Casino Dictionary

All in -when a player bets on all his chips. If another player bets more chips than you have in a No Limit game, you can go All-In and stake your total stack against an equivalent amount of your opponent's stack.

All or Nothing -In Keno, a ticket that only pays if all picked numbers are drawn or none of the picked numbers are drawn.

Anchor Man -In Blackjack, the player wagering on the last box on the table is said to be "anchoring" the game.

Ante -In poker, the minimum bet that each player is required to put into the game before a new hand starts.

Any Craps -In Craps, a bet made on 2, 3 or 12 rolling on the next roll

Any Seven -In Craps, a bet made that seven will be the next number rolled

Arm -In Craps, a player that have a skill of throwing the dice that in a way he can alter the game's conventional odds. A player like this is said to be 'an arm.

Audition -An examination a dealer must pass before a casino hires him or her.

Baccarat -Also called Punto Banco and Chemin De Fer - these games are similar to Baccarat but require a great deal of skill. Baccarat is a table game that uses 6 or 8 decks of cards and does not require much skill.

Banker -In a card game, the dealer or the player in the table that books the action of the other players in the table.

Bank Roll - Also known as Roll, this refers to the total cash that a player (or the casino) has in order to support the wagers they make.

Bar the 12 - In Craps, this transforms the 12 into a Push on the Don't Pass Line.

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

Base -The area on a Craps table where most of the wagers are placed.

Bet -To wager.

Betting Limits -In a table game, the minimum and maximum amounts of money that you can wager on one bet. You cannot wager less than the minimum or more than the maximum amount posted.

Bingo -Bingo in its traditional form is a prize game where players buy cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid corresponding to the five letters in the word B-I-N-G-O. Numbers are then drawn at random (out of a possible 75 in American Bingo, and 90 in British and Australian Bingo) until one player completes a 'Bingo' line with five numbers in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize. Bingo rules and payouts and play variations vary from place to place.

Bingo Marker -A dauber that is used to cover the numbers on a bingo game card.

Blackjack - A card game whereby participants play against the dealer and try to get as close to twenty-one as possible, but without going over. Also, Blackjack is a hand in which the first two cards total precisely 21.

Blind Bet -A bet that certain poker players are required to make because of their betting positions.

Bluff -In poker, players bluff when rising with a weak hand in hopes of driving out players with stronger hands.

Board -In poker, the community cards dealt face-up in the centre of the table are referred to as on the 'board'.

Boat -Another term for a full house.

Book - accept a wager.

Boxing -In horse racing, a single ticket comprised of more than one parlay.

Break-Even Point -The break-even point is the point at which if you played forever, the bets you made would approximately equal the payoffs you'd receive.

Box - In Craps, the area of the Craps table which the Boxman controls.

Boxman -the casino staff member that in charge of the Craps table.

Bring-In -In seven-card stud, the bring-in is a mandatory bet made by the player with the lowest up card in the first round of betting.

Buck -A $100 wager

Bump -To raise

Burn Card -In card games, the card temporarily removed from play. After a shuffle and cut, one card is placed on the bottom of the deck or in the discard tray, which is called burning the card.

Bust - go over twenty-one in Blackjack. If you bust you lose.

Button -In poker, a disc that used as a marker for the dealer position and moves

From one player to another after each hand.

Call - In Poker, to match the current wager.

Call Bet - Any bet made verbally.

Card Shark - A term for an expert card player.

Caribbean Stud Poker - A form of 5-card poker in which players compete against the house.

Casino Advantage - The edge (statistical or otherwise) that a casino has over gamblers.

Casino Rate - A discounted hotel room cost sometimes offered to customers by a casino.

Catch - In Keno, when a number you have chosen is drawn.

Change Color - To exchange any one-color denomination chip for another color chip.

Chase - To place another wager with the hope of regaining money originally lost.

Check - another word for Chip. In Poker, to stay in the game without placing a bet.

Chemin De Fer - A table game utilizing 6 or 8 card decks, similar to Baccarat though requiring skill.

Chips - Round plastic discs representing various denominations of money.

Chip Tray - The tray near to the dealer which holds the table's chips.

Coat Tail - To bet the same numbers as someone who is currently winning.

Cold - To be Cold is to be experiencing a losing streak.

Color Up - To trade smaller denomination chips for bigger denomination chips that also known as Color Out.

Come Bet - In Craps, a wager placed on the Come Line.

Come Line - In Craps, place on the table where a Come Bet is placed.

Come Out Roll - In Craps, a shooter's first roll in any given round. Establishes the Point.

Copy - A Push in Pai Gow Poker, where the player and banker have the same two-card or five-card hand. Unlike a Push, however, the house wins in the event of a copy. Counting Cards - Memorizing played cards in a game of Blackjack in order to have an advantage against the dealer on the remaining cards not played.

Cracking The Nut - Winning enough cash on a gambling trip to cover all the expenses plus bring home a little profit.

Craps - A casino game played using dice.

Craps Out - A Craps term for a roll of 2, 3, or 12 on the Come out Roll.

Credit - In slot & video machines, the button permitting players to play coins in the form of credits.

Crew - In Craps, the dealers assigned to a game or table.

Crossroader - One who cheats. Slang.

Croupier - Alternate word for Dealer, used in Baccarat & Roulette.

Cut - To divide a card deck into 2 parts.

Cut Card - A faceless plastic card used for cutting a deck of cards.

Deal -To give out the cards during a hand

Designated Dealer -In poker games like Texas Hold'em, the player to the left of the dealer bets first. In a poker room where each game has a resident dealer, a different player serves as the designated dealer for each hand.

Deuce -A two in a dice.

Dime Bet -A $1000 wager

Discard Tray -A tray on the dealer's right side that holds all the cards that have been played or discarded.

Dollar Bet -A $100 wager

Double Down -In blackjack, it is the player's option to double their original bet in exchange for receiving only one more card. To do this the player turns over their first two cards and places an equal bet alongside the original bet.

Doubling-Up -The basis of some widely used systems. After a loss the player doubles the size of his previous bet hoping to win back the money lost and make a profit.

Double Or Nothing -An even-money bet. A bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered.

Draw - To draw a card for completing a hand. Typically used in Poker games.

Draw Button -In video poker this button allows the player to draw up to five new cards.

Drop Box -On a gaming table, the box that serves as a repository for cash, markers, and chip

Edge -the advantage casino have over the player in any game.

Even Money -A bet that pays you back the same amount you wagered, plus your original wager - a pay-off of 1-1.

Expected Return -In video poker it's the average amount paid back on a particular play for a particular bet.

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

Face Cards - when you get a King, Queen & Jack in any suit of cards.

Fifth Street -The fifth community card in Hold 'em or Omaha (in these games, 5th street is more often called "the river."). Also sometimes used to refer to the fifth card received in 7 card stud.

First Base -The first seat nearest the shoe in blackjack.

Five Number Bet -A bet only possible on the double zero roulette games which includes 00, 0,1,2,3 and has the highest house edge of 7.89%.

Flat Top - slot machine that always have a fixed amount in jackpot, as opposed to a progressive jackpot.

Float -The table bank.

Flop -In Hold 'em, the first three community cards, turned up all at once.

Flush draw -To hold four cards of the same suit, for example, 3-4-8-10 of hearts, and thus to be hoping to catch a fifth suited card (in this case another heart) that would give you a flush.

Flush In poker -A hand consisting of five cards of one suit.

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

Four Of A Kind -Four cards of the same rank. Also known as quads.

Fourth Street -The fourth community card in Hold 'em or Omaha (in these games, 4th street is more often called "the turn."). Also sometimes used to refer to the fourth card received in 7 card stud.

Full House -In poker, a hand consisting of a three of a kind and a pair.

Full Pay -In video poker it's usually the best payoff schedule offered for a particular game.

Front Line - In Craps, the same as a Pass Line.

Front Money - Deposit made with the casino to establish a player's credit

Gambling -Risking your money against the casino or a game for a desired outcome.

Garbage Hand -A hand of cards dealt to a player that presents little or no value in the game being played.

Green Chip -Usually references a chip that has a value of 25 dollars.

Grind -The act of playing small stakes, to win small stakes.

Gross Winning -Total payout, including the original bet.

Hand - The set of cards a gambler is holding.

Hard Count - Counting real money, as opposed to chips.

Heads-up play -When a hand has been reduced to only two players.

High-Low poker - when the highest and lowest hands split the pot in any poker game. It is possible to have a hand that wins both, for example, A-2-3-4-5 is a straight but is also (in most forms of high-low poker) also considered the lowest possible hand. In some forms of high-low, the lowest possible hand is A-2-3-4-6, and in others (although usually this is true only in low-only games), the lowest possible hand is 2-3-4-5-7 (because this hand does not contain an Ace).

Hit - take another card. The card received is also called a hit.

Hole Card -The dealer's face down card. This card is unseen.

Horn Bet -A one-roll bet that combines the 2, 3, 11 and 12.

House - Same as casino, dealer, or banker.

House Edge - A casino's inherent advantage over players.

Inside Bet -A bet in roulette on a single number including 0 or 00, or any combination of numbers.

Inside Straight draw -Four cards that can make a straight by hitting one specific card, somewhere in the middle, such as 4-6-7-8 (where only a Five could give the player a straight). Compare this to an Open-ended straight draw, where cards on either end could complete the hand.

Insurance -A side bet in blackjack that's offered when the dealer's upcard is an ace. If the dealer has a blackjack, the bet is paid 2-1. If the dealer does not, the insurance bet loses.

Jackpot - a big win on a slot machine.

Jacks Or Better -In video poker games, the payout starts at a certain level ranking of hands. When playing Jacks or Better, if you get a pair of Jacks or a higher ranking, you win. You don't win anything on a pair of tens or lower.

Juice - The commission received by the casino. Also called Vigorish.