Gambling Terminology Glossary

Gambling can be an exciting and lucrative hobby, but it's important to understand the terminology and rules of the games before diving in. This comprehensive guide will provide an overview of some of the most common terms used in casinos and gambling.

Casino Glossary & Gambling Terminology

A

Action: The total amount of money bet by a player during a game.
Ante: The minimum bet required to participate in a game.
Ace High/Low: A rule in poker where the Ace can either be the highest or lowest card in a straight.
All-In: Betting all of your remaining chips in a poker game.

B

Bankroll: The total amount of money a player has set aside to use for gambling.
Big Blind: The larger of the two forced bets in a game of Texas Hold'em poker.
Blackjack: A card game where the goal is to get a hand value of 21 or as close to 21 as possible without going over.
Bluff: To make a bet or raise in poker with a weak hand in an attempt to deceive opponents.

C

Call: Matching the current bet in a game of poker.
Casino Advantage: The edge that the casino has over players in a game.
Chips: Round tokens used in place of money in a casino.
Croupier: The person who runs a game at a casino.

D

Dealer: The person who deals cards in a casino game.
Double or Nothing: A bet that will either double a player's winnings or result in a total loss.
Down to the Felt: When a player has lost all of their chips in a game.

E

Expected Value: The amount of money a player can expect to win or lose in a game over time.
Eye in the Sky: Cameras placed throughout a casino to monitor activity and prevent cheating.

F

Face Cards: Jacks, Queens, and Kings in a deck of cards.
Fish: A term used to describe a new and inexperienced player.
Flat Betting: Betting the same amount of money on every hand or round of a game.
Fold: To forfeit a hand in poker and give up the chips already bet.

G

Gambler's Fallacy: The mistaken belief that an event is more or less likely to happen based on previous outcomes.
Grind: Slowly and steadily building up winnings over time.

H

High Roller: A player who bets large amounts of money on a regular basis.
Hit: To ask for another card in blackjack.
House Edge: The advantage the casino has in a game.

I

Insurance: A side bet in blackjack that pays out if the dealer has a natural blackjack.
Inside Bet: A bet placed on a specific number or combination of numbers in roulette.

J

Jackpot: A large prize that can be won from a slot machine or other casino game.
Joker: A card that can be used as any other card in some games.

K

Kicker: A card used to break ties in poker hands that have the same value.
Kitty: The amount of money collected from players in a game to go towards a progressive jackpot.

L

Limit: The maximum and minimum bets allowed in a game.
Load Up: Betting the maximum amount of money allowed in a game.
Loose: A term used to describe a player who plays a lot of hands and bets aggressively.

M

Martingale System: A betting strategy where a player doubles their bet after each loss in an attempt to recoup losses.
Maximum Bet: The highest bet allowed in a game.
Minimum Bet: The lowest bet allowed in a game.

N

Natural: A hand of two cards in blackjack that adds up to 21.
Nickel: Slang for a $5 chip in a casino.

O

Odds: The probability of a certain event occurring in a game.
Outside Bet: A bet placed on the outside of the roulette table, such as red or black.

P

Payout: The amount of money won from a game.
Paytable: A table that shows the payouts for each winning hand or combination in a game.
Pot: The amount of money bet by all players in a game of poker.

Q

Qualifier: In some games, such as Caribbean Stud poker, a player must have a certain hand in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot.

R

Rake: The percentage of the pot that the casino takes as a fee for hosting the game.
Royal Flush: The highest possible hand in poker, consisting of a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit.

S

Shoe: The device used to hold and dispense cards in some casino games.
Split: In blackjack, the option to split a pair of cards into two separate hands.
Stake: The amount of money bet on a single game or hand.
Straight: A hand in poker that consists of five cards in sequential order.

T

Table Limits: The minimum and maximum bets allowed at a table.
Tournament: A competition where players compete against each other for a prize.
Trips: A hand in poker that consists of three of a kind.