Casinos and the whole gambling world have a lingo of their own. Casino jargon comprises a whole set of terms. The lingo contains words such as the Dead Man´s Hand, and others which can be confusing to the inexperienced player. The idea of these series of posts is to have a list that is accessible to our readers. This list can be useful to you when you hear one of these expressions.
To accomplish this, we are going to list all the terminology in alphabetical order. This way it’s easier to find what you are looking for:
Casino Jargon A-B
All In: Refers to the way in which one can approach a situation. In poker “all in” refers to when a player bets all of his remaining chips.
Banker: This is the name given to the dealer or to a player who books the action of the rest of the players on the card table.
Bankroll: It refers to the available balance a casino player has to play with
Basic Strategy: Commonly used in blackjack when speaking about the recommended set of plays you should perform to maximize your game.
Bet: What you wager
Betting Limits: The minimum and maximum amounts of money that you can wager on one bet in a table game. You cannot go over or below the established limits.
Bluff : A bluff is when a poker player raises the stakes when holding a weak hand. The bluffer hopes that this action deceives and drives out the other players with stronger hands.
Bust: A bust is when you go over twenty one during a hand of blackjack, If you bust you lose.
Button: There is a small plastic disc called the button. It is used to designate the dealer position on a poker table. It will move from one player to the next after each hand.
Call: This one has different meanings depending on the game; in poker when you call it means that you are matching the current bet on the table. In the games of Keno and Bingo, you call when you draw the numbers for each game.
Casino Jargon C-D
Casino Advantage: Also known as “The edge”, is the advantage that the casino or “the house” has over the players.
Check: Another term that has more than one meaning; in poker when you check you are deciding to stay in the game without a bet. As for casino in general, it is another way to call for a chip.
Chips: These are the tokens used to play casino games instead of cash.
Credit Button: Commonly seen in casino slots and video machines. It allows players to bank coins in the form of credits.
Croupier: A dealer in the games of Roulette and Baccarat. It is the French translation of the word dealer.
Cut: When a card dealer divides a deck into two parts and inverts them after they have been shuffled.
Deal: It refers to the action of giving out the cards during a hand.
Deuce: A card with a value of two
Dice: Two identical cubes with the numbers 1-6 on the sides. They are commonly used in the games of Craps
Die: Is the singular term for dice: one die, two dice.
Discard Tray: Where the dealer places all the cards that have been played or discarded. It is a small tray located to his right side.
Double Down: During a game of Blackjack, a player has the option to double the original bet in exchange for receiving one additional card. In order to do it, the player turns over the first two cards he was dealt. Then he/she has to place a bet matching the original one.
Draw Button: This button allots the player to draw up to 5 new cards during a game of video poker.
Casino Jargon E-F
Even Money: It is usually shown as 1:1. Even money is when you get paid back the same amount that you wagered.
Face Cards: All the cards from any suit which are: the jack, queen, and the king on a deck.
Flop: When playing a poker game of Texas Hold’em, the three cards dealt face-up in the center of the table are called the flop.
Flush: A poker hand formed by five cards of the same suit in no particular order.
Fold: When a player declines a bet and drops out of a poker hand, they fold.
Four Of A Kind: It refers to four cards of the same rank. This is also called quads.
Full House: A poker hand formed by three cards of the same kind and a pair.
Casino Jargon H-K
Hit : A hit is what you call it when you want to take another card during a hand of blackjack.
Hole Card: In blackjack, the hole card is a face-down card that the dealer gets. In Stud and Hold’em Poker, the face-down cards get dealt to each player.
House Edge: It is a percentage of every bet that the casino retains. In traditional casinos, the winning bet is usually paid with a less than the true odds. This ensures that the casino generates some income.
Inside Bet: In a game of Roulette, the bet placed placed on any number or a small combination of numbers is the inside bet.
Insurance: On a game of blackjack, you can make an insurance bet when the dealer’s first card facing up is an ace. When you play the insurance bet, the wins are double if the dealer has a natural blackjack. But it is a loss if the dealer doesn’t.
Jackpot: This is usually referred as a big win on a slot machine. It is also the name for the cumulative prize.
Joker: A figure that can be used as a wild card, the Joker is the 53rd card in the deck
Keno Board: Is the electronic board where the winning Keno numbers are displayed
Kicker: In a draw poker game, it’s an odd high card held that doesn’t contribute to a straight or a flush. The kicker is usually an ace or a king.
Casino Jargon L-T
Limit: It refers to any game where there is a fixed limit on how much can be wagered or raised per round on a poker game.
Marker: A check written at the gaming tables by a player who has established credit with the casino.
Muck: When a player cannot win or did not win the pot, the act of throwing away the cards is called the muck. Once they are mucked they cannot be used to win.
Natural: In blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of twenty-one points. In baccarat a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine.
Texas Hold’Em: This is a type of poker game.
