Online Gambling Glossary – Casino Dictionary

Gambling Glossary

No matter whether you have just started trying your luck at online gambling or started frequenting neighborhood casinos, gambling can be a bit technical for a neophyte. It may help to familiarize yourself with the terminology most frequently used.

BETTING TERMINOLOGY

Accumulator – This is a type of cumulative bet. The better, in this case, bets in a chain. The winnings of one bet become the chances of the subsequent races. These are also known as fold bets.
Ante-post – These are the bets that are placed for big sporting events. These bets are usually placed a day before the event. These surely have better odds of winning. However, the bettors can’t pull out ones they bet, and their money is not returned.
Arbitrage – The gambling slang for Arbitrage is arb. It’s a type of bet that – for reasons that can range from a careless error or bookmakers’ opinions – always gets a profit for the bettor.
Asian Handicap – Gets its name from a type of advantage given to the teams in Indonesia. However, now it is a frequently-used term in betting. The weakest teams here are given an advantage in order to make the results more interesting.
Backward – It’s a term used in horse racing. A backward is a horse that might lag in his performance due to ill health or because it’s not well developed.
Banker – This is the kind of bet that always brings you a profit. They are always placed on the most certain winners. If you are a Banker, you are playing it safe.
Co-Favorite – It is one of the favorites to win the races or matches. It could be with another horse or two other horses. They are also the horses or teams on which people bet the least amount of money.
Dead-Heat – This is not particularly a gambling term and is often used for athletes in a sprint. However, it is frequently used in betting. It is a situation when two horses race at exactly the same level. It’s hard to tell who won.
Favorite – As the name suggests, it’s a horse that is most likely to win and, therefore, gets the lowest returns for betting. However, a favorite is only touted to win the race. It may not always win it. In which case, the decision to not bet on it could just be a blunder. However, some people make money betting big money on the favorites to multiply at least a fraction of that big amount.
Handicap – This term used in football betting. It means that the bookmakers award a handicap to the favorite. This means that the team that is said to be weaker gets an advantage.

CARD GAMES TERMINOLOGY

Poker, Baccarat, Blackjack are frequently played at casinos. They can be a big intimidating if you don’t know the terminology being used around the table. Don’t worry, it’s all to easy to master.
Ace – It means “the best”. It is the way cards are ranked in the same game. The way the cards are ranked and their order depends on the card game being played. There could be, from time to time, other terms that may be used to denote the same thing.
Bounty – This term is used while playing Poker. A bounty is the cash prize that a player gets for removing other players from the game.
Court Card – a jack, queen or king of any suit. US equivalent is face card.
Deck – Deck refers to a pack of cards that are used to play a game. Any number of decks could be used to play a card game. A deck contains 52 cards.
Deuce – It is a term used to denote the ranking of the cards, depending on the game played. However, in a dice game, deuce refers to “two”.
Trump – A trump card may be an insignificant card that gains meaning as it is elevated from its rank due to the way a game turns out. It is a card that can impact the results of the game in a way that wasn’t expected.
Sequence – It is what the name suggests it to be. A sequence of cards is how two or more than two cards are arranged according to their rank. However, this may not always mean that the cards are either in an ascending or descending order.
Stack – A stack of cards is typically, an arrangement of cards where the playing cards are kept on top of each other with pips facing down. The whole idea of this is the cards should not be visible to anyone. In certain casinos, it is a felony to view the cards during a deal.
Wild Card – This card is an alternative to another card include the ones that don’t exist. However, this term has come to be used in several other contexts apart from card games.

PAI GOW TERMINOLOGY

Pai gow poker is a kind of the Americanized version of pai gow. It is played with standard 52-card deck and one joker. This game os played at the table for six plus the dealer.
Ante – A forced bet in which all players put an equal amount of сash or chips into the pot before the deal begins
Commission – Tax the casino takes if you win both hands against the dealer. Usually it is 5%.
Copy Hand – When the gambler’s and the banker’s hands are of the same rank.
Dragon Hand – When one player is not at the table, the dealer can deal a hand for the empty place.
Five Aces – When there are all 4 aces and the joker card in your hand.
Foul Hand – When you make your split and the low hand can beat the high hand.
Flush – This is 5 cards of the same suit out of the 7 cards in your hand.
Full House – Three cards of a kind and a pair in 7 cards you were handed out.
High Card – 7 singletons in your hand.
High Hand or Highest hand – 5 card hand that you get from 7 cards you were dealt.
Joker – The card that can complete a flush or a straight if you get 4 cards to the straight or flush in your hand. In other case, this card is used as an Ace.
Loss – When the banker wins both the high and low hands.
Low Hand or Second Highest hand: 2 card hand that you split from the 7 cards.
Pair – Cards of a matching rank.
Push – When the player and banker both win one of the two hands.
Royal Flush – When the player receives 10, J, Q, K, A of the same suit.
Singleton – A card that doesn’t match any other card in your hand.
Split – When you separate your low hand from your high hand.
Straight – 5 cards of consecutive rank among 7 cards in your hand.
StraightFlush – 5 consecutively ranked cards of the same suit.
Three of a Kind or Trips – 3 cards of the same rank.
Three Pairs – 3 sets of matching cards in 7 you were dealt.
Two Pairs – 2 sets of matching cards in 7 you were dealt.
Wheel – The second highest straight in pai gow poker – A,2,3,4,5 in your high hand.

BINGO TERMINOLOGY

Bingo is a game that is very popular in most countries merely because it does not require any particular skill to play it, and yet it can be a lot of fun to play. There are very few external circumstances that can affect the outcome of the game. The list focuses on Bingo played in brick and mortar halls.
Flimsy, Flimsies – Flimsy refers to the quality of the sheets of paper on which the Bingo cards are. The paper used is very thin, and that’s where it gets its name. A bingo sheet or a flimsy usually has on it three cards printed. However, there could be a variation on that and a flimsy could have a nine-card format too.
Rainbow Pack – Usually, when Bingo is played, it can only be played for one kind of prize. However, if a player opts for a rainbow pack, he/she can play for several prizes all at once.
Reno Night – Most of the terms in gambling are often used interchangeably between games. Reno Night is one such. It usually refers to the blackjack and roulette on certain evenings in casinos. However, such big games are often held in bingo halls as well. Alternatively, such a night may be held in a hotel or may be sponsored by a club.
Session – This is the length of a set of bingo games played in a set duration of the day. They are always played on flimsy and could last from a quarter of an hour to several hours. However, the length and time of the game may vary.
Split Pot – As the name suggests, a prize is split between the House and the winner. In this case, usually, the winner keeps a bigger part of the win and the bingo hall or the House gets another.
Table Board Bingo – This is less of a game and more like a lottery. The players in the hall buy something known as a Table Board card and whoever gets to the arrangements – as required by the House – first, wins. The numbers as usual, are picked up at random. This is done using a random number generator, which is also used in a lot of online casino websites. Table Board Bingo could be played along with a Regular bingo or separately.
Texas Blackout – No game is ever complete without an American variation, and this is one such. It depends on the first number being called out odd or even. If the first number comes out to be even then the numbers on the card are considered to be “Wild”. If the number called out is odd then you need to cover all the numbers. It is called a “blackout”.
Wild Number – This is a fun variation on the game. The first number called out decides the pattern of the game to follow. If the number called out is 57 then all the number that end in 7 need to be marked off the flimsy.

ROULETTE TERMINOLOGY

The game of Roulette has its origins in France, and that’s why most of the terms used are French. It’s true that there are variations of American and European Roulette too, but the rules and the terms used overlap. If you learn the basics of French roulette, then you are pretty much all set.
Boule (La Boule) – This was originally called a “little game”. It is a simpler form of Roulette game that is quite popular if you go to France. The wheel has nine number that are three different colors. You can bet on any of the colors. The ball that bounces around the wheel settles when the wheel comes to a rest, deciding the outcome of the game. It’s an easy to play and fast game.
Dolly – In the French the croupier uses a stick to point to a winning number. However, the game’s American cousin has a little variation on that. The croupier uses a tiny marker that is usually plastic or wood and keeps it on the winning number. This plastic marker looks much like a doll. That is the reason it’s called a dolly.
Neighbor bet – When you bet on five numbers that are right next to each other on the wheel. Your main number, however, is the one in the middle. Before the croupier beings to spin, you need to call out the number you’d like to bet on. The bet on this number is generally higher than those on the table.
Orphans – This is frequently used in the European version of the game. It refers to a bet on 6, 34 and 17. These numbers are sequenced next to each other. However, they are far apart on the roulette wheel.
Orphelins – It is a French language phrase. This is one of the most common style of plays used in much of the European casinos – when you can bet on certain numbers that are adjacent to each other. However, they are far apart on the wheel.
Racetrack bets – These type of bets are also known as ‘Call bets’. This area called the “racetrack bets area” is right in front of the dealer. These bets are made on certain sections of the roulette wheel which the dealer may have made clear.
Roulight / Roulite – This is a kind of variation on the Roulette. This game is played fast and interestingly, has its origins in Germany. Players, who like to play sectors and neighbors love it.
Voisins du zero – It is a French phrase and is commonly used in casinos across Europe. When you bet on numbers that are around zero on the roulette wheel, it is called voisins du zero.

BLACKJACK TERMINOLOGY

Blackjack is a very popular card game and is also known as twenty-one in some circuits. It is also one of the biggest profit-making games for casinos across the world.  The players compete against the dealer and the players. And the game can be played with more than one decks. Each deck constitutes 52 cards. However, there is some terminology you would need to know before you start playing this game.
Backdoor Kenny – This is a scenario when the player gets the first card as ten. And if the same player is given an ace so he can complete the blackjack. This was named after a dealer in Las Vegas.
Balanced Count – This is a very interesting scenario in Blackjack. When there is the same balance between the plus and the minus is known as a balanced count. Amazingly, if this deck of cards was counted, then the sum of the numbers would be zero.
Even Money – If the dealer has an ace (and shows it) and the player the blackjack then in such a scenario player can opt for immediate cashout. This is at 1:1. This is just a variation on “insurance” not a different type of bet.
Insurance – This is a slight variation on even money. If a dealer shows the ace he has, the player can also put a bet on the sides that is valued half of what his original bet was. However, on the other hand, if dealer has got a blackjack on him, the player gets in full his wager and the original amount he made on the bet.
Shoe Game – This is a type of a game of blackjack that is dealt from by the dealer from what is called a “shoe”. What’s interesting is, that the shoe games always make sure of 4,5,6 or even 8 decks.
Stiff – When the game reaches a point whereby there is a possibility to surpass 21 by drawing a card that could be 12,13,14,15 or 16.
Hole Card – This card is the second card that is dealt with the dealer. It is always dealt face down and stays that way until all other players have also acted upon.
Five Card Charlie – This is when the player reaches five cards in a hand before he is busted. This is rare even with the best of players. However, there are casinos that give a return of 2:1 for achieving it.

CRAPS TERMINOLOGY

Craps is the game that is played with the dice. The players wager on the result of the roll or a series of rolls. This game depends on luck only, complicated mathematical knowledge isn’t required. The gamblers can wager against each other or the bank.
2-Way – Player makes one roll wager bet for himself and the dealers.
3-Way Craps – The player bets in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12.
Aces or Snake Eyes – the bet where the next roll will be the total sum of 2.
Any Craps – The player bets with the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12.
Any Seven or Big Red – The next roll will be 7 in this bet.
Black – $100 gaming chips.
Bones – Dice.
Boxcars or Midnight – Slang for the 12.
Boxman – Table supervisor who sits opposite the stickman between the dealers.
Box Numbers – The place bet numbers – 4-5-6-8-9-10.
Boys or The Boys –  the Dealers.
Cold Dice – When no one is making their point at the table.
Color In – Cashing out smaller valued chips for larger valued chips when leaving the craps table.
Come bet – A pass line bet.
Come out roll – The first roll of the dice to claim a point.
Comp – Freebies given to gamblers based on their action.
Craps Check – Making a stake on any craps during the come out roll to hedge your pass line bet.
Don’t Come bet – A don’t pass bet made after the point is established.
Don’t Pass bet – A bet that the shooter will not make his point.
Double odds – An odds stake that is twice bigger as the original pass/come bet.
Front Line – A pass line bet.
Garden – The field bet.
George – A good tipper.
Green – $25 worth gaming chips.
HardWay – A bet on 4, 6, 8, or 10 that wins only if the dice roll as pairs; 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5.
Hi-Lo – A one roll stake on 2 & 12
Hi-Lo-Yo – A one roll stake on 2,12 & 11.
Hot Dice or Hot Table – When gamblers win.
Lay bet – A bet that a seven is rolled before the number you placed (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) comes up.
Lay Odds – An additional odds bet can be made after a point has been established that will win if the original don’t pass bet wins.
Little Joe – A pair of twos or Hard 4.
Natural – A seven or eleven placed on the come out roll for a winning bet.
One Roll Bet – A bet that is one or lost in a single roll.
Odds Bet – An additional stake made to the pass line bet.
Parlay – Your winnings are added to a primary bet and wagering it all.
Proposition Bet – A wager on one of the bets in the center of the layout.
Right Better – A gambler with a stake on the pass line.
Seven Out – When a shooter rolls a seven before making their point thus losing the pass line bet.
Shooter – The gambler is rolling the dice.
Toke – A tip.
World Bet – A stake on the horn numbers along with any seven – (2-3-11-12)
Wrong Bettor – A gamer betting against the shooter.
Yo or Yo-leven – Rolling 11 so as to not mix up it with 7.

KENO TERMINOLOGY

Keno is a lottery-like game where the players make their wagers on some certain numbers in the keno ticket by marking an “S” over the “spot” choices. Then the casino draws 20 balls randomly, and the player checks show many numbers match.
All Or Nothing – The ticket pays in two ways: If none of the numbers you pick get selected or if all the numbers you selected get drawn.
Call – To name the numbers for each game.
Catch – When a number you have marked on your ticket has been drawn.
Combination Way Ticket – Numbers in the groups are bet several different ways, allowing the player to spread money over several combinations.
King – A single circled number.
KingTicket – A ticket that contains one or more kings.
NumberPool – The range of numbers ( usually from 1 to 80) from which you select the ones you want to play.
Spot – A number from 1 to 80 that a gambler chooses on a ticket.
StraightKeno – The keno game, played by marking single numbers on a ticket.
Way – A  bet on a ticket with more than one stake.
WayTicket – A ticket that contains different numbers to create more than one way to win.

SLOTS TERMINOLOGY

Slot is one of the most popular gambling game. The player put in money into the machine and push the button or the lever and the combination of the pictures comes out after the reels stop moving. If there is a winning combination the gambler will win the money.
Bet – The amount of money the player bet on a slot.
Bonus Feature – An additional way to win.
Buy-a-Pay Slots – When each coin buys a winning combination.
Classic Slots – Traditional slot machines that have 3 reels and  multiple paylines.
Coins Per Line – The amount of money you can bet on each payline.
Coin Per Spin – The amount of coins you choose to put in on each round.
Credits – Currency or tokens used to represent money.
Hit – Winning.
Hold Percentage – The amount of money that the casino takes from players over time.
Hopper – The place where the money is placed in the slots.
Loose Slots – Slot machines that return a high percentage to the gambler.
Pay for Play Machines – The more coins played, the higher the potential winnings are.
Pokies – Slot machines in Australia.
Progressive Slots – A group of slots linked together with a communal big jackpot.
Progressive Jackpot – The jackpot increases depending on the growing number of the games played on the slot machine.
Scatter Pay – A payout that wins without having to line up.
Stacked Wilds – This happens when many wild symbols are positioned on top of each other on the reels.
Take/Pay Cycle – The payout can be predicted by the certain amount of coins have been put in it.
Tight Slots – Slots that pay back a low percentage of the money.
Wild Symbol – A joker type symbol that works as the required symbol to make up a winning combination.
Wild Multiplier – A wild symbols that substitute for other symbols and multiply any win.