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Casino Glossary
Negative Expectation
Advantage Player
CasinoA player who legally uses a superior understanding of a game to gain a mathematical advantage over opponents.
Total Bet
SlotsThe amount bet on one spin.
Camouflage
Casino
Any measures take to disguise what a gambler is doing, e.g. a blackjack card counter varying their bet size frequently. The main rule of any camouflage is to act like a gambler. Some card counters prefer to joke with their neighbors, dealers and pit boss to keep their attention away from what they are doing. They cheer when somebody wins Blackjack or a double card. They act nervous when there is a big bet on the table.
It is considered among card counters that a pleasant personality and good social skills are a must for a good camouflage. They may act confused and intentionally make stupid mistakes that would later cover their strategic moves, and ask other players for hints. Others chat about card counting like this is something stupid to do while actually counting cards.
Changing tables or switching to other games with minimal house edge, like Craps, Baccarat or Mini Baccarat, some Video Pokers, after a good win is also considered a part of a camouflage.
Examples:
What are your Blackjack counting camouflage techniques?
Let's play Craps now as a camouflage.
See also: Sharker, Sharper, or Cardsharp
Line Away
CrapsA dealer announcement that the shooter has rolled a 7 and that therefore bets on the pass line have been lost.
Synonym: Front Line Winner
Irregular Playing Patterns
CasinoA vague, catchall term given by casinos for banning players.
Door Card
PokerFirst card dealt face up to a player in stud poker.
Deal
CasinoTo distribute cards in a game.
Buy Bets
CrapsA type of bet on the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 in which the player pays a 5% commission to receive a payout at the true odds. Only useful for the 4 and 10.
Gross Winnings
CasinoWhat a player cashes out, before deducting the player's own money used for gambling.
Synonym: Aggregate Winnings
Laying the Odds
CrapsAn additional bet associated with a don't pass bet. Always pays true odds, but always less than 1 to 1.
See also: Taking the Odds
Symbols
SlotsThe images on the reels (or video display) of a slot machine used to determine whether a player wins or loses.
Exposure
CasinoThe amount of money a player is risking.
Aces with a Kicker
Video PokerFour aces with a specific kicker awards a bonus.
Combination Way Ticket
KenoA keno ticket in which a group of numbers are combined several ways.
Sucker Bet
CasinoA terrible bet for the gambler. E.g. the field bet in craps.
Double Inside Straight Flush
Video PokerThree cards for a straight flush with two inside gaps, e.g. 965 of clubs.
Transversale Simple
RouletteFrench term for a bet on three number in one of the 12 rows. Pays 11 to 1. Also known as a row or street bet.
Synonym: Street Bet
Hold Button
Video PokerThe button a player presses to keep, rather than discard, a card.
Seven Card Stud Poker Game
PokerA version of poker where the player receives two cards face down, four exposed, and then a final one face down. The best five card hand made from these seven cards wins.
Trente et Quarante (Thirty and Forty)
BaccaratA game played in European casinos using cards and a special table. Also called Rouge et Noir (red and black).
Trey
PokerThe card with a rank of 3.
Line
SlotsAnother word for the payline. Slot symbols must be on this line to count for a win.
Counter
CasinoA player who keeps track of the cards played, especially in blackjack.
Outside Straight or Straight Flush
PokerVideo PokerA straight draw that can be completed with cards of two ranks. E.g. either a 7 or a 2 will make 6543 a straight. An outside straight flush also requires that the card be of the same suit as the other four cards.
After Five, the Field's Alive
CrapsA bet that the next roll will be a 5.
Cracking The Nut
CasinoMaking a gambling profit after covering expenses.
High Bet
Dirty Royal
Video PokerA royal flush made with one or more wild cards. This pays less than a natural one without wild cards.
Coins
SlotsCoins come in various denominations, from a penny up to $5 or more.
Soft Hand
Belly Buster
PokerAnother poker term for a draw to an inside straight. E.g. a hand of KQJ9, which needs a 10.
Beginners Luck
Casino
The belief that a person playing for the first time will be lucky. Some people think that a novice players do not feel the pressure of the game, this is why they win more easily than the experts. Others think that this belief in beginner's lick is based on the confirmation bias: winnings are usually well remembered, while losses tend to be forgotten. The game experts might believe in the beginner's luck because they have experienced some good winnings when they just started playing. Those people who were less fortunate at the beginning have probably lost their interest in the casino games.
Beginner's luck tends to expire pretty quickly once the player gets more experience with the game. They say, it is only a gift of support that is given once to a beginner of a new experience.
Synonym: Honeymoon Period
Splitting Aces
BlackjackWhen a player receives two aces as their first two cards, they can split them to form two separate hands by doubling their bet. Always advised for non-card counters.
Press
CasinoIncrease the amount of a bet, especially in craps.
Multi-Player Game
CasinoAn online casino game where players can compete against each other.
Double Or Nothing
CasinoA wager that either wins the amount of a bet or loses it.
Non-negotiable Chips
CasinoPromotional chips that be played to win real chips, but cannot themselves be cashed out.
Expected Win Rate
SlotsThe theoretical, long-term expected percentage of money bet that is either won by the casino or the player.
Breaking Hand
BlackjackA blackjack hand that can bust if another card is taken, i.e. totaling 12 or higher.
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