcome of every game. RNGs have a wide application in the gambling industry and are particularly important in the online casino world, as the dice are rolled, and cards are dealt by a computer and not a real person.

Range

Poker term that describes the entire scope of hands that you believe the other player could feasibly have in a particular situation. Thinking in terms of ranges is much more efficient than putting a player on a specific hand.

Rank

Card value in relation to other cards. For example, a king is a higher rank card than a jack, 8 is higher than 3, etc.

Razz

A lowball version of 7 card stud, where the best possible hand one can make is the wheel, i.e., a straight from an ace to a five (A, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Re-Bet

Placing an identical bet that you used in the previous round.

Re-Buy

In some poker tournaments, players can buy more chips when they lose their entire stack. This is known as a re-buy. The term is also used in cash games when a player is felted and buys more chips to keep playing.

Re-Raise

To raise again when there is already a raise in front of you. This is often referred to as a 3-bet as well.

Resplits

This is when a blackjack game allows a player to split an already split hand. Usually, it is possible up to three or four hands.

Reading

The ability to interpret various tells to determine the strength of your opponent’s hand. Reading other players entails different things, from recognizing their physical tells to interpreting their bet sizes and other actions.

Red Bet

A bet on the red numbers on the roulette wheel.

Reel

A slot reel is a horizontal column in a slot game. In every slot game, the reels are the part of the machine that spins when the player clicks on the spin button. When they stop spinning, the reels reveal the symbol combination.

Reload Bonus

A reload bonus is a specific type of online casino bonus aimed exclusively at existing platform members. It’s the casino’s way of rewarding existing players for depositing their gambling profiles.

Regular Ticket

Also known as a straight ticket, it is simply a normal keno ticket.

Replayed Ticket

In keno, a ticket that is presented to the counter in order to replay the numbers.

Represent

To play in a way you would if you had a certain hand, while you don’t actually have it and you’re bluffing. For example, when a straight completing card comes, you bet big to represent a straight, even though you don’t have it.

Right-Way Bettor

The right-way bettor is a craps player who is betting with the shooter, predicting that the point number will be rolled before the 7.

Ring Game

Another name for poker cash games. Ring games are played with real money at the table, while tournaments are played with chips that have no monetary value and can’t be exchanged for money directly.

River

The “river” is a common poker term for the fifth card the dealer deals to the player in a stud version and the fifth community card that comes up on the board in community card poker games.

ROI

Return on Investment, which is the number that shows the player’s profitability in the games they play. Tournament players usually use the figure to express their average returns. For example, someone playing in five $1,000 tournaments totaling $5,000 in buy-ins and winning $7,000 will have an ROI of 40%.

Roulette

A luck-based game with very simple rules in which the players need to guess in which wheel pocket the ball will land after the spin. The two main roulette versions are European roulette and American roulette.

Rouge

The French term for a red bet in roulette.

Rounders

One of the best-known poker movies ever starring Matt Damon. The term is also used to describe professional poker players who spend a lot of time playing the game, especially in the live environment, looking for the best games.

Rows

These are the horizontal lines of symbols on a slot, each reel will have a number of visible rows.

Royal Flush

The best possible hand one can have in all high poker variations. It is made up of 10, J, Q, K, and A, all of the same suit.

Rule of Six

In Blackjack games played with just one deck of cards, this is a method for working out the number of rounds dealt before the shuffle. It is equal to six minus the number of players currently at a table.

Run It Twice

When two players are all-in in a poker cash game, they can sometimes agree to run the remaining community cards twice. Each of the boards is observed separately, and each rewards half the pot to the winner.

Runner-Runner

The term describes the situation where a player catches perfect cards on the turn and the river to make their hand and win the pot. For example, if you have QJ on the flop of T52 and hit A on the turn and K on the river to make a straight, you just hit runner-runner.

Running Bad

Having a streak of particularly bad luck that can stretch over a single session or multiple sessions or tournaments. Even the best players run bad sometimes and simply have to ride out the variance.

Running Good

When a player gets lucky in multiple spots and wins more than their fair share of pots or tournaments, they’re said to be running good.

Satellite

A poker tournament that doesn’t award cash prizes but entries into another event with a bigger buy-in.

Scare Card

A card that changes the board's structure, bringing in some of the most obvious draws. The scare card will usually slow down the action.

Scared Money

Often refers to a player playing too high stakes that he cannot afford to lose and then making sub-optimal decisions because he is scared to lose.

Scatter Symbol

A scatter symbol is a special symbol custom-designed for every slot game. Scatter symbols often have a special, separate role from other regular symbols in the game. They unlock unique mini-games, free spins, or other rewards that regular symbols can’t trigger. Generally speaking, scatter symbols award a win disregarding lines or patterns.

See

Another term for a call, i.e., paying the bet in front of you without raising.

Self-Service Bets

Craps bets that the players can place directly instead of handing the bet to the dealer are self-service bets. The big six, big eight, and field bets are all self-service bets.

Semi-Bluff

Making an aggressive action such as a bet or a raise with a hand that has no showdown value at the moment but can turn into a winner if you catch the right card. The value of a semi-bluff is that you can win by getting your opponent to fold, and even if they call, you still have some outs to make your hand and beat them.

Session

A gaming session is a period of time that begins when a player starts playing and ends when he stops. It can include one game or a series of games, but the only important thing is that the player is gambling continuously, without prolonged breaks.

Set

A three-of-a-kind hand consisting of a pocket pair and the third card of the same rank on the board. It’s different from trips, as trips consist of two community cards and one card in the hole.

Set Mining

Calling with a pocket pair in hopes of catching a third card of the same rank to make three of a kind (a set), which is a very strong hand in Hold’em.

Seven Out

“Sevening out” is when the shooter rolls a 7 before the point number after the point has been established for the craps round. When a shooter sevens out, the round ends, and the shooter changes.

Shark

A card shark is an experienced and skilled player that knows how to take advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses and mistakes. Card sharp is another alternative name commonly used for such players.

Shill

A player backed by the casino who sits down in actual games and pretends to be a regular customer. This is often used to start the games or attract additional players to the games with the big casino house edge.

Shoe

A shoe, also known as the dealer’s shoe, is a gaming device that holds multiple decks of playing cards. A shoe holds and dispenses the cards during games, making it easier for the dealer to distribute them. On top of that, it minimizes the chances of the players or the dealer cheating.

Shooter

The player rolling the dice in the craps game is known as the shooter for that round.

Shootout

A tournament format where each table is played down to the winner. After that, all winners are combined into new tables, and those tables will continue to play down to the winner. The process repeats until there is just one (final) table remaining.

Short Stack

A player with very few chips remaining in their stack and at risk of busting out. The term is usually used in tournament poker for players with fewer than ten big blinds in their stacks.

Short-Handed

A poker game with six or fewer players.

Shot Clock

In some cash games and tournaments, a clock is used to limit the amount of time players have to think about their decisions. This is known as the shot clock, as once the time runs out, the player’s hand is considered dead, and they are automatically folded.

Shove

Another popular term to describe an all-in move, i.e., the action of shoving all your chips.

Showdown

The final stage of a poker hand after all the betting is done. Players will turn over their hands, and the one holding the best hand will win the pot.

Shuffle

Shuffling is the act of mixing up a deck of cards between games so that no player is certain in the cards’ order in the following game.

Side Bet

A side bet is a type of bet players can place in some games on an outcome that doesn’t directly depend on the result of the main game. For instance, players can place all kinds of side bets to win even if the dealer has a better hand for the round.

Side Bet (Poker)

A bet made by the players that has nothing to do with the main action. For example, players can bet will there be more black or red cards on the flop and keep track of the results to settle the bet later.

Side Pot

When one player is all-in, but other players in a hand still have chips, they can continue betting as normal. Their bets are placed in the side pot as the all-in player can only compete for the main pot.

Single Odds

Single odds are the basic odds that the casino offers for the original come or pass bet in a craps game. Some casinos don’t only offer these but also include double or better odds.

Single Zero Wheel

A European roulette wheel.

Sit and Go

A tournament format that starts as soon as the required number of players registers instead of waiting for the particular start time.

Sitting Out

A player can get up from the table at any point. While they’re not there, they’re ‘sitting out,’ i.e., not participating in any hands, although their chips are still there, and they can get back in action as soon as they sit back in.

Six Card Charlie

In some versions of Blackjack, a hand of six cards that does not bust will automatically win (except against Blackjack).

Six Number Bet

The same as a line bet in roulette.

Sixain

The French term for a six number bet or a line bet in roulette.

Skinny Dugan

Skinny Dugan is a craps slang name for the number 7, considered a bad number by many craps players.

Slant Top

Slot machines in land casinos that are wide and short that provide players with a more immersive experience.

Sleeper

A keno ticket that has not been redeemed by a wining player.

Slot Club

A loyalty reward scheme for slot players run by land casinos.

Slot Machine

A slot machine is a luck-based game where players spin the reels to match symbols and land a winning combination. Slot machines have been around for over a century and are the most popular casino game worldwide.

Slow Rolling

Intentionally hesitating to turn over a hand at a showdown that you know is the winner. This practice isn’t against the rules, but it’s considered bad form and is definitely against poker etiquette.

Small Blind

Smaller of the two forced bets in blind poker games, posted by the player seated to the immediate left of the dealer position.

Snake Eyes

Snake eyes is one of the most widely known craps terms, and it refers to rolling two 1s for a total of 2 points.

Soft Hand

Any blackjack hand that initially contains at least one ace is called a soft hand because you can count that ace as 1 or 11 points to make your hand.

Soft Play

Playing in a slow and non-confrontational way against a particular player with the intention of making sure that neither of you loses a lot of chips to each other. While this is tolerated in cash games as everyone plays with their own money, it’s frowned upon in tournaments and can even lead to penalties if discovered.

Sound of Rain

A slang term for the sound of coins dropping when a player cashes out from a penny slot machine.

Speed Bingo

A variation of the regular game in which numbers are called very quickly and bingo can be achieved with fewer numbers.

Spin

A single game round on a slot machine, started by pushing/clicking a button or pulling a lever.

Splash the Pot

Throwing chips directly into the pot instead of placing them in front of you. This complicates things for the dealer and other players as it becomes hard to figure out how many chips you threw and if the number was correct.

Split Bet

A roulette bet on two numbers that are adjacent to one another on the betting area.

Split Pot

When two or more players have the same winning hand at a showdown, the pot is split equally among them.

Split Ticket

In keno, two or more groups of numbers that are played separately on the same ticket.

Spots

The numbers chosen on a keno ticket and circled, typically they form a pattern.

Squeeze

An aggressive action designed to force everyone to fold, i.e., squeeze them out of a hand. You’ll often see this move done by a late position poker player or a big blind before the flop when a raise and a few calls are in front of them.

Stack

The total amount of chips held by a player at a start of a hand.

Stake

The term stake is used to describe an action of risking money on a gamble for potential winnings. It can also be used to describe a cash game limit, i.e., the game is played at a $2/$5 stake.

Stand

When a player stands, they sit on their hand without taking any more cards from the dealer. This feature is associated with blackjack but is available in other casino games, most notably baccarat.

Steal

An aggressive action (raise) usually done by a player in the late position aimed to attack the blinds and get them to fold their hands and steal what’s already in the pot without resistance.

Stickman

The stickman is a casino employee who handles the dice and calls out the number after every roll.

Stiff

A popular slang term dealers and players use when referring to a player that doesn’t tip or tip poorly.

Stiff Hand

A blackjack hand that has a value of between 12 and 16.

Straddle

A third blind bet usually posted by the player in the UTG position. It’s often twice the big blind, but it can be higher sometimes. In exchange for putting more money into the pot, the person straddling gets to act last before the flop, i.e., their blind bet is live.

Straight

A poker hand consisting of five cards in a sequence, like 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Straight Bet

Roulette bet that is placed on any single number with the pay-out of 35 to 1.

Straight Ticket

A regular keno ticket on which up to 20 numbers are chosen.

Street Bet

Roulette bet placed on 3 numbers at once with the pay-out of 11 to 1.

String Bet

When you place a bet in several motions without announcing the amount first, this is considered a string bet, and only the first amount placed will be accepted. String bets are against poker rules as all bets must be made in a single motion unless verbally declared.

Stud Games

Poker variations that don’t include community cards or draws. Instead, players are dealt only their hole cards, some of them face down and some face up for everyone to see.

Stud Keno

A keno game in which the top prize increases until it is won.

Suckout

A situation where a player with a weak hand catches one of the few outs they have to jump ahead and win a pot against a much stronger hand.

Suits

There are four suits in card games, namely spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

Suited Connectors

Two cards of the same suit and in sequence, like 8h9h or 5s6s.

Surrender

You can choose to surrender your hand and take back half of your initial bet in the blackjack game. If you choose to surrender, you will not be playing this hand anymore, and you can only do that if you have not made any other action before.

Symbols

The images and numbers on the slot machine reels. Often, they will relate to the slot’s theme and each symbol offers a different payout or triggers a special feature.

Take Odds

Taking odds involves making an additional bet on the pass and come bets at true odds, without any house edge. When players take an odds bet, they place it directly behind their original bet on the craps table. Bettors that want to take odds can bet up to two or three times their initial bet.

Tank

To take a long time to make a decision. When a player takes more than a couple of minutes to make up their mind in a hand, they’re said to be ‘in a tank.’

Tell

A pattern in players’ behavior, speech, or play that can give clues as to the strength of their hand. Poker tells are an important part of the live play but are often overrated.

Ten Card Charlie

In some versions of Blackjack, a hand of ten cards that does not bust will automatically win (except against Blackjack).

Texas Hold’em

The most popular poker variation today played in most live and online poker rooms. It is played with two hole cards dealt to the players and five community cards dealt across the board for everyone to use.

Texture

The term used to describe the board in community card poker variations. The board texture can be dry (without many draws), wet (with many drawing possibilities), or somewhere in between.

Ticket

A keno ticket that is used by players to market spots.

Tight

A style of play characterized by playing very few hands before the flop and being very conservative in the hands that one plays, not taking any risks, and avoiding big confrontations without the nuts.

Tilt / Tilting

The state of mind during which the player allows their emotions to take over and makes irrational decisions not based on their actual knowledge of the game. Even the best players can sometimes go on tilt and make some bad decisions despite knowing better.

Tilt Mode

A state in which a physical slot machine cannot resume the play due to malfunction or an error.

Three-Way Craps

The three-way craps bet involves three-betting units, one unit on the 2, one on the 3, and one on the 12.

Toke

The term “toke” is a slang name for a tip given to the dealer

Top Bottom Ticket

A keno ticket that is marked horizontally in the center and the aim is to catch the numbers that are located on one half of the ticket.

Tournament

A game format where players don’t play for money but for tournament chips instead. The goal is to outplay and outlast other players in the tournament by winning their chips and growing your stack to reach the payout stage, i.e., to enter the prize money distribution. The tournament winner is the person winning all the chips, and they receive the biggest prize.

Tournament Fee

A monetary amount attached to a tournament buy-in that doesn’t go into the prize pool, but it’s kept by the poker room as the compensation for organizing the event.

Transversale

The French term for a street bet in roulette.

Trap

To play a strong hand in a deceptive way to make your opponent think you have a much weaker holding and get them to commit more chips to the pot.

Trips

A three-of-a-kind hand made up of one hole card and two community cards of the same rank.

True Odds

The true odds are the actual odds of winning a bet. The true odds are always higher than payout odds because the difference between them is how the casino gains its edge and ensures profit.

Turbo

A poker tournament structure in which blinds move up quickly, forcing the action and not allowing players to sit around doing nothing for too long.

Turn

The fourth card dealt after the flop, sometimes referred to as the fourth street.

Two-way Bet

A two-way bet is a bet split between the player and the craps dealers. The players mostly make it on one-roll bets.

Under the Gun

A position at the poker table in which the player has to act first before the flop. The term was coined because there is a lot of pressure on this player as they have absolutely no information about other players’ holdings.

Underdog

A poker hand that has lower chances of winning. For example, in the Aces vs. Kings scenario, Kings are the underdog, even though they’re the second-best starting hand in Hold’em. The term is also widely used in sports betting where it indicates the team, or the player expected to lose the game.

Underpair

A pocket pair that is lower than the lowest of the community cards. For example, if you have pocket threes on the flop of 69Q, you have an underpair.

Up Card

An up card is a card that’s dealt exposed and visible to every participant. See the “face up” card.

Value Bet

A bet made with the purpose of getting called. When a player makes a value bet, they’re doing so believing they have the winner and are trying to get a call from a weaker hand and win an even bigger pot.

Variance

Short-term results difference from long-term expectations. Variance can be positive, meaning you are winning more than you should, or negative, meaning you are losing more than your fair share based on the odds.

Video Keno

Keno played on an electronic machine.

Video Poker

Video poker is a machine that simulates five-card poker games. It’s primarily a luck-based game, but players still have some element of control, as they can choose which cards to discard from their starting hand. The two most popular video poker variations are deuces wild and jacks or better.

Video Slots

These are games that do not have any moving parts. Rather the spinning reels are simulated on screen by a computer program. However, today the term is also used to differentiate between three reel and five reel slots, with three reel games referred to as classic slots.

Vig/Vigorish

The vig or the vigorish is the commission that the house takes on some bets. In American craps rooms, the vig is also known as “juice.”

VIP Player

A VIP player is a player that the casino considers to be of great value for their business, so they give special treatment to such a player. To become a vip member, a player must regularly wager large amounts of money.

VIP Program

A VIP program is a rewards scheme especially created and exclusively available to VIP members. VIP programs are more rewarding and often include great real-world prizes such as luxurious trips or rewards.

Wager

Another name for a bet.

Wagering Requirements

Wagering requirements are the rules that often come attached to online casino bonuses. These terms dictate how many times a player must wager the bonus amount before turning it into real money that they can withdraw to their bank account. If the wagering requirement is 30 and you receive a $100 bonus, you will need to place a total of $3000 in bets before you can withdraw any winnings.

Ways to Win

Instead of listing paylines, a slot game might advertise the number of different ways that wins can be formed across the reels.

Way Ticket

A keno ticket in which numbers are chosen and put in groups to form two separate bets.

Weak Hand

A poker hand with very little showdown value and slim chances of winning once the cards are turned over.

Welcome Bonus

A welcome bonus is a type of online casino bonus aimed at potential players to entice them to sign up. New online casino members can claim the welcome bonus by making their first deposit into the online gambling site.

Well

The space at the bottom of a slot machine that the coins fall into.

Wet Board

A connected and/or suited board containing different draw opportunities, like 5h 6h 8d.

Whale

A whale is a very wealthy high roller with so much money that it can actually affect the casino’s business.

Wheel

A straight containing cards from an ace to a five (A, 2, 3, 4, 5). In many lowball poker variations, this is the best poker hand (the nuts).

Wild Card

In poker and video poker games, a wild card is a designated card that can replace any other card to help the player land a winning hand.

Wild Multiplier

In slot machines, this is a wild symbol (i.e., one able to substitute for others) that comes with a payout multiplier value attached, which is applied when the symbol forms part of a winning combination.

Wild Number

This is a number played on a double bingo that leads to a triple bingo. The first number out of the hopper determines the wild number. For example, if 43 is drawn, then all numbers ending in 3 should be marked off.

Wild Symbol

A wild symbol can usually substitute for all the standard symbols in a game to help and form more winning combinations. Occasionally it may be restricted to substituting for a more limited set of symbols.

Win Both Ways

This is a slot machine with paylines that award payouts for combinations that land from left to right (starting from the leftmost reel) and from right to left (starting from the rightmost reel).

Winning Combination

A collection of symbols that will award a payout when they land in the appropriate place on the reels.

Winning Numbers

The 20 numbers drawn in a keno game.

With the Dice

When a player is playing “with the dice,” they are betting that the point number will be rolled before a 7 is rolled. A right-way bettor always plays with the dice.

Working Bet

A working bet is a bet that’s currently “on” or “in action” for the next dice roll.

World Bet

A world bet is a five-unit bet that covers the 2, 3, 7, 11, and 12 all at once in a craps game. For example, if a player places $10 on a world bet, $2 goes to each number comprising this bet.

Wrong-Way Bettor

A wrong-way bettor plays against the shooter, predicting that a 7 will be rolled before the point number once the point has been established.

Yo

Yo is a craps slang name for number 11. It’s also called yo-leven. This is primarily to avoid confusion among players, as eleven sounds very similar to seven, another key number in the game.