If you’re new to online casino games and are still learning about the various types of casino games, you’re likely to have come across a few new terms. Knowing the casino jargon when playing casino table games will not only help give you a better understanding of the game, but it’ll also allow you to enjoy live casinos online with other players. Discover the basic casino terms here.
A to Z casino terms
A
Action – The total sum of money wagered (put into action) by a player throughout their session.
All-in – When a player bets all their chips at once during a game of poker.
Ante – A small bet made by players before a hand of cards is dealt.
Arm – A term used in craps to describe a highly skilled player.
B
Baccarat – A casino table game played between a player and a banker.
Banker – The dealer in card games, who is responsible for paying out winnings and collecting losing bets.
Bankroll – The amount of money a player is willing to spend during a session, or the total amount they have to gamble during a particular period.
Bet – The amount wagered.
Betting limits – The minimum and maximum amounts of money that a player can wager on one bet.
Blind bet – In poker, a bet posted without the player seeing any of their cards.
Blinds – A forced bet in Hold’em poker.
Bonus – Money that could be given to you for free for various reasons, such as when signing up to an online casino.
Bump – To raise your bet.
Burn card – The card that’s taken off the top of the deck by the dealer before revealing one or more board cards in poker.
Buy in – The amount of money needed to enter a table game or tournament.
C
Call – To match the current bet during a poker game.
Casino Hold’em poker – A card game based on Texas Hold’em poker, where players bet against the casino rather than other players.
Chase – The attempt to win back money after a losing bet or streak.
Check – An action in poker whereby the player stays in the game without placing a bet on their hand.
Chip – Tokens (usually in the form of round plastic discs) of various denominations used to make bets.
Cold – A player on a losing streak.
Craps – A casino dice game.
Credit – In online casinos, wagers are expressed in credits.
Croupier – The dealer in baccarat and roulette.
D
Dealer – The casino employee who deals the cards during a card game.
Deposit – A payment made to an casino online to play casino games on their platform.
Double or nothing – An even-money bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered.
Drop – Money collected by the dealer that was lost during a game and now belongs to the casino.
E
Edge – An advantage over an opponent.
F
Face cards – The jack, queen and king of any suit of cards.
Face-down – A card dealt face down, without its value exposed.
Face-up – A card dealt face-up, with its value exposed.
Firing – A player wagering large sums.
First base – The position on the far left of the dealer in blackjack.
Flat betting – A way of betting where the same amount is bet on each wager.
Flop – The first three community cards in hold ‘em and Omaha poker, dealt all at once, face-up.
Fold – Forfeiting your hand, a term used predominantly in poker.
G
George – A player who tips the dealers generously.
Gross winnings – The total payout (including your stake.)
H
Hand – Refers to the cards that you hold during a game.
High Roller – A player that wagers large bets.
Hit – Drawing an additional card during a game of blackjack.
Hole Card – This refers to the face-down card that the dealer gets in blackjack, and to the face-down cards dealt to each player in stud and Hold‘em poker.
House – A casino or gambling center.
House edge – The mathematical advantage the casino has over players.
House rules – The terms of play imposed by the casino.
I
Inside bets – A roulette bet placed on a number or series of numbers, rather than betting on the winning color or whether the winning number will be odd or even.
Insurance – A side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace in blackjack.
J
Jackpot – A large prize pool or individual win.
L
Ladderman – The casino employee who oversees the baccarat game. During this game, there are two dealers seated together at the center of the table, a caller standing at the table across from the dealers and the ladderman, who supervises the action from a chair above the table.
Low-roller – A player who makes small bets.
M
Match play – A competition system used in card-based tournaments in which two participants play a series of games that only ends when one player accumulates the required number of points.
Multiplayer casino – A feature offered by online casinos that lets you play against other players.
N
Natural – The cards in blackjack or baccarat that automatically win.
No-Limit – When a player can bet all their chips at any time, most often seen in poker.
Nuts – The best possible hand in poker, blackjack or baccarat.
O
Odds – The statistical chance of winning or losing a bet expressed in a fraction or percentage.
Out – A card that will improve a player’s hand.
Overlay – Odds that benefit the player more than they do the house.
P
Pass – To fold during card games.
Payout – The amount of money paid out to the player when they win.
Playing the rush – A poker term that refers to players who begin playing more loosely or aggressively after a big win in an attempt to continue winning.
Pocket cards – Also known as hole cards, these are the cards dealt face-down in poker.
Poker – A strategy-based card game that offers a wide number of variations such as Texas Hold’em, Seven-card Stud, Omaha, Razz, Lowball and Pineapple.
Pot – The amount of money that accumulates during a poker game as each player antes, bets and raises. The pot goes to the winner of the hand.
Probability – A mathematical calculation that establishes the likelihood that an event will occur.
Q
Quads – Four cards of the same denomination in poker.
Qualifier – The minimum ranking a hand must have to be eligible to take part of the pot during a game of poker.
R
Rank – The worth of a set of cards in poker.
Roulette – A casino table game that uses a spinning wheel with numbers from one to 36 on which players bet on the potential landing of the ball.
RNG – Refers to a Random Number Generator, a computer-based program used by online casinos to generate a random result.
Royal flush – The five highest cards of the same suit — 10, jack, queen, king and ace; the best possible hand in poker.
S
Shark – A highly skilled player.
Shuffling – Card mixing techniques used to prepare a deck for play.
Steaming – A term used in blackjack when a player has become frustrated with how badly the events of a session of play have turned out. Similar to going on tilt in poker.
Stud poker – One of the two basic forms of poker game. The other is draw poker.
Suit – Any one of the four types of cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades.
Stand – To draw no further cards.
Straight flush – Five consecutive cards of the same suit in poker.
T
Tapping out – Losing one’s entire gambling bankroll and having to stop playing.
Tell – Subtle hints a player unknowingly conveys that can be used to determine whether they have a good or bad hand.
Three of a kind – Three cards of the same rank. Also referred to as “trips.”
Tilt – A term used in poker to indicate a state of frustration, usually after a big loss, where a player starts making emotional decisions and adopts a less-than-optimal strategy.
Toke – Short for “token,” a tip given to the dealer in the form of money or chips.
Tournament – A competitive game between a group of players over a period of time.
U
Underlay – A bad or unfavorable bet.
V
Vigorish – The casino edge, fee or commission taken by the house.
VIP – A Very Important Person. Usually a high roller.
W
Wager – Another term for a bet.
Wild card – A joker or another predetermined card that can be used in the place of any other card to complete your hand in card games.
Wild royal flush – A royal flush that makes use of a wild card.
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