Casinos have always fascinated us for years, largely because of the unique style that they portray. From time immemorial, anyone who wants to enjoy a gambling session has to go to the land-based casino adorning a certain type of attire. These casinos often dictate how all the participants are supposed to carry out themselves, speak, and even the procedures of placing and claiming a wager.
As online casinos take dominance and most people enjoy playing games from flexible locations, the concept of gamble talk appears to remain constant. Mastering the kind of words that are used at the casino can help you become a pro player. This guide gives you a detailed look at casino gamble talk.
Common Casino Terms
Do not feel intimidated anymore the next time you are playing at a casino. Go through these phrases to give you confidence the next time you play your table games.
Action
Action is the most common term that you are likely to come across at the casino. That’s because the majority of your activities while gambling involve “taking action.” It is often associated with games such as online blackjack, slots, and roulette. The phrase typically prompts the player to do something. For instance, the dealer may say “action on you!” to mean it’s your turn to play.
Active Payline
This phrase is more technical and references the mechanics incorporated in slot machines or video machines. Generally, the working of slots entails symbols, paylines, and reels. Players are often expected to hit a particular number of symbols on the active paylines to win. Traditionally, the games have had three paylines, but this has changed with modern slots, which can feature as much as a couple of thousand paylines. Additionally, paylines can be adjustable or fixed depending on the game’s design. Most players prefer adjustable paylines because it allows them to choose the number of paylines, effectively controlling the total wagered.
All-In
The phrase all-in is common amongst poker players and refers to their act of betting all the chips that they had. It is closely related to another term called raising. However, raising is normally associated with a specific amount, while all-in is about everything that you had left. Not everybody can call your all-in action. They ought to have more chips than you, or else they will also be undertaking the activity unexpectedly. For instance, say that you have $200,000 chips, and you make the all-in declaration. If the other player has $100,000 chips, you will just bet $100,000 while the remaining will be handed back to you. A player who announces that they are all-in is prohibited from executing subsequent action until the round ends.
Bankroll
As you get started with playing at the casino, you often have a certain amount of money that you are willing to spend. It is referred to as a bankroll and is important in ensuring that you do not overspend or underspend for a low gaming experience. Whether you are a seasoned player or are just getting started, never make the mistake of playing without setting a limit of how much you would like to spend. You can consider this to be a governing structure that prevents you from running into financial turmoil occasioned by gambling. Please note that professional gamblers normally consider bankroll as the total amount put into their work.
Buy-In
When playing some games at the casino, you will pay cash and receive chips. The process is called buy-in. It is mainly used in three games – roulette, blackjack, or craps. In another case, if you take part in a tournament or a high-roller game, you will have to perform a buy-in using a certain amount of cash. The actual amount used for the buy-in depends on the tournament organizers or game providers. It is worth understanding that all casinos do not have standard buy-in requirements. Thus, the best approach is to read the platform’s terms and conditions before you buy-in. Also, buy-in does not equal re-buying or add-on. Whereas it is possible to re-buy or add-on from the table, buy-in often needs you to navigate to the cashier section to do so.
Beginner’s Luck
You may have come across this term not just at the casino but also in everyday life. As the name sounds, it alludes to a player who just got started with the game, and they win out of luck. Poker games refer to this phenomenon as the honeymoon period or the winning phase. Seasoned players often use it to indicate that the beginner is about to run out of luck, after which their inexperience will begin to show. Do not just use the term, especially around people you do not know closely, as some may take offense. Even if it is the truth, no one likes being labeled as a beginner or newcomer.
Bet Max
Online and brick-and-mortar casinos use the phrase bet max to refer to the maximum wager that a player can place. In most cases, you will have a designated button at the casino, which you will press, and it will trigger the maximum bet amount. The button could even activate the inactive paylines to ensure you get the highest bet possible. Its main purpose is to ensure high-rollers have ample time playing because they no longer have to manually change settings to a bigger bet.
Bet Min
Also used in online and land-based casinos, bet min references the lowest possible bet that a player can place. Similar to bet max, you will have a bet min button which you just press, and it shows you how much to wager. Your stake amount can never go below this. Low-rollers found this button quite useful as they no longer have to decrease their bet amount manually. It also helps you use your bankroll for a long time since you are taking out a smaller amount at a go. To deliver the least bet amount possible in the game, pressing the button could inactivate most paylines.
Betting Limits
The term betting limits is more of a combination of bet max and bet min. It alludes to the maximum and minimum bet that a player can place in a game. The casino will expect you to meet the minimum amount. Additionally, you are not supposed to go over the maximum bet set. Different casinos have varying betting limits. Furthermore, these can change as per the game played and the table from which you are playing. Some casinos have rules which allow them to adjust the betting limits as the game advances.
Capping
The term capping can be described in many other ways, including capping a bet, post betting, late betting, or pressing. Professional gamblers dislike it because it is equivalent to cheating. Generally, the player would remove chips from their bet once the outcome has been identified. Land-based casinos are especially serious about this act and can even ban the player from ever accessing their establishment. For instance, when playing roulette, the dealer will typically announce the stop of additional bets. However, some players could cheat by pretending that they are tipping the dealer, whereas they are actually increasing their wager.
Card Washing
Before cards are dealt, the dealer has to shuffle them while everyone else is watching. It is the surest way of earning trust and giving players confidence that the game has not been manipulated. Dealers often use different types of techniques for shuffling, and one of the most popular ones is called card washing. In this approach, the cards are spread on the table facing down and then mixed with both hands. The name comes from the fact that the motion resembles the act of washing your face. The aim behind card washing is to remove any inconsistencies that may have been noted during the previous hand by randomizing cards.
Casino Chips
Simply called chips, you could consider these as more of the currency of casinos. Placing real money at the table of a land-based casino is often considered highly inconvenient. For instance, when you place paper bills, they would have to go through a tedious verification process. Similarly, adding one after the other can also prove disastrous. The issue becomes dire where different players have varying currencies. As such, casinos introduced the concept of chips, whose aim is to standardize everything. The chips vary in colors, whereby each of the colors represents a specific denomination. Thus, the player goes to the casino’s cage to exchange their money with equivalent chips, which they can then use at the table.
Coins
The term “coins” is more dominant in online casinos, but you can also find it in land-based ones. It refers to a given type of currency and is closely related to the chips since you will use it to make all your purchases. The difference is that chips are used with table games, while coins are meant for slot machines. Land-based casinos no longer have metal coins. Instead, they use receipts or prepaid cards, effectively dealing with the issue of jammed machines. On the other hand, coins in online casinos are virtual, as you would expect.
Double or Nothing
Double or nothing is one of the oldest terms in the gambling world as well as in general life. It describes a state whereby the player chooses to bet double the amount they had placed in the previous game with the goal of breaking even. For instance, assume that you place a friendly wager worth $20 with a friend that you would be in a certain place by 7 PM. If you do, the friend owes you $20. However, if you miss and decide to make another wager, you could decide to bet $40 with the goal of breaking even in the event you win. Please note that missing this bet will now put you down $60 ($20 + $40). Now, translate the same angle of view into the gambling world. You may double your winnings to break even, or you get nothing.
Fold
When the term fold is used, it refers to the fact that the player has decided to forfeit their hand. It is a common phrase in poker games, and the player will act in that manner when they get a bad hand. Folding means that the player has to let go of the bet placed and will need to wait for the next hand to take action. Poker players fold more often than not under many different circumstances. For instance, they can do so when they suspect the other player has a better hand or they do not want to call someone who went all-in. But do not always fold without thinking it through. Some players may bluff that they have a better hand to trick you into folding.
Free Spins
Online casinos have, over the years, been coming up with strategies that can help gain more players. They normally do that in the form of bonuses such as free spins for slot machines and video slots. When you earn free spins at a casino, it means that you can spin the reels without having to use your cash to place a bet. Different rules exist for how the free spins are handled. For instance, you may need to meet a certain betting threshold for you to be liable to get free spins. And when you win with the free spins, you could either withdraw the earnings or have to meet predetermined rules to make your earnings withdrawable.
Hand
Just the way the term sounds, it alludes to the cards that the player currently holds in their hand. In some cases, players may also call a new gaming round in poker games as a hand. In such a case, you may hear someone say something along the lines that they only want to play five hands, meaning they will not play for so long. Another use case for a hand would be when someone curiously asks to see your hand. In that case, they are interested to know about the cards you are holding.
High Roller
A high roller is someone who spends huge amounts at the casino. These are people who only place bigger bets, meaning that they have a bigger bankroll to support their gambling habits. If you are a high roller, you will often make use of the casino’s max bet button, which allows you to place the maximum bet possible at the casino. Most casinos normally have different tables with their own betting limits to make sure each player’s wagering requirements are met. Expectedly, the high rollers typically receive privileged treatment, including getting RFB rewards, earning a couple of junket rewards, and even potentially playing on credit. Even if you are a high roller, it is wise that you set a specific bankroll that meets your betting needs. Never exceed it at whatever cost.
House Edge
The house edge of a casino is the advantage that the casino has against the player even before the game starts. The house edges are normally quantified in percentages and are directly the opposite of return to player (RTP). For instance, if the house edge is 3%, the RTP would be rated at 97%. The essence of the house edge is to make sure the casino does not run out of business. It is also the way in which the casino makes money and normally varies from one platform to another. Additionally, the house edge set for one game may not be the same for another game within the same casino.
Insurance Bet
Simply known as insurance, the phrase is used in blackjack to describe a specific type of bet in the game. As a side bet, it allows you to wager half the original bet and is only available when the dealer shows an ace. The option for placing an insurance bet is normally available to all players prior to the dealer peeking a natural blackjack. In case the dealer gets a natural blackjack, all players that have an insurance bet receive a payout in the form of 2:1. It is worth noting that a player can win the insurance bet their main bet notwithstanding. As such, you could win an insurance bet and not get the main bet, and vice versa.
Jackpot
It is common for casinos to set the ultimate, biggest prize that a player can get from a game. It is known as the jackpot, and it changes from one game to another. Video slots and slot machines are synonymous with jackpots. You should note that there are different types of jackpots, with the two most common ones being fixed and progressive. A fixed jackpot has a set amount of cash that players can win and does not grow over time. On the other hand, the progressive jackpot grows with each time that players bet on the game. The casino typically sets aside some portion of the wager to contribute to the growing jackpot.
Odds
No individual player has been at the casino or played a couple of games without encountering a conversation on odds. Odds allude to the probability of something happening. That is, they are the chances that the player or the casino will win. They can be represented as percentages or ratios. Typically, both the player and the casino have a 50% chance of winning. In games that the casino has higher odds of winning, the player normally carries more rewards. For instance, if the event gives a 5% chance of winning, you will have higher potential winnings compared to a game that gives you 95% chance of winning.
Progressive Jackpot
We briefly mentioned this term under the jackpot conversation. A progressive jackpot is one that grows over time and is often a major factor of attraction among casino players. It is commonly used with slot machines, so players stand a chance to win this jackpot continuously every time they place a bet. A small part of the wager contributes to the growing size of a progressive jackpot and will increase up to the point when a lucky player scoops it. At this point, the jackpot resets to its default value, and the count starts. Even within the progressive jackpot, there are other types such as in-house, stand-alone, and wide-area.
Progressive Slot
Progressive slot references another type of slot machine. Even though they work like the regular slots, they have one important twist – the player stands a chance to bag a progressive jackpot. The progressive jackpot normally increases with each bet until a player wins it. Due to the nature of their design, progressive slots often have various types of jackpots incorporated in them, and each carries an independent prize pool. If the hand is found to be more difficult, it will carry bigger rewards.
Scatter
The scatter is a bonus symbol embedded in slot machines and video slots. Players love this symbol because of the wonders it can do for their gameplay. When it occurs on the paylines, players receive various bonuses such as free spins and likely a mini bonus game. Each game has its rules on how that can be triggered, but you will often have to land three or more scatters simultaneously to get it.
Spooking
You will hear the term spooking when playing blackjack. It refers to the act of one person trying to peek through the cards of other players and convey the same information to another player with whom they are in cohorts.
Wild
The wild is closely related to the scatter and is another favorite symbol among slot players. Generally, slot games are designed in such a way that players are supposed to combine a certain set of symbols to win. However, when they get the wild, it replaces all the other symbols apart from the scatter to form a winning combination. There are different types of scatters, such as sticky wilds, stacked wilds, expanding wilds, and shifting wilds. Even though these types work differently, they basically do the same task.
Wager
When you are told to place a wager, it means that you need to bet on the game. Playing real money casino games requires a wager. Players are normally advised to closely monitor how they wager to avoid regretting later on. For instance, if you have a bankroll of $1000, it is advisable not to place a one-time wager equal to this amount. Instead, you can split it into portions in consideration of the casino’s bet limits.
Conclusion
And there you have it! These are some of the most common phrases you will come across during gambling talk. Make sure that you understand what they mean so that you do not feel left out in the conversation.