For people who have never been into a casino, entering one could be intimidating. You will experience new things for the first time, and encounter exciting games you’ve never played before. You might even feel anxious showing up in front of strangers. However, there’s no reason to worry. We’ve listed down some common slang terms used in casinos. Learning them will make you more confident playing as the list includes casino lingo and gambling phrases you might hear at the tables.
Table of Contents
Bankroll
The first term you should get familiar with is bankroll, which is the amount of money a player allocates for gambling. To put it simply, it is the maximum amount of money you are ready to risk in a single casino visit. On the other hand, professional gamblers use their bankroll as their “work” total.
Action
The term action is used to describe casino gaming. Table games such as roulette, blackjack, and slots provide action. A dealer might tell you, “the action is on you,” which means that it’s your turn to act.
Bet or betting limit
Another term in the list is bet or betting limit — also called a wager — which refers to the total amount of money you risk on a game. You usually hear this term when playing blackjack or roulette. How you bet on a game is not always the same as there’s a wide variety of games and different ways of betting. For instance, you might want to bet $10 on a blackjack table.
Buy-in
Before sitting down at the tables for a session, you’ll have to convert cash into casino chips or tokens. The total amount you spend is referred to as the buy-in.
Chips
Gaming or casino chips are the form of currency used in casinos. These are the tokens used to play casino table games that come in various denominations and colours. Chips are also enticing to fiddle with. You’ll often see players, particularly poker players, shuffling them.
Cage
You should get used to the cage if you intend to win and profit during your casino visits. The cage is the secure area inside the casino where you bring your chips after winning to convert them into cash.Aside from casino chips, it is also where credit chips, money, and other paperwork are circulated. They also sell tokens, gambling chips, or tickets to pay out the patrons’ jackpots. They also manage credit applications. The people stationed in the cage are called cage cashiers, casino cage cashiers, or casino cashiers.
Card washing
The term card washing is not related to cloth and soapy water. Before shuffling the cards, the dealer does card washing — in other words, spreading the cards face down then mixing them up. To save time, modern casinos now use automatic shuffling machines on most of their tables. It is the reason why card washing is no longer widely used today.
Card sharp
A card sharp is a player skilled at playing casino card games. When playing blackjack, you don’t have to worry whether you are playing alongside a card sharp or not since the person will only take money from the dealer when he wins. However, it’s not the case when playing poker since a card sharp might win and take your money. It’ll come in handy if you know which among the players in a casino is a card sharp, especially if you’re planning to play poker.
Cold/hot
A player who is “running cold” is someone that consecutively loses or is on a losing streak. You can also say that a game is “cold” when it’s not paying out. The terms “running hot” and “hot” refer to the opposite.
Comps
Casinos have rewards clubs, which you would want to sign up for during your first visit. Comps refer to the points you’ll earn from the rewards club while you play. Once you accumulate enough comps, you can convert them into a tangible reward such as money off casino lodging or a free buffet.
Double or nothing
An even-money bet is a bet in which if you win, your money doubles. However, if you lose, then you get nothing. Odd or even, red or black bets in roulette are examples.
Face cards
Face cards, also called picture cards, are the queens, jacks, and kings in a deck of cards. Most casino games value these cards at ten.
House edge
The house means the casino. So, when you hear someone say, “the house always wins,” the casino always wins against the players. Unfortunately, this is always true since every slot machine and casino table game is programmed to favour the house, called the house edge. The house edge exists to keep the casino running and not lose money.
Final thoughts
Overall, these terms will allow you to understand better what people in the casino are talking about. Coming prepared makes you more confident, too, which will let you enjoy your visit better.Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/qtD-aRQtMuc
