A
Ahead
A point during play where the player is winning, i.e. the value of his wins exceeds his losses.
Angle
Any questionable deception or ruse by a player to unduly influence the outcome and thereby increase his expectations. A player with an angle, even though technically legal, is not often welcome among polite company.
B
Backer
A person or group of persons who provides the bankroll for a particular player but remains behind the scenes.
Bad Beat
A tough, unforeseen loss when an underdog hand surprisingly wins the pot against the odds against seemingly better hands. This term is often used to imply that the winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at all, or to suggest dumb luck played a large part in the win. This term may also be applied to a situation where winning points are scored against a wager in the dying seconds of a game, or the favored horse loses by a nose, after leading all the way.
Bank
A gaming establishment or player that acts as the banker during a game or series of games and uses their own money to cover bets. The term also refers to a bankroll.
Bankroll
The total available wagering funds held by the player.
Basic Strategy
A playing system adopted by a player with the idea of optimizing his edge over the house in the longer term.
Bet
The amount of money a player voluntarily risks on cards, sports or other games. The bet can be in the form of cash, chips or vouchers. Also see, wager.
Bettor
A person who places or has a bet (US). A bettor is also called a player in the US and a punter in the UK.
Bet Spread
The ratio between the maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $50 maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 10:1 bet spread.
Betting Limit
The set minimum and/or maximum amount of money that the player can wager on a single bet. The player cannot bet less than the minimum or more than the maximum amount posted.
Bottle
Slang for odds of two-to-one in the UK.
BR
An abbreviation for bankroll.
Break-Even Point
The point at which a player’s bets approximately equal the payoffs received.
Buck
A bet of $100 in US funds. A buck is also known as a dollar or a one dollar bet.
C
Carpet
UK slang for odds of three-to-one. Also known as “tres” or “gimmel”.
Carpet Joint
Slang term referring to a luxury casino as compared to the less showy, lower minimum gambling houses, i.e., sawdust joints.
Comps
Complimentary gifts used by casinos to entice players to wager. Typical comps include free room, food and/or beverage (RFB).
D
Dealer
The casino employee responsible for distributing the cards to each player.
Dollar
The sum of $100.00. Also known as a Dollar Bet.
E
Edge
An advantage over an opponent or the house in any wager. It can also be the advantage the casino has on any given wager.
Eighty-Sixed (86’d)
Being banned by a casino for foul play.
Expected to Win Rate
A percentage of the total amount of money wagered that a player can be expected to win or lose over time.
F
Fixed
A slang term referring to the outcome of a race, contest or game that has been illegally pre-determined.
Flat Joint
Describes any dishonest gambling establishment or game.
Flea
A derogatory term describing players who wager little and expect something for nothing.
Free Spins
When a player can spin the slots reels for real money without having to wager any of his or her own cash.
G
GG
Casino jargon for “Good Game”.
GLA
Casino jargon for “Good Luck All”.
Grinder
A player who wagers small money.
Gross Win
Winnings before expenses
H
Handle
Total amounts of wagers taken.
Hedge
To wager the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce your exposure.
High Roller
A big bettor.
Holding Your Own
The result of breaking even, i.e., neither winning nor losing, during a wager, or series of wagers.
Hot
A player who is on a winning streak, or a slot machine that is paying out.
House
A term for the casino or establishment that runs a game.
House Edge
The wagering advantage of the casino (house) usually gained by paying out less than real odds would require.
I
Inside Bet
A bet placed on a specific number.
Instant Casino
A type of online casino that doesn’t require you to download any software.
J
Jackpot
A big cash prize.
K
Kick It
To raise the bet.
Keno
A lottery-style game where players place bets on numbers from 1 – 80.
L
Leak
To lose part or all of one’s winnings due to questionable gambling habits.
Length
The margin equal to the length of one horse. Length is used to describe the position of a horse, relative to his competitors during calls or at the finish of the race.
Limit
The maximum wager accepted by the house or bookmaker before the odds, points or price will be changed. Essentially, it is a cap on the amount a player can wager.
Line
Refers to the listed odds, points, money line or point spread for any given event.
Linemaker
The person who establishes the original and subsequent betting lines for an event.
Live Dealers Games
Online casino games that are run by real human dealers. Players can see the dealers and games on their device using a live-streaming video link.
Long Odds
Relatively small odds given that an event will occur.
Long Shot
An extreme underdog.
M
Make-up figure
When you withdraw funds, the make-up figure is the amount you are required to deposit before you are eligible for bonuses again.
Maximum Bet
The highest stake that can be placed at a casino game.
Minimum Bet
The lowest stake that can be placed at a casino game.
Multi-Hand Games
Casino games where a player can play more than one hand at once.
Multiplayer Games
Online games where you play with other real players rather than on your own.
N
NH
Casino jargon for “Nice Hand”.
Nickel
A $500 wager.
O
Online Casino
An online version of a traditional, physical casino. The online casino can be web-based (no downloading of software needed to play) or download-based (a software client needs to be downloaded in order to play).
P
Pat Hand (Blackjack)
A hand of 17 or higher.
Press
To wager a greater amount than usual.
Pressing
Wagering winnings along with the original bet. A player is pressing a bet when he lets winnings ride.
Probability
A branch of mathematics measuring the likelihood an event will occur. Probabilities are expressed as numbers between zero and one. The probability of an impossible event is zero, while an event that is certain to occur has a probability of one.
Provider
A polite term for a player who makes the game profitable for other players at the table.
R
Roll-over
Refers to the number of times you need to wager funds before a withdrawal of funds in order to keep your bonus winnings.
Running Bad
A term for a player on a losing streak.
Running Good
A term for a player on a winning streak.
S
Score
To win a great amount of money due to successful wagering.
Sharp
A wise guy.
Short Odds
The odds for an event that has a good chance of occurring.
Shortstop
A term that refers to people who make small wagers.
Square
An unsophisticated player.
Steaming
To be playing badly and wildly, often while emotionally upset.
Stuck
A depressing condition experienced by players who feel behind, buried, losing or down for the week, sometimes as a result of losing a substantial amount of money.
Sucker
A player who has lots of cash, but lacks the basic skills to win. Also see, mark, live one, fish, and provider.
Sucker Bet
A wager that overwhelmingly favors the bookmaker or house.
System
A method of wagering that is usually based on a mathematical formula and is used by a player to get an edge.
T
Tap City
A term to describe the state of a player who has gone broke, possibly from a result of pressing. Also known as Tapped Out.
Triple Sharp
A very strong player who also happens to be a wiseguy.
True Odds
The ratio of the number of times one event will occur as compared to the number of times another event will occur. The odds posted in a casino are usually not the true odds.
V
VIP
Acronym for a big bettor deemed worthy of full complementary treatment, i.e., RFB.
Void
Invalid with no result.
W
Wager
The amount of money a player voluntarily risks on a game. The wager can be in the form of cash, chips or vouchers.
Wheel (Roulette)
The wheel upon which the game of roulette is played. Also see American or French Wheel.
Whipsaw
To raise before, and after, a caller who gets caught in the middle.
Whirl Bet
A player’s bet in craps that the next roll will be a two, three, seven, eleven or twelve. The whirl bet is made in multiples of five, with one unit on each of the numbers.
Wild Card
A joker, or other card designated as a joker, the player may substitute for any other card to complete his hand.
Wired Pair
A pair in hand.
World’s Fair
A strong and promising hand.