Online Casino Glossary

GLOSSARY A-C / D-H / I-P / Q-W

I

Inside Bets - A roulette bet placed on any number, or small combination of numbers.

Insurance - In blackjack, a side bet that the dealer has a natural. Insurance is offered only when the dealers up card is an ace. The insurance bet wins double if the dealer has a natural, but loses if the dealer does not.

J

Jackpot - A big win on a slot machine.

Joker - The 53rd card in a deck, sometimes used as a wild card.

K

Kicker - In a draw poker game, an odd high card held that doesn’t contribute to a straight or a flush, usually an ace or a king.

L

Load up - To play the maximum number of coins per spin that a slot machine or video game will allow.

Loose - Referred to slot machines that have a generous payout.

Low Poker - Also called lowball, is poker in which the pot is awarded to the hand with the lowest poker value.

M

Marker - A check/cheque that can be written at the gaming tables by a player who has established credit with the casino. An IOU.

Martingale - Betting system based on doubling-up.

Mechanic - Slang meaning a dealer who cheats.

Mini-Baccarat - The scaled-down version of baccarat, played with fewer players, dealers, and formality but following the same rules as baccarat.

N

Natural - In blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of twenty-one points. In baccarat a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine.

Number Pool - The range of numbers from which you select the ones you want to play. A typical lottery pool ranges from 1 to 60, and the keno pool is 1 to 80.

Nut - Either the overhead costs of running a casino, or the fixed amount that a gambler decides to win in a day.

O

Odds - Ratio of probabilities. The casino's view of the chance of a player winning. The figure or fraction by which the casino offers to multiply a bettor's stake, which the bettor is entitled to receive (plus his or her own stake) if they win.

Open - In poker, the player who bets first.

Outside Bets - Roulette bets located on the outside part of the layout. They involve betting 12 or 18 numbers with one chip.

Overlay - A good bet where the player has an edge over the casino.

P

Pass - In card games, to not bet, to fold.

Pat - In draw poker, a hand that does not need any more hands. In blackjack, an unbusted hand worth at least 17 points.

Payline - The line on a slot machine window on which the symbols from each reel must line up. Slot machines can have as many as 20 paylines, although most have only one.

Payoff - The return or payback the player receives for his or her wager.

Payout Percentage - Also referred to as the payback percentage, the percent of each dollar played in a video or slot machine that the machine is programmed to return to the player. Payback percentage is 100 percent minus the house edge.

Payout Table - A posting somewhere on the front of a slot or videopoker machine that tells you what each winning hand will pay for the number of coins or credits played.

Pigeon - An uneducated, naive, or unsophisticated gambler.

Pit - An area of a casino in which a group of table games are arranged, where the center area is restricted to dealers and other casino personnel.

Pit Boss - A supervisor who oversees a gaming area. Usually supervises more than one table at the same time.

Pot - In a poker game, the amount of money that accumulates in the middle of the table as each player antes, bets, and raises. The pot goes to the winner of the hand.

Press a Bet - Adding the winnings over the current bet, to 'let it ride'.

Pressing - A player is pressing the bet when they let winnings ride by wagering them along with the original bet.

Probability - A mathematical calculation that establishes the likelihood that an event will occur. Probabilities are expressed as numbers between 0 and 1. The probability of an impossible event is 0, while an event that is certain to occur has a probability of 1.

Progressive - A slot machine whose potential jackpot increases with each coin that is played. When the progressive jackpot finally hits, the amount resets to the starting number.

Push - A tie hand between a dealer and a player.

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