General Casino Glossary

BAR – To be asked to leave a casino by being caught cheating or card counting.   

BUY-IN - The amount of money a player has exchanged for casino cheques.  When one enters a game, never hand the dealer your money—they can’t take anything directly from a patron.  In craps, place your money on the layout in between rolls and the dealer will pick it up, hand the money to the Boxman, and push your cheques towards you.  In sit down table games, place the money next to the betting spot (not in the spot) and the dealer will announce the amount to a pit boss then place the cheques in front of the player. 

CAGE - The jail looking area where the cashiers are stationed.  I know some pit bosses I’d like to see behind bars. 

CARPET - Not a definition -- we all know what carpet is, but I just wanted to mention something about the lovely carpet in casinos.  Next time you are in a casino take a close look at the floor, pretty, eh?  Now drop a cheque on the floor -- see how nicely it blends in with the carpet.  Need I say more? 

CARPET JOINT - A casino that caters to high rollers.  There are a few on the Vegas Strip. 

CHASE/CHASING - A human trait that is so damn dangerous when it comes to gambling.  When humans are losing we tend to get more aggressive, especially when it comes to losing money.  Chasing is an attempt to make up for the losses by placing lager wagers.  Usually leads to disaster, or going full tilt (see tilt). 

CHEQUE(S) - What casino personnel call chips.  Chips are ceramic or clay disks assigned a dollar value and a designated color.  The nicknames are an illusion: 

• White, sometimes Blue, sometimes Silver = $1, nicknamed penny

• Red = $5, nicknamed nickel

• Pink = $2.50, I know of no nickname.  Usually $2.50 cheques are found at riverboats.  It’s rare to find them in Las Vegas.

• Green = $25, nicknamed quarter

• Black = $100, nicknamed (you guessed it) dollar and sometimes Ace

• Purple  = $500, nicknamed -- I know of no nickname

• Orange = $1000, nicknamed Yeah, baby

CHIPS - See cheques. 

CHOPPY TABLE - A term used for when results constantly shift one way then the other.  A good example is in Baccarat -- choppiness would be the bank hand winning, then the player hand, then the bank, then the player, etc. -- pretty much back and forth. 

COFFER - The casino vault, bankroll, treasure. 

COLOR UP - Means to exchange lower denomination cheques for higher denomination cheques, especially when leaving a table.  This allows a player to roam the casino with fewer cheques -- ever drop a handful of cheques? (See carpet above) -- and lets the pit personnel account for your winnings or losses -- they want to know without having to count the rack. 

COMMISSION - A tax that is charged to winnings, usually 5%.  Baccarat Bank Hands, Craps buy and lay bets, and Pai Gow/Pai Gow Poker are games that charge commission. 

COMP - Short for complimentary.  Casinos “reward” players by giving out free buffets, shows, and sometimes rooms.  They are used for consoling losers and keeping winners playing the games to hopefully convert them into to losers. 

COMP RFB - Stands for complimentary room, food, and beverage.  This is for the big losers, er, players!  Some gamblers will continue to play and lose thousands of dollars to receive $200 worth of RFB.  Go figure. 

DEALER - Casino employee that deals cards or pays off bets in Craps.  No dope.  Sorry. 

DROP BOX - A box located under the table where the dealer deposits the players’ cash -- attainable by a slot on top of the table. 

EYE IN THE SKY - Next time you are in a casino look up -- those bubbles all over the ceiling contain cameras that record everything.  Not only are they watching players, they are watching casino employees.  Don’t be frightened if you notice a dealer clapping and then shaking his hands, he is showing the cameras that there are no cheques hidden in his palms or up his sleeves. 

GAMBOPSYCHE - That little voice inside the head that says when a table or a machine is ready for attack or time to leave. 

GRIND JOINT - A casino that caters to low rollers.  Most downtown Las Vegas casinos can be considered grind joints since low minimum games are plentiful. 

HEAT - A player may be watched closely by pit or security personnel if he is suspected of cheating, card counting, or just being a suspicious-looking character; which could lead to being barred. 

HOUSE ADVANTAGE or VIGORISH - How do you think casinos afford the luxuries they grasp?  It’s called house advantage; also know as vigorish or just vig.  House advantage is a tax that is charged to your winnings based on the payout odds.  Would they do that to us -- they’re not the IRS?  Might as well be. 

The best example of house advantage is in the game of Roulette.  If you place a straight bet on any number the true odds are 37 to 1 (because there are 38 total numbers on a standard, double zero wheel), but what you receive is a payout of 35 to 1.  The two subtracted from the 38 is the tax.  Uncle Sam has nothing on our beloved casinos. 

Craps is the only game that offers a bet where there is no house advantage.  The payout at true odds is based on the point against the seven -- called the Odds bet, also known as True Odds or Free Odds.  However, the only way to make this Odds bet is by backing your initial line bet that does include a house advantage against it. 

You cannot make an Odds bet by itself unless you happen to find some clueless schmoe that’s not backing his line bet and you nicely ask (as you chuckle underneath your breath) if you can back up his line bet.  If that point hits, he gets paid even money on his bet while you get paid true odds (See Craps ODDS BET). 

PAINT - Face cards.  In Blackjack if you receive an Ace as your initial card, scream: “Paint me!”

PARLAY - To double one’s bet after a win. 

PIT - An area of several gaming tables in the casino.  A pit will usually consist of a variety of games, but sometimes only include Blackjack tables. 

PIT BOSS - casino employee that oversees the “pit.” 

POKER HAND RANKINGS - Most people should know this, but doesn’t hurt to include: 

1. Royal Flush -- Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of same suit, i.e. An Ace-high straight flush

2. Straight Flush -- Five consecutive cards of same suit (non-Ace high)

3. Four of a Kind -- Four like cards in one hand

4. Full House -- A combination of a three of a kind and one pair

5. Flush -- Five cards all of same suit that are not consecutive

6. Straight -- Five consecutive cards not of same suit

7. Three of a Kind -- Three like cards in one hand with two non-like cards

8. Two Pair -- Two sets of same ranked pairs with one odd card

9. One Pair -- Two cards of same rank with three non-like cards

10. High Card -- In poker if none of the above is present, the hand with the highest ranked card wins

Note: In Pai Gow Poker -- Five Aces (including the Joker) ranks highest of all and most casinos consider a PGP straight that consists of Ace, one, two, three, four is the highest straight. 

PRESS - Raising a bet -- similar to parlay, but not necessarily doubling the wager. 

(RISK OF) RUIN - Losing or close to losing the session bankroll or overall bankroll.  More than likely occurs when a gambler is chasing losses or is on tilt.

SCOUTING – Observing table conditions before going into battle by checking the dealer’s cheque rack, the players’ attitudes, and player decisions, especially in Blackjack.   

SHILL - A fake player hired by the casino to play games -- to entice real players, who do not want to play alone -- to jump in.  Shills are usually gorgeous, decked-out women who are there to lure high rollers into the Baccarat pits. 

SHOE - A device that holds multiple decks of cards.  Usually made of plastic.  It is designed to allow dealers to easily slide a card out one at a time. 

TABLE PLACARD - Each table will have a placard to indicate the table’s minimum and maximum wager limits.  Some will also include a brief list of rules, such as split limitations in Blackjack, or Odds allowed in Craps.  By all means check this placard out before buying-in.  There is nothing more embarrassing than sitting down at table, asking for $20 worth of cheques and discovering that the table minimum is $25 for one wager. 

TILT - Ever play pinball and bang the side of the game and the TILT light flashes and the game freezes?  In gambling tilt is like having that flashing go off in your head when you are constantly losing.  Non-disciplined gamblers tend to start the chasing and losing their cool until it is too late.  Either they lose everything or lose their temper.  Both have happened to me and it is a frightening experience. 

TOKE - Another name for a dealer tip.  Hey, reefer addicts -- this does not mean you can get high with the dealers -- not in the casino anyway.  It is a good idea to tip dealers; they may become your ally and sometimes even help you out in various ways. 

VIGORISH (VIG) - See House Advantage. 

WHALE – What casinos call their biggest and wealthiest players.