Casino Table Games Glossary

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“Glossary” written on wooden blocks surrounded by other letters on a black table.
BetMGM Jul 15, 2022, 10:44 AM

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-inWhen 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. 

Discover the best games to play at a casino with BetMGM

Now that you have a better understanding of casino lingo, put your knowledge and skills into practice by registering with BetMGM. You’ll discover a range of popular casino games, including live dealer online casino games, slot games and more. 

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Our BetMGM editors and authors are sports experts with a wealth of knowledge of the sports industry at all levels. Their coverage includes sports news, previews and predictions, fun facts, and betting.