Where to start

For the benefit of anyone new to the business of online gaming, we have produced a general Glossary of Terms commonly used by the online gamers and casinos. This does not include game specific terms as these are given in separate sections. The general terms are as follows:

Action: Money wagered by a player

Aggregate Limit: The total payout limit on a game imposed by the casino

Ante: A bet that begins a hand in certain card games

Banker: The dealer in card games

Bankroll: Total amount of money available for bets by a player or the casino

Bet: Money wagered

Betting Limits: Restriction on maximum and minimum amounts allowed to be wagered on a game

Book: Accept a bet

Break Even Point: Term used in gambling to denote a theoretical point in time where bets and payouts are equal

Buck: A wager of $100

Burn Cards: Cards not dealt in a hand. After the dealer has shuffled and cut the deck, these are usually put in the discard tray

Buy In: The amount of cash converted to chips, or to buy chips with cash

Call Bet: A verbally made bet

Capping: Illegally placing additional chips on a bet after the deal has commenced

Card Shark: Expert card player

Carousel: Slot machines grouped in a circle with a change person situated in the centre

Case Money: Money for use in an emergency

Casino Advantage: Casino or house edge

Chase: Placing a bet to try to recoup losses on a previous bet

Check: Betting chip, or to stay in a poker hand without placing a bet

Chips: Plastic discs in different colours used to represent different money amounts

Coat Tail: Bet on the same numbers as someone who is winning

Cold: On a losing streak

Comps: Free gifts given to players to encourage them to gamble

Counting Cards: System of memorising cards that have been played to gain an advantage in Blackjack

Crossroader: A cheat

Croupier: Dealer in Baccarat, or person who manages the getting table in Roulette

Dealer: Card dealer, or banker employed by the casino

Dime: Chip with a value of $10

Dime Bet: A bet of $1,000

Dollar Bet: A bet of $100

Double Up: Flawed gambling system of doubling each bet after a loss in order to win. Also known as the Martingale System. The flaw is that you will usually run out of money or reach the house limit before you can win.

Down Card: Face down card

Draw: Take a card to complete a hand

Drop: Money lost in bets

Edge: Casino’s advantage over players

Even Money Bet: A bet where the payout equals the wager

Face Cards: Picture cards in any suit being King, Queen or Jack

Firing: Making a large bet

Flat Betting: Betting the same amount each time without deviation

Front Money: Deposit money establishing a player’s credit

Gross Winnings: Total winnings including the initial wager

Hand: A player’s cards

High Roller: Player who wagers large quantities of money

Hit: Ask for another card

Hold Your Own: Break even

Hot: Be on a winning streak

House: Casino or banker, or dealer

House Edge: Advantage a casino has over a player

Jackpot: A very big win, usually associated with slot machines

Juice: Casino’s commission

Laying the Odds: Betting on a probable winner, even though the payout is lower than the amount wagered.

Layout: The surface of a gaming table

Let It Ride: Increase a bet by two.

Load Up - Play the maximum coins in slots or video poker.

Loose - Slot machines with a high payout.

Marker: Cheque written at a table by player with established credit

Mechanic: Dishonest dealer

Net Winnings:  Total winnings, not including the original wager.

Nickel: Chip with a value of $5

Non-Negotional Chip: Promotional chip that can’t be exchanged for cash

Non-Value Chip: Chip with its value determined by the amount of the Buy In

Odds: Rate at which a bet pays off

Off; Losing bets.

Overlay: Bet where a player has an advantage over the house

Payoff: The payment made for a winning bet

Payoff Odds: Odds values set for each individual bet in a casino

Payout Percentage: Percent of money wagered that is paid out in slots or video poker games

Payout Table: Information posting telling players what winning hands will pay

Pigeon: Naive gambler

Press: Increase a bet by two

Probability: Mathematical calculation to establish the likelihood of an occurrence

Progression Betting: Type of betting where the size of the bet changes according to a formula

Progressive: Slot game with an increasing jackpot

Punter: Slang for a player.

Push: Tie or draw between player and dealer

Quarter: Chip with a value of $25

Rated: Player with a high skill level

Round: One cycle of a game including all bets placed during that cycle

Sawbuck: $10

Scared Money: An amount of money a player cannot afford to lose

Session: Any gambling period

Shark: A skilful card player, or slang for a cheat

Shoe: Wooden box holding decks of cards at a table

Shuffling: Mixing up cards

Single: Simple, one event bet

Taking the Odds: Making a wager less in value than the value of the winning payoff

Tapping Out: Losing everything

Tell Play: Reading the body language or facial expressions of a player or dealer to guess the contents of their concealed card hands

Ticket:  A card

Tip:  A gratuity

Toke: Gratuity of either money or chips given to a dealer

Token: Casino coin for playing slot machines

Tournament: Competition with its own rules played among players for a set time

True Odds: Actual odds of an event occurring, including the house edge

Underlay: An unwise or ill-conceived bet

Unit: Smallest amount of money used for a bet.

Upcard: Dealer's face up, or exposed card

Vigorish: Commission taken by the casino

Wager: A bet

Whale: Extremely high roller, someone who gambles huge amounts of money on single bets

White Meat: Profit

Zone: Gambler who is “In the Zone” is winning consistently