A Handy Glossary Of Casino Terminology
Heading to a casino can be an exciting adventure, whether it’s your first time or you’re a regular visitor. But there are always things that are useful to know before stepping into a casino for the first time, whether that’s to brush up on your casino etiquette or learn the basics of the games you want to play.
You might find there’s a whole new language being spoken by fellow players and the dealers in the casino too, and if you're unsure of the terminology it could get a little more complicated than it needs to be.
Casino slang and terminology have their roots in a range of sources from over the years, including slang from the old Wild West which retains some influence to this day. We’ve had a look at some of the most common casino terms and phrases in a handy glossary to help you keep up with the game and what everyone else is saying.
The Basics
Before placing their first bet in a casino, everyone should acquaint themselves with these fundamental slang terms and expressions. Most of these are commonly used and, likely, people will already have heard of them.
- Ante: Before starting a round in certain games, the ante is a required specific bet.
- House: The house is the casino.
- Dealer: The member of the casino staff managing the live table during a game.
- Hand: The cards that a player has during a round of a game.
- Limits: The maximum and minimum stakes that can be placed on a bet.
- Odds: The likelihood of success and the potential result.
- Jackpot: A cumulative prize that increases until it is won by a player.
- Banker: Another term for the dealer.
- Chips: Instead of real money at the tables, plastic discs that represent currency are used.
- High Roller: A player that places high-stakes bets.
- Cashout: To have funds paid out to you either at a cashier in the casino.
- House rules: Game rules that are specific to a particular casino.
- Bankroll: The overall sum of money at the disposal of either a player or a casino for gambling.
- Balance: The amount of money you have left after paying deposits or placing bets.
- Hot Streak: An extended run of consecutive wins in a game.
- Beginner’s Luck: A new player that experiences a winning streak.
Having a grasp of these basic terms will certainly help get you through your first few visits to a casino, and knowing how and when to use them is the first step to mastering the language of the live tables. But you might find that after spending more time with other players, you might want more in-depth knowledge, so you can properly…
Speak The Language
The following terms are likely to be very useful when it comes to understanding gambling at a casino.
- Action: The total amount of money in play at a table.
- Aggregate Limit: The amount of money that the casino will pay out in a single round
- Bones: A name used for the dice used in some table games.
- Bookie: A person who accepts bets on sporting events.
- Cap: The limit on the number of times a bet can be raised in a round of betting.
- Card Counting: The act of surreptitiously keeping track of which cards have been dealt in a game of Blackjack to try to get an edge over a casino.
- Card Shark: An expert card player.
- Chase: A player with a losing streak who is trying to reverse their luck by continuing to play and chase their losses.
- Coattail: To follow someone else’s betting patterns.
- Cold Table: When none of the right bets at a table are winning (See also: Hot Table)
- Commission: The fee the casino takes out of the winnings.
- Dirty Money: The money from lost bets collected by the dealer at the end of a round.
- Double or Nothing: A bet that pays out the same amount as the original wager or nothing.
- Drop Percentage: The portion of a player's funds that the casino holds due to the house advantage.
- Edge: Having an advantage over an opposing player.
- Even-Money Bet: A wager that pays back the same amount that a player bets.
- Eye-In-The-Sky: The CCTV cameras in a casino that keep an eye on everything.
- Eighty-Sixed: Commonly used slang for being banned from a casino for cheating.
- Getting Down: Making a bet.
- Hot Table: When players at a table are on a winning streak, it is referred to as a hot table (See also: Cold Table)
- House Edge: The advantage that the casino has over the player.
- Lock: An easy win.
- Nosebleed: Extremely high stakes.
- Position: The order of play for the players in a round of the game.
- Rail: To observe a casino game rather than actively participating in it.
- Tank: The time dedicated to contemplating a decision before proceeding.
- Tapped Out: A player who has run out of money and can no longer play.
- The Cage: The place where a casino keeps its money.
- Tilt: Used to describe a player on a losing streak.
These are the most commonly used and popular gambling terms you will hear in a casino, and there are many more you may come across the more time you spend playing and talking with other players at the tables. There may also be some regional and geographical slang terms you might not have heard, but the more you interact with other players, the more you’ll learn.
Blackjack Vocabulary
One of the most popular games in the casino has always been Blackjack, a deceptively simple game to learn, and you might find yourself drawn to the live Blackjack tables at some point, so here are the essential bits of jargon to help you keep up with the other players.
- Anchor: The player position nearest the dealer’s right-hand side, and the last to be played.
- Blackjack: When the sum of the original two cards dealt to the player totals 21.
- Bust: A hand that scores over 21, which automatically results in a loss of the bet.
- Button: The player in possession of the button is the last to be dealt their cards.
- Capping a Bet: Placing additional chips onto your bet once the dealer has initiated the round.
- Carte: French for requesting a card be dealt to you.
- Cut: After shuffling the deck of cards, the cut is when the bottom half of the deck is placed on top.
- Double Down: To double the original wager and receive one more card.
- Fold: When a player gives up because they have a poor hand.
- Heads-Up: A game of blackjack with only one player and the dealer at the table.
- Hit: How a player requests another card be dealt to them.
- Pat: A hand that is worth at least 17 points, and the player takes no more cards.
- Push: A scenario in which neither the house nor the player wins or loses — commonly known as a tie.
- Soft hand: A hand that contains one or more aces.
Why not try putting your new casino vocabulary to use at Coral Island Casino?
Now that you have a bit more of an understanding of casino terminology, why not try out your new skills in real life?
Coral Island Casino is open from 10 am to 4 am every day, with live roulette and blackjack tables open from noon, and you can always be sure of a warm and friendly welcome right in the heart of Blackpool!
