Complete Gambling Glossary

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Introduction: Complete Gambling Glossary

At Jackpot Finder we delve into the rules and strategies of all casino table and floor games. We take a deep dive into all game strategies and game play. Whether covering bank roll management or how to count cards, we have got you covered.

JackpotFinder.com’s Complete Gambling Glossary

A Bite	The amount of credit a gambler asks the House to extend.
Action	The current amount of money in play. Specifically in Poker this is increasing the pot with an additional bet.
Action Jackson	A frequent and enthusiastic gambler.
Active Player	Player who is currently engaged in the game by merit of having a stake in the pot.
Aggregate Limit	The complete and maximum payout of a casino available in a single game.
Aggregate Winnings	The complete winnings of a single player for a particular game.
All In	A dramatic bet by a player of all his chips on one hand in poker.
Anchor	The last person before the dealer to play his hand at a Blackjack table.
Ante	A Poker term referring to the first wager of a particular hand, usually describing a minimum ‘buy-in’ to be included in that hand.
Apple	A completely new player that does not yet know how to win a particular game.
Apron	The edge of the gambling table beyond the active play area.
At Risk	A players’ wager is ‘at risk’ when the act of gaming – i.e. when the roulette wheel is spinning or the cards being dealt.
Baccarat	A classic casino card game wherein the aim it to make a total as close as possible to 9, discounting all cards higher than ten or making totals above ten.
Banker	In a card game, dealer or the players who books the action of the other bettors at the table.
Bankroll	The funds available to a player to gamble with
Basic Strategy	Typically referring to Blackjack, this is a mathematically standardized way of playing in order to maximize the gamer’s chances.
Bet	Something that is laid, staked, or pledged typically between two parties on the outcome of a contest or a contingent issue.
Betting Limits	Limits set by the House on the minimum and maximum bet that will be accepted, which will vary from table to table.
Big Dime	A bet of $10,000.
Big Order	A very large bet on a sporting event of at least a five-figure sum.
Bingo	A lottery style game based upon numbers drawn at random compared against printed tickets.
Bingo Marker	A large reservoir pen filled with thin paint or ink used to demarcate which numbers have already been called on a bingo card.
Black	A slang term for a $100 chip, as they are most commonly black in color.
Blackjack	A classic casino card game where the aim of the game is beat the dealer by making as high a hand as possible without exceeding 21.
Blind Bet	A particular type of bet in Poker, caused by the players position in relation to the dealer and order of betting.
Bluff	A bluff is the act of betting aggressively and confidently from a weak position to convince other players that your hand is strong, thus encouraging them to surrender their hand.
Board	A poker term referring to the ‘community cards’ used by all of the players in the center of the table.
Boat	A slang term for a ‘full house’ in poker (three of a kind and a pair).
Bones	Gaming dice.
Break-even Point	The point at which the wager made by the player would be equal to that of the payoffs received.
Bring-in	A term in Seven Card Stud Poker for the compulsory bet the player displaying the lowest value card in the initial round of betting.
Broke Money	The funds extended by the casino as a courtesy to an unlucky player to get a cab home.
Buck	A bet of $100.
Bug	A slang term for the Joker card.
Bump	The act of raising in a card game.
Burn Card	Those cards that are put in the discarded cards rack without first having entered into play. Each time the deck is shuffled and then cut, one card is then ‘burned’.
Bust	A general term for failure, but specifically exceeding 21 in a hand of Blackjack. This is also known as a ‘break’.
Button	The marker or indicator that is passed around the gaming table to indicate which position the dealer will deal to first.
Call	A poker term referring to the act of matching the bet made by the previous player. In Bingo and Keno, this would refer to the drawing of the numbers.
Caller	In Bingo and Keno this is the person who stipulates the game pattern and then announces which balls have been selected. This role has diminished due to the rise of computerized results boards and internet technology.
Cap	The maximum that a player may wager on any one specific game.
Card Counting	The act of analyzing the percentage of high to low cards that have been played since the last time the deck was shuffled by the dealer. His practice is most often employed in blackjack games to improve the players odds.
Card Sharp	A slang term for an expert card player, sometimes used derogatorily to indicate a dishonest or cheating player.
Carousel	The standard ring formation of slot machines on the casino floor.
Cashier	The casino employee who will redeem the chips and token issued by the casino for actual cash.
Cashiers Cage	The booth from which the teller will redeem the casinos tokens and chips for actual currency – usually heavily armored.
Casino Advantage	The slight probability edge that the casino has over all players.
Casino Credit	Typically refers to the virtual token in an online casino account that can be used for gaming or redeemed for money.
Casino Rate	Discounts offered to frequent or valued customers, typically on hotel room bills.
Catch	A Keno term meaning to have a number on your keno card that has been drawn, thus entitling you to mark it off the card.
Chase	To attempt to win back money lost from a preceding bet.
Check	Typically this is a poker term referring to the act of passing on the opportunity to bet. It can also be a term for a gaming token.
Chip Tray	The slotted tray used by the dealer to collect and stockpile that tables’ supply of gaming tokens.
Chips	Colorful tokens used to make wagers at casinos, each representing a certain cash value.
Cold	A term referring to a table, machine, or person that is no longer lucky.
Color Up	The act of exchanging a multitude of smaller value chips or one color for larger denomination ships of another.
Combination Way Ticket	A Keno term referring to a ticket where the same group of numbers is bet in multiple different ways, giving the player a better chance of a win with the same ticket.
Complete Hand	A poker term that refers to the holding of a hand that uses all five cards – such as a full house, a flush, or a straight.
Comps	Comps are free gifts and bonuses given to players as a courtesy and reward for playing. In real-world casinos these tend to be food and beverage related, whilst in online casinos these are usually additional bonus points for gaming with.
Copy	A term from Pai-Gow poker where the same 2-card or 5-card hand.
Cowboys	Reference to two King cards.
Cracking the Nut	Making enough money gaming to cover losses, expenses, and leaving a sum left over.
Credit Button	A function button on Video Poker machines that uses the money already won but not yet paid out as a stake in a new hand.
Croupier	A dealer assigned to the parlor game tables, typically games of French origin such as Roulette and Baccarat
Cut	The act of splitting and then reintegrating the deck of cards after they have been shuffled by the dealer to ensure a fair shuffle.
Cut Card	A large plastic card that is use to split the deck for the purposes of the cut.
Cycle	In video poker this is the statistical amount of hands that would have to be dealt to encounter the Jackpot -usually by Royal Flush – at least once.
Daub	Both the liquid used in the Bingo and Keno marker pens, and the act of marking the bingo and keno cards with the pen.
Deal	To distribute cards to those players participating in a game.
Dealer	The casino representative who will administer to each game and represent the House during play.
Dean	A savvy gambler who is able to mentally calculate odds and percentages.
Designated Dealer	A poker term that refers to the player who is effectively the dealer for the purposes of betting positions, even though the cards are distributed by a casino employee.
Deuce	A slang term for the two-spot card.
Dice	Two or more six-sided cubes with numbered faces used for gaming purposes.
Die	The singular form of Dice.
Dime Bet	A wager of $1,000.
Discard Tray	The section of the table used to store used and discarded cards.
Dog	The underdog or least statistically favored player in a betting position.
Dollar Bet	A wager of $100.
Double Down	A Blackjack term that refers to doubling your wager after drawing two cards in return for only taking one additional card.
Draw	A term in Draw Poker referring to the second round of cards dealt.
Draw Button	The Video Poker button that will deal the player an entirely new hand.
Drop Box	The in-built repository for cash or token that the player has paid and is collected by the house. This is usually used on tables that accept cash wagers.
Dry	The player who has exhausted their bankroll.
Ducks	A pair of deuces.
Edge	Any advantage that the player has, although more typically refers to the advantage the casino has over the player.
Encryption	Using extremely complicated computer processes and algorithms to generate encoded transmissions that only specified computers will be able to interpret, used to ensure the safety of online casino transactions.
Even Money	A bet that will pay back the same amount as you have wagered, plus the return of your original stake, effectively doubling your bet.
Expected Win Rate	The average percentage of a player’s wager that will be returned to him in the form of winnings, also known as the Expected Return.
Face Cards	The royal cards in a deck (the Jack, Queen, and King) all with a value of ten.
Family Pot	A very large pot in Poker where all the players have contributed to it.
Fat	A gamer with a very large bankroll.
Fifth Street	A term in Seven Card Stud poker referring to the third round of betting, by which point all players will have five cards in their hand. In the popular Hold ‘Em varieties of poker, this refers to the fifth and final card on the community board.
Fifty Yard Line	The middle of a gaming table – a reference to American football pitches.
First Base	The seat that is nearest the dealers card-shoe at a Blackjack table. This position will be dealt to first.
Fishing	An activity conducted by – rather than for – a Fish. This is the act of remaining in a particular hand of poker longer than is sensible on the off-chance of picking up a particular card or two to make a winning hand.
Flat Betting	Betting the exact same amount on every wager.
Flat Top	A slot machine of which the jackpot is always fixed, as opposed to machines that offer Progressive Jackpots.
Flop	The three cards that are dealt face up on the community board in the first round of Hold ‘Em poker games.
Flush	A poker hand that consists of five cards of the same suit.
Fold	The act of forfeiting a particular hand of poker.
Foul	A term in Pai Gow poker where the 2-card low hand has a higher value than the 5-card high hand, which will then loose the game.
Four of a Kind	A poker hand consisting of four cards of the same rank in different suits – also known as Quads.
Fourth Street	In 7-Card Stud poker this is the second round of betting, at which point all of the involved players will have four cards in their hand. In Hold ‘Em poker varieties this refers to the fourth card turned over on the community board and the 3rd round of betting.
Front Money	An advance of cash or validated checks held by the casino to act as collateral for a line of credit for a player to bet against that money.
Full House	A poker hand comprised of a par and a three of a kind.
Full Pay	A video poker term referring to the best possible payout table available on a specific game type.
G-Note	A $1000 bank note.
Get Out	To recoup prior losses.
Green	A $25 chip which typically is colored green.
Guest Account	An account with an online casino that has only virtual money logged against it, enabling players to play for free.
Hand	The cards held by each player in a game, as well as those activities occurring between each shuffle of the principle deck.
Hard Hand	A term in blackjack referring to any hand that contains an ace that has to be valued at 1 rather than 11.
High Poker	The standard variant of poker where the highest hand wins, as opposed to ‘low poker’ or ‘low-ball’.
High Roller	A player the wagers very high amounts and spends a great deal of money.
Hit	The name of, as well as the act of taking, an additional card – particularly in Blackjack.
Hold’Em	A very popular poker variant where players are only dealt two cards each and use the 5 community cards on the table to complete the best hand possible.
Holding Your Own	Winning a sufficient amount to break even.
Hole Card	The unseen, face-down card of the dealer, usually in Blackjack.
Hot	A player, machine, or table that is considered lucky.
House	The proprietors of the hall, club or casino where gaming is conducted.
House Edge	The difference between the actual odds of a win in a game and the odds that the house will pay the winner. The discrepancy between the odds of winning and the pay-out odds is one of the casinos sources of income.
Inside Bets	A Roulette bet on a single number.
Inside Straight	A potential Straight hand requiring one specific card to complete it. This is as opposed to an outside straight where multiple cards could be used to complete the hand.
Insurance	A Blackjack term that refers to making an additional wager that the dealer will themselves make blackjack. This is available when the dealers’ uncovered up-card is an ace, and will pay out a 2-1 return if accurate.
Jackpot	A large prize fund available on the highest win, typically with slot machines.
Jacks or Better	A variant of draw poker and video poker where two Jacks is the minimum hand required to make the player eligible for a win.
Joker	The wild card in a deck of cards that is usually removed before play, but is left in for certain game variants.
Keno Board	Similar to a Bingo Board, this is the large electronic display that is used to announce which numbers have been drawn in a game.
Keno Lounge	The large seating area where keno tickets are sold and keno display boards are mounted. Often also has a restaurant and bar.
Keno Runner	The individual selling keno tickets as well as redeeming lesser winning tickets for cash.
Kicker	In poker the kicker is a high card held in addition to cards that make a valid hand in order to boost their effectiveness. A player with an Ace ‘kicker’ and two pair would beat a player with only two pair.
Kojak	A hand with a King and a Jack in it.
Ladies	Two Queens.
Layout	The printed indications on gaming table showing where bets should be placed and cards dealt to.
Limit	The maximum bet that the House will accept on a particular game, or the maximum increment that a bet may be increased by in a single raise.
Little Joe	A pair of 2-spots.
Live Hand	A hand in poker that, for the time being, has the potential to win the pot.
Load Up	To play a slot machine with the maximum number of coins per spin wagered.
Loose	A term applied to slots that have a high average payout rate.
Low Poker	Also known as Low-ball, this winner of this variant of poker is the player that has the lowest value hand at the end of each round.
Marker	An actual or virtual credit notice that is deposited with the House in return for an extension of additional credit.
Match Bonus	A complimentary addition by the House as a percentage to funds deposited by the player with an online casino.
Mini-Baccarat	A simplified version of Baccarat played with fewer players and dealers.
Muck	To discard or ‘burn’ ones whole hand in poker.
Natural	In Blackjack this refers to a hand comprised of an Ace and a Ten or Face card.
Number Pool	The range of numbers available to choose from in a lottery based game. The extent of the range will change dependent on the game type and variant.
Nut	This can refer to either the goal a player will set themselves to win in a day, or the value of the overhead running cost of a casino.
Odds	This refers to both the statistical chance of winning at any particular game, as well as the payout the House will offer for a particular win.
One Eyed	Refers to three cards: the Jack of Hearts, the Jack of Spades, or the King of Diamonds – thus named because they are drawn in profile.
Open	A poker term for player who bets first based on their position in relation to the dealer.
Outside Bets	A roulette term referring to those bets placed upon the ‘outside’ segments of the layout that cover one-third of the numbers at a time.
Overlay	A well-placed bet that give the player the advantage over the House.
Paint	A face card: a Jack, a Queen, or a King.
Pair	A poker term referring to a hand of two cards of the same rank in different suits.
Palette	The large thin paddle used in Baccarat by the dealer to collect the cards after play.
Pass	A poker term meaning to forgo ones opportunity to bet.
Pat	In Poker this refers to a hand that is already strong enough and does not need any more cards to augment it. In Blackjack this refers to a hand totaling 17.
Pay Cycle	The statistical number of plays or spins a machine would have to cycle through to achieve all of its winning and non-winning configurations.
Pay-line	The line or lines on a slot machine that the reel symbols have to align on in order to win.
Payoff	The return received on a wager, also known as payback.
Payout Percentage	The amount as a percentage of takings that a slot machine or video poker machine is set to return to the player as winnings.
Payout Table	The list displayed on the body or screen of a slot machine or a video poker machine detailing the correct combinations or hands required to win.
Pit	The central reservation in a group of gaming tables that is used by casino staff and management as an administration area.
Pit Boss	The administrator and manager of a group of casino tables.
Pocket Cards	Those cards that are dealt face down to each player during a poker game.
Pot	The amount of money accumulated in each hand of poker by deposited antes and wagers, collected by the winner at the end of that hand.
Pressing	The act of doubling the bet by leaving both the winnings and the original wager from a prior bet in place.
Probability	The mathematical analysis of the possibility certain outcomes in a closed system of events. Probabilities are typically expressed either in a spectrum of between 1 and 0 where 0 is impossible, or as a percentage of 100, where 100% is certain to happen.
Progressive Slots	Progressive Slots proportion a certain amount of all money taken towards a collective jackpot that will be paid out to a single winner. The more players and machines contribute to this progressive jackpot, the larger it will become. Progressive Jackpots are usually the largest of any game.
Punter	A gambler.
Push	A blackjack term in which the dealer and the player have hands of equal value, so the players wager is returned to him.
Quads	A slang term for a four-of-a-kind hand.
Qualifier	A Poker term referring to the pre-set minimum value that a hand must possess in order to be eligible to win the pot.
Quarters	$25 denomination gambling chips.
Rack	A segmented shelf used to hold different denomination chips or tokens.
Raise	In poker this refers to the action of matching a preceding players wager, and then adding an additional amount on top of that.
Rake	This is the fee that the casino charges for each hand of poker played in its facility. This is typically a percentage of the ante or a flat fee upon collection of the pot.
Rank	The Rank refers to the relative strength of a hand of cards compared to the comprehensive list of winning hands.
Real Account	A real account is an online casino account that has been upgraded to full-play mode by depositing a sum of money as a bankroll.
Red	A slang word used for a $5 chip.
Red-Black Bet	A term in Roulette for a bet based upon the next number being either a red or a black number, with a 1-1 return for a win. This is often the simplest bet available in the casino.
Reel	The three or more drums that will spin in a slot machine to randomly display the next combination.
RFB	An acronym for the Room, Food, and Beverages that high roller and valued customers are given free of charge by the House.
River	The fifth and final card dealt in a game of Hold ‘Em poker.
Royal Flush	The best possible poker hand comprised of an ace-high flush using the Royal or ‘face’ cards.
Score	A large win.
Send It In	The act of a player taking advantage of a winning streak by increasing their wagers.
Session	A series of games at a particular table.
Set	A Pai Gow poker term referring to players separation of their cards into separate hands of two cards and five cards.
Seventh Street	This is the fifth and final round of betting in a game of 7 Card Stud poker, so called because all players have seven cards.
Shoe	The large dispenser in which the dealer will have the shuffled cards of two or more decks ready for dealing, typically in Blackjack games.
Showdown	The point at which the remaining players of poker must show their cards to determine the winner of the pot.
Shuffle	The act of mixing up the cards of one or more deck in such a way to make the order of the cards random.
Shutter	The shutter is the small aperture that is closed on a reusable or ‘hard’ bingo card to indicate which numbers have been called.
Singleton	A poker term for a single card that has no other cards it can make a set with.
Sixth Street	The fourth round of betting in a game of 7 Card Stud poker, so named because all players will have 6 cards by this point in the game.
Soft Hand	A hand in Blackjack that contains an ace which is counted as eleven.
Spot	The selection of a specific number on a Keno ticket, as well as those 4 numbers that have already been chosen.
Stand	A blackjack term referring to absenting from taking any further cards.
Steal	To steal a pot in poker is to win by bluffing.
Stiff	This term refers to difficult hands in a game of Blackjack, particularly those valued at 12 through to 17, where ‘standing’ is unlikely to produce a win, but additional cards hold a significant chance of ‘busting’ the player.
Straight	A hand in poker that is of 5 consecutive cards in order of rank, but not within the same suit.
Straight Flush	A hand in poker that is of 5 consecutive cards in order of rank in the same suit.
Straight Keno	A standard game of keno played by marking specific numbers on a card called at random.
Surrender	An option in Blackjack to give up one hand before completion, at a penalty of only losing one-half of the wager.
Third Base	The place at the table nearest to the dealers right hand that will be dealt to last.
Third Street	In 7 Card Stud poker this is the first round of betting, so called because all players will have three cards in their hand by now.
Three of a Kind	A poker hand of three cards of the same rank in different suits.
Toke	The token given by the player as a tip to the dealer of a successful game.
Touch Wand	An electronic pointing device used to select numbers on high-tech Keno machines.
Trey	A three-spot card.
Trips	Poker slang for three of a kind.
True Odds	An comparative analysis of probability that compares the amount of times one event will happen when compared to another event.
Two Pair	Two sets of two cards of the same rank but in different suits.
Underlay	A poorly advised bet that is out of proportion with the probability of success and with the return odds involved.
Up-card	The exposed face up card of the dealer in a game of Blackjack.
Vigorish	Also know as the Vig, this is the commission or fee taken by the Casino in any gaming activity.
VIP	An acronym for Very Important Person – individuals who are entitled to the very best of the Houses’ hospitality and attention.
Way Ticket	A keno ticket that has its groups of numbers so arranged as to create more than one possible way to win.
White	A nickname for $1 chips that are most commonly white in color.
Wild Card	A card that can be used to complete a hand in lieu of another – most commonly the Joker but can be assigned to other cards if the rules so stipulate.

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