Gambling Terms Glossary M thru Z

Glossary of Gambling Terms You Need to Know

Marker: An IOU or check written at a table backed by established credit with the Casino

Matchplay: When the House matches a player’s bets with Casino money

Middle Position: In Hold’Em, any of three seats halfway between the first betting positions and the Button

Mini-Baccarat: Non-formal form of Baccarat but the rules are the same as Baccarat

Mix Up: Playing the same hand different ways at different times so as not to provide a Tell to other players

Natural: Two cards totaling 21 in Blackjack. Two cards totaling 8 or 9 in Baccarat.

Number Pool: As in Keno or a Lottery, numbers that a player can choose from

Nuts: An unbeatable hand

Odds: Probability of an outcome

Off-Suit: Two cards not of the same suit

Open: In Poker, the first player to bet

Open-End: Four consecutive cards to a straight in Poker where one more card on either end will make the hand

Out: A card in Poker that will increase the value of a hand

Outside Bets: Bets located on the outside area of the Roulette layout

Overbet: A Poker bet in an amount that is excessive in relation to the value of the pot

Overcard: A hole card in Hold’Em that is higher than the highest community card

Overpair: In Hold’Em a pocket pair that is higher than the highest community card

Overplay: Betting too much on a marginal hand

Overlay: A bet where the player has an edge over the Casino

Pair: Any two cards of the same value

Pass: No bet

Pass Line: Even money bet in Craps

Passive Play: Playing Poker by checking and calling with very little raising

Pay Line: The line(s) on a Slot Machine where symbols line up to form a win

Payout Percentage: The percent of each dollar returned to players

Payout Table: In Slots or Video Poker, a list of what each winning hand will pay for the number of coins or credits bet.

Penetration: Depth to which a dealer deals out of a Blackjack deck between shuffles

Pit: Area in Casino restricted to Dealers and Casino personnel

Pit Boss: Person in charge of Casino personnel and games

Pocket: Hole cards in Hols’Em

Pocket Rockets: Two aces as hole cards in Hold’Em

Pot: Amount of money in Poker consisting of raises, antes and bets

Preflop: Action that occurs based on the players’ hole cards before the Flop

Pressing: Wagering recent winnings along with the original bet

Progressive: Jackpot that increases as a result of a percentage of each bet

Push: Tie between player and dealer

Quads: Four of a kind

Qualifier: Minimum bid in order to qualify for a portion of the pot

Rag: Low card in Hold’Em

Rainbow: Community cards of all different suits in Hold’Em

Raise: Player meets the previous bet and increases it

Rake: Money a Casino charges for each hand of Poker

Rank: Value of a set of cards

Rebuy: Purchase more chips after a tournament has started

Red-Black Bet: Even money bet in Roulette on whether the ball will fall into a red or black slot

Reload: To deposit more money into an Online Casino account

Reload Bonus: Bonus offer from Online Casino to entice continuing players to deposit more money

Right Bettor: Craps player who bets on the pass line and is wagering that the shooter will win

Ring Game: Full table Poker game

River: In Hole’Em and Stud Poker, the final card dealt

Rock: Very conservative Poker player

Royal Flush: Ace, king, queen, jack and 10 all of the same suit. Highest hand in poker.

Runner-Runner: Make a strong hand by grabbing needed cards on both the Turn and River in Hold’Em

Sandbag: Poker slow play

Satellite: Poker tournament played to win a seat in a bigger tournament

Scare Card: A community card in Hold’Em that makes strong hands possible

Set: Three of a kind

Sevening Out: In Craps, pass line bets lose if a 7 is rolled after the point number is established

Seventh Street: Final round of betting in 7-Card Stud

Sheriff: Player who calls down suspected bluffers

Shoe: A box that holds several decks of cards for dealing

Short Bank: A bankroll that may be too small to continue gambling

Short-Handed: Texas Hold’Em game with less than 8 players

Short Stack: Small amount of chips

Showdown: Players remaining in the pot after the last round of betting who show their hands

Shuffle: Mix up cards prior to dealing

Shutter: Window covering a number on a Bingo card

Sit ‘n’ Go: Online tournament with no scheduled starting time that begins when a certain number of players show up

Six-Number Line Bet: Roulette bet made on a block of six numbers on the table

Sixth Street: Fourth round of betting in 7-Card Stud

Slot Club: Incentive program where gamblers earn free credits at an Online Casino by wagering in volume

Slow Play: Refrain from playing aggressively with a strong hand in order to bluff other players

Soft Hand: Any Blackjack hand that contains an ace counted as 11

Split: To make two separate hands in Blackjack when a player is dealt two cards of the same denomination

Split Bet: Roulette bet made on two numbers next to each other on the table

Split Pot: Pot divided by players who have identical winning hands

Spot: Any number selected on a Keno card

Square Bet: Roulette bet made on a block of four numbers

Stackable Bonus: A bonus that is available to a player who is already playing on another bonus

Stand: Refuse additional cards

Steal: To take a pot by betting on a hand that has no value

Stickman: Craps dealer who calls the numbers and controls the stick

Steal: Win the pot by forcing the other players with a bluff

Straight: Sequential cards

Straight Bet: Craps bet made on a certain number

Straight Flush: Consecutive cards of the same suit

Street Bet: Craps bet made on a row of three numbers

String Bet: When a player does not put enough in the pot quickly enough for a required raise. If the player does not announce the raise, he is forced to withdraw his bet.

Stud Poker: No-draw Poker game

Surrender: Give up half the bet and not play out the hand in Blackjack. In Roulette, losing half the money on an even-money bet.

Take Down: Win a pot in Poker

Tap Out: Losing a bankroll

Tell: Player’s unconscious movements and mannerisms that reveal something about his hand

Third Base: Position closest to the dealer’s right

Third Street: First round of betting in 7-Card Stud

Tilt: Playing erratically and clumsily after a long losing streatk

Toke: Gratuity to the dealer

Top Pair: In Texas Hold’Em, a hold card that matches the top community card

Trips: Three of a kind

Turn: Fourth community card in Texas Hold’Em

Under the Gun: First player to act on his hand preflop

Up Card: Blackjack dealer’s face-up card

Vigorish: Commission charged by the Casino

Way Ticket: A ticket in Keno that groups different numbers to create more than one way to win

Wild Card: Any card that can be used as any other valued card to complete a hand

Working: Bets are in place as in Craps

Wrong Better: Don’t Pass-Line better in Craps