Glossary

The Gambling Dictionary

Entering an online casino, a poker room or any other Internet gambling site is like crossing into a new world in many ways. Although no passport needs to be stamped and even currency does not need to be converted, there is a new lingo to learn. Gambling terms, professional vocabulary, insider references and technical terminology are all listed in this section. Find the meaning of a new term you learn, scan for new terms you didn't know exist, or sort via the advanced tag search option for a variety of convenient browsing options.

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Cage

Where the cashier sits in a casino or cardroom. Typically where one buys and sells their chips or cash.

California Lowball

Variation of lowball game - run of ace to five with a joker added into the deck as a wild card. Can also be a variation of poker where players attempt to make the weakest hand available; aces are low cards, straights and flushes don't count and joker is a wild card.

Call

A nonzero bet equal to the preceding bet that keeps the player in the race for the pot in a poker game.

Call Cold

The act of staying in the pot by matching multiple bets instead of the total of a single bet.

Call Down

Matching any bet or raise until the hand ends.

Call Station

A name for any player who likes to call often, even when there are better moves to be made. Tends to only make the minimum bet, rarely folds or raises.

Canasta

A meld of seven cards of the same rank. A "mixed canasta" is a meld containing one to three wild cards. A "natural canasta" is a meld containing no wild card.

Candlesticks

A not-so favorable situation in Backgammon in which the player's checkers are piled high on a few points.

Cap

A lit on the number of bets or raises during a given round of betting. Also, it can be when an object, the 'cap', is placed on top of the deck of cards by the dealer to prevent tampering, alternatively it can be placed on a player's hand to silently let others know he is still active in the game.

Card Capper

When a cap has been placed on the deck by the dealer to prevent cheating or when a player has placed a cap on their hand to let other players know they are still active.

Card Counting

As Blackjack is played from a limited number of cards, a deck, two decks or even more, by keeping track of the cards that have already been played the player puts himself in better position to know when the remaining cards give him an advantage. The player may then make larger bets, choose to double down, or other actions, based on the situation.

Card counting may not necessarily assure winning, but it can bring the house advantage to a minimum, especially when playing with a single deck. While legal, card counting may be grounds to have the player removed from a casino table. This is not a concern when playing online.

Card Odds

The probability a certain card will show up in the deal based off what you have been given and how many cards remain in the deck.

Card Protector

Any small object placed on a player's hand so that it cannot be tampered with or fouled.

Card Value - Wild

When a specific card(s) may be used as wild cards in a game. Example: "We were playing one-eyed Jacks wild"

Cards Speak

As opposed to when a winner's hand is announced verbally, this is when the actual hand value that each player lays down is what determines the winner.

Case

The only one remaining, the last card.

Cash a Game

Offering a double in backgammon, believing it will be refused, thus claiming the game and collecting the current value of the cube.

Cash Game

A regular poker game, unlike a tournament, in which players play for money and can cash out at any point. Also known as Ring Game.

Cash In

When a player takes his chips and converts it into cash, or withdraw's money from their account. It is also a verbal goodbye, when someone leaves a room or table. Conversely, it can also be a way to take advantage of other players playing weakly, and then making a profit.

Cash Out

Similiar to 'cash in' - when a player converts his chips into cash, withdraws money from their account, or leaves the table or cardroom.

Cashout Curse

A superstition that stems from a fear that some online poker rooms rigged their software to cheat players who made a large withdrawl by dealing them a weak hand which they hope will discourage them from making future large withdrawls.

Casino Advantage

The casino's statistical edge over the players in a game. Varies from game to game.

Casino Jackpot

The monetary prizes paid out by a casino to the players who win its games.

Casino Tournament

Scheduled casino gaming events (slots, table games, poker, etc.) in which players compete against each other for the same jackpot prize, often pooled from the fees paid by the players for tournament entry.

Cats and Dogs

A game where the rankings from strongest to weakest are Big Cat, Little Cat, Big Dog and Little Dog are allowed.

Caught Speeding

When a bluff has been called or beaten by another player on the showdown.

Center Pot

The main pot where all active players have placed their bets and are therefore eligible to win, in contrast to the side pot.

Characters

One of the three suits in Mahjong, also known as cracks.

Chase

Calling a bet with a drawing hand or a hand that no one expects to be the best hand in play. Calling with the hope of getting the lucky draw.

Check

A betting option in poker. To stay in the game of poker without placing a bet. A bet of zero, which keeps the player in the game.

Check-Fold

Used in online poker rooms, this is the choice to pre-select this action which will check if possible and fold when it is not possible to check. Used by players who play many tables at once.

Check-Raise

Staying in the pot without making an additional bet and then increasing the wager on their turn.

Checked Around

Describes a certain round of betting where the move is completed without any additional wagers or bets.

Chemin de fer

A French casino card game from which Baccarat originated. Still played today as a variation of Baccarat.

Chip Declare

Used in high-low split games, this is a method that indicates the pot(s) which a player is competing for. Rather than verbally stating which one they are playing for, the player will select and reveal a single or combination of chips to indicate.

Chip Leader

Used in tournaments, this is the player who has the greatest amount of chips to their name.

Chip Runner

An employee of a casino or cardroom who works on the floor selling and buying chips, rather than working in the cage.

Chip Up

Exchanging low amount chips for ones of a higher amount.

Chips

Chips are coins of different colors and different denominations used at casinos. As a player at the online casino, you will encounter virtual chips instead.

A Token is the term for a casino chip used at the slot machines specifically.

Chop

A portion of the pot, also used as a verb as in "we tied for the pot, so chop it". Also used in games with multiple blinds, this is the act that returns the blinds to the players who posted them and play a new hand, but only done when no other player have called or raised and are in agreement. Finally, it can also be used as a verb when change is made for 1 or more chips.

Chouette

A French word, pronounced shoo-ETT, it is the name of a Backgammon variant, a social setting, for three or more players. In Chouette, a single player plays on a single board against a team made of all the other players.

Cinch Hand

An unbeatable hand.

Circles

One of the three suits in Mahjong, also known as coins or dots.

Close Out

Making all six of home board points in Backgammon while the opponent has one or more checkers on the bar shuts the opponent off from entering back onto the board and into the game.

Closing Line

The final list of point spreads offered before game time.

Coat Card

Any King, Queen or Jack card in play.

Coin Flip

The situation where each player in a pair have an equal chance at winning the pot; 50-50 chance. Does not use an actual coin, it is only a saying.

Coins Per Spin

This is the number of coins that can be played on a slot machine per bet.

The term is interchangeable with 'coin size'.

Cold

Gamblers win some and lose some. An unsuccessful session or a bad day at the casino is called a Cold.

Cold Deck

Cheating by dealing the opponent unfavorable cards.

Cold Numbers

Numbers drawn least frequently during a certain period of time.

Opposite of Hot Numbers.

Collection

Compensation fee paid to any casino or cardroom for hosting a game. This can include any fee charged for organizing the game itself - rake, time, dead collection blinds, etc.

Collection Drop

The act of receiving the collection.

Color Chip

A chip with a certain color denotes a certain amount of money worth.

Color Up

Exchanging lower value chips for ones of a higher value.

Combination Bet

Selecting any number of teams/horses to finish first and second in either order.

Come Bet

A bet placed on the Come Line in Craps.

Come Hand

A currently weak hand with a potential to significantly improve when the next cards are dealt or revealed.

Come In

The first voluntary contribution to the pot. In a game of blinds, this is to call or raise the blind.

Come Line

The place on the craps table where the Come Bet is placed.

Come Out Roll

The initial or first roll of the dice in Craps before a point has been established. Can be won if a 7 or 11 come out. Otherwise, the sum becomes the shooter's point.

Community Card Poker

This game includes a combination of personally dealt cards and shared cards, dealt face up, for all participating players to use in forming their hand. Famous variants of this game include Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em.

Community Cards

Hold'em and Omaha Poker versions have shared community cards. The cards, placed face up in the middle of the table, are visible to and shared by all active players in the game.

Community Pot

A pot in which multiple players have a stake in, especially when few players have folded. Also known as a family pot.

Complete Hand

If all cards in your Poker hand form one strong combination - a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind or straight flush - it is called a complete hand.

Complete the Bet

Used in a fixed limit game, this is increasing the wager that was below the limit, up to the lower limit allowed.

Comps

From the word 'Complimentary', these are gifts that the casino offers its members. Although online casinos do not offer discounted hospitality costs and flights like regular casinos do, they have unique comps of their own.

Concealed Pair

A hidden pair of cards with the same value that no other player can see.

Connectors

Especially referring to a player's downcards, these are cards of consecutive ranking. Example is 6 of spades and 7 of hearts.

Conservative

Describing a player who tends to play few hands, folds or makes the minimum wager to stay in the pot. Also used as an adverb to describe how someone is playing.

Continuation Bet

When a player has bet out or raised during the previous betting round, this is the act of betting out once again.

Convertible Currency

Easily convertible currency that can be freely exchanged for other currencies (or gold) without special authorization from a central bank.

Cosmetics

Any type of material used to mark cards - used by cheaters.

Count Down

Determining the winner of a hand based on either a kicker, the remaining number of chips or amount of cash available to a player in a stakes game. It is also a way to verify that the deck is not missing any cards.

Counter Proposition

After an initial proposition has been rejected, this is a substitute offer of actions.

Counterfeit

A card that falsely appears to strengthen another player's hand but actually matches either the suit or number value of the opponents pocket cards. Also known as a brick, or duplicate.

Court Card

Any card that is a King, Queen or Jack. Members of the 'royal court'.

Cover

To bet the spread by the required number of points.

Coverall

Like Blackout, covering the entire bingo card to win. This is usually reached only after calling most of the 75 bingo numbers, usually as many as 50 to 60.

Crack

To beat someone in a showdown, especially noteworthy when the hand beaten was a favorite.

Craps Out

A Come Out Roll of 2, 3 or 12 in Craps.

Credit Meter

This records the money inserted into the slot machine and displays the number of credits remaining.

Croupier

The Dealer is called Croupier in Baccarat and Roulette games.

Crying Call

A hesitant call with little expectation to win, especially following a complaint made about the cards dealt and situation they are in.

Currency pairs

The two currencies being traded. Example: EUR/USD denotes and Euros and US Dollars are the currencies being traded.

Cut

The action of separating the deck into two or more sections and reordering them. Most common technique is to split the deck in half and place the top portion on the bottom if only cutting it once. It is also used as an command that it is someone's turn to cut the deck. It can also be used to describe a part of the pot taken to the casino.

Cut Card

A specially designated card that is used to indicate where the deck should be cut. It can also cover the bottom card so that it is not revealed to the players. Typically it is a differently designed card from the rest of the deck, so as to stand out.

Cut the Pot

The act of taking a portion of the pot to pay for an expense that all players share, like drinks or food. It is also when multiple players are given portions of the pot.

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