Gambling Sayings and Quotes. Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old gambling quotes, gambling sayings, and gambling proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources. True luck consists not in holding the best of the cards at the table; luckiest is he who knows just when to rise and go home. This is gambling money or risk money, as opposed to the money you live on. Base Deal: Cheating by dealing from the bottom of the deck. Belly buster: An inside straight draw. Berry Patch (U.S) An extremely easy game. Big Blind: In flop games, two bets are usually posted before any cards are dealt.
Poker Phrases
Despite its huge popularity all over the world, poker can be difficult for new players to get into. Playing casino poker online means you might not have anyone to dish out essential advice. In the casino, people can take the game very seriously and it's enough of a battle just to keep a straight face! As with other card games, poker has its own terminology and gambling words that could leave you more than a little stumped. Luckily, we've translated some of the most useful phrases for you.
The Ante
Before the first hand is dealt, everyone playing must make a small bet. This will go into the pot contributing to the winnings. This is called the ‘ante' and it comes from the Latin word meaning ‘before'. It is similar to a ‘blind' in that they are both forced bets. However, the difference with a ‘blind' is that only a couple of players have to make a bet, as it rotates around the table.
Call or Raise?
If you want to ‘call' it means that you are willing to match the bet the player before you placed. By doing this, you get to stay in the game without raising the stakes. If you're feeling a little more confident, you may well want to ‘raise'. This just means that you want to bet higher than the previous player. This raises the stakes for everybody, as other players will have to match that bet.
What to Do with a Bad Hand
There are a couple of options available if you think the game is running away from you. You could ‘bluff' by calling or raising on your bad hand. Deceiving your fellow players can help you to stay in the game longer. You'll have to keep a deadpan poker face for this, as you might get rumbled! If you're absolutely done with the game then you'll have to ‘fold'. This means that you're out of the game and surrendering your hand.
Roulette: The Run Down
Roulette is a pretty simple game. Just pick your number and which that little ball go, right? That doesn't mean it's not a minefield of jargon that you have to be in the loop to understand. Get ahead of the game with these essential roulette terms.
The Roulette Wheel
First of all, it's a good idea to know what the different parts that make up the roulette wheel are called. The croupier you will spin the wheel, and then spin the ball in the opposite direction into the Backtrack. Sometimes known as the Ball track, this is the outside rim of the wheel. The ball will go round and round the wheel until it loses momentum. Then it will head towards the middle of the wheel, passing through a section containing deflectors. These little raised diamond shapes are designed to throw the ball off course. The ball will then come to rest in a pocket marked with a color and a number. It is up to the player to predict the color or number correctly.
The Croupier
Before you even get started on your game, you'll need to know what a croupier is. When you're playing a casino game, whether it's roulette, blackjack or some other card game, the croupier is the dealer. It's their job to deal and manage the game. If you're lucky enough to win, the croupier will assist you with your payout too. In roulette, it is the croupier who will spin the wheel and place a chip on your chosen number.
Chips and Checks
You will use chips to place your bets. The chips will have a value applied to them for the table. Each player will have their own colored chips so that they can tell them apart. You can choose how many chips you want to buy in. For instance, if you'd like to buy in for $100, you might get 10 chips worth $10 each. During play, you will keep your chips in the check rack. This is sometimes called a check tray or a well. When you're asking the croupier for chips, you simply ask for a stack. A stack is usually twenty chips.
Inside and Outside Bets
A single or straight bet simply means that the player is betting on one number on the wheel. An inside bet is a bet on the numbers on the inside of the betting surface. Examples of inside bets include straight bets, street bets and split bets. A ‘street' is a bet on three consecutive numbers, e.g. 3, 4, 5. A ‘split' is a bet on two numbers that are horizontally or vertically adjacent to one another on the table, e.g. 16 and 17 or 27 and 30. These types of bets are all linked by being numerically based on the table layout– they're inside bets. An outside bet is placed on the outer area of the betting table. These tend to bring more frequent wins with lower payouts because they are broader. Choosing odd or even, red or black are examples of outside bets.
Getting to grips with Blackjack Terms
Blackjack is a strategic card game popular all over the world. Unlike many other card games, players do not play against one another. Instead, each player takes it in turns to play against the dealer. Some people practice card counting – a technique which requires remembering cards that have been shown to make educated guesses about which cards are left. Be aware that while this technique might be useful, some casinos will remove players found to be counting cards from the game. There are lots of terms associated with this game but don't worry, we'll go through the most important here. Alternatively, check out our blackjack glossary for more info.
Blackjack – the name of the game?
You might think this one is obviously the name of the card game, but it also has a more important meaning. ‘Blackjack' is what the dealer will say when someone gets face-up cards to the exact value of 21, winning the pot. While we're on the subject of names, Blackjack is the most widely used name, but it has several others, including Pontoon, Twenty One and Vingt-et-Un. Don't let this last one confuse you – it's just French for twenty-one!
Hole Card and Up Card
When playing, you'll notice that while your cards will be facing up, the dealer usually has one card face down and one card face up. These are respectively the hole card and the upcard. The face-up one should give you some indication of your chances of success.
Going bust
‘Bust' of ‘busted' is a term you will hear used when a hand has exceeded a value of twenty-one – whether the dealer or the players. The word originally comes from a form of cuss or swearword.
Insurance
When you're playing, you might reach a point when things aren't going the way you want them to but you think the dealer's hand will equal exactly twenty-one. This is when you'll need the term ‘Insurance'. If you place an insurance bet and the dealer gets a blackjack, you stand to win 2:1 on your original bet.
Surrender
Finally, if it doesn't look like things are going well then you can choose to surrender. This play will allow you to lose half your original bet. Of course, it's better than going bust but you're forfeiting your chance to bring chips your way, so make sure to use this play tactically!
Slots – the gambling words you need to know
Slots are wildly popular on the casino floor and on online casinos. Due to their nature of being a solitary, one player game they don't have as many specific gambling words associated with them as some other casino games, however, we thought we'd go over one of the basics so you're covered. If you'd like more words to learn, our page on common features in slot games, which have specific names.
Return to Player or RTP
If you're just sitting down to relax playing a game of slots you might not want to be having to get your head around statistics and percentages, but the RTP is as simple as they come. Basically it is the percentage of what the player can expect to earn back from the slot machine over a period of extended play. It lets you know the house edge of a game on average. Of course, you won't be playing for the many thousands of spins used to determine this number, so if the RTP is 92% you can still stand a solid chance of going home with a few more dollars in your pocket!
Now to use your new found knowledge!
Once you get your head around these terms you can enter the casino with your head held high, safe in the knowledge that you're on the same level as everyone else there. Of course, depending on your interest there are many other gambling words that you will become familiar with. Whether you game of choice is poker, blackjack or roulette, the best way to learn in-depth is to spend some time around the table, talking with players and the dealer until you become a casino vocab pro. Whether you're playing at your favorite land-based casino or at your leisure online, we're sure these phrases will come in useful! If you would still like to learn more, you can find other useful phrases on our baccarat terms page.
The slot machine is by far the most popular and profitable casino game, and with slot machines dominating the online, mobile, and social markets, there's been a resurgence in interest in the one-armed bandit. This glossary covers terms used by slot players and the slot machine industry. We've included an example of each word used in a sentence. Are slot machines rigged. Newcomers to the world of slot gaming should familiarize themselves with the terms below before they head to the casino.
| 243 Ways to Win slot: | a game that doesn't consider pay lines when determining wins and payouts. Instead, winning combinations of symbols can appear anywhere on the screen. |
'Spend a little extra time reading the pay table of that game – it's a 243 Ways to Win slot.'
| Action: | refers to a gambler's total amount played, plus any amount they've won or lost for a given session. |
'Your slot club card rewards you with comps based on your action.'
| All pays slot: | a category of games that don't use the traditional pay line system to determine winnings. |
'If you're bored with traditional games, look for one of the new all pays slots available online.'
| Basic slot: | games with few features, a single pay line, and a fixed top jackpot. |
'Fans of retro gaming will find themselves drawn to the classic styling of the casino's basic slots.'
| Bet Max: | to place a wager equal to the largest possible bet for a particular slot. Many slots also have a 'bet max' button on case that allows gamblers to quickly place the game's top per-spin wager. Often required to gain access to a game's largest payouts. |
'You can squeeze in a lot more playing time if you wager using the Bet Max button.'
| Betting unit: | refers to hitting a slot's top-paying combination of symbols. |
'Managing your slot bankroll starts with working out how many betting units you can afford to spend per hour.'
| Big hit: | refers to hitting a slot's top-paying combination of symbols. |
'You should have seen the slot hosts come running after Aunt Mary got that big hit.'
| Bonus feature: | a side game or other special activity distinct from a game's regular mode. Can include things like wild symbols, scatter symbols, and free spins. |
Vegas crest casino. 'More and more, slot designers are producing games with skill-based bonus features.'
| Buy-a-pay slot: | a game in which each coin you wager activates a new tier of payouts. Placing the maximum number of coins leads to the largest payouts. |
'The buy-a-pay slot is the most misunderstood game on the casino floor.'
| Carousel: | a name for a group of slot machines sharing a common feature, usually denomination. |
'The first thing I look for when I walk into a new casino is a penny slot carousel.'
| CICO: (Coin In, Coin Out) | an industry term referring to the total number of credits played in and paid out of a machine. |
'You can get an idea of your total CICO for a given slot by analyzing the points on your slot club card.'
| Coins: | another term for 'credits.' Slots accept credits in a variety of denominations, from a penny to five dollars and more. |
'This game's bonus feature pays a special multiplier prize based on the total number of coins wagered.'
| Coin size: | refers to a gambler's chosen denomination, the amount that each coin (or credit) is worth. |
'Some slots allow you to select your coin size, others set a fixed-price value for each coin.'
| Comps: | short for 'compensated items,' comps are freebies given to slot players by the casino as a reward for their loyalty. Players must join a slot club and swipe their card before playing each machine in order to have their action tracked. Comps range from free drinks and room upgrades to larger prizes, depending on how much a player spends. |
'Earning slot club comps shaves a tiny fraction off the casino's built-in advantage.'
| Console slot: | games with built-in features designed to be more comfortable for the player. These days, console slots have screens which can be placed in different angles, built-in seats, and customizable brightness settings. |
'Grandma said she prefers to play the console slots, even though they're a little more expensive.' Bingo slot machines games.
| Credits: | another word for 'coins.' When gamblers insert a $20 bill in a slot machine, that cash is converted into credits, based on the coin size of the game. |
Huuuge casino apk. 'Fifty credits per spin is too rich for my blood.'
| Denomination: | the value of each credit. Some games feature fixed credit values, others allow you to choose your denomination. |
'The only benefit to using a higher denomination is a larger set of possible payouts.'
| Double symbol: | a symbol (or set of symbols) that doubles a payout when it's part of a winning combination. Triple symbols are also common. |
'Slots that use double symbols and triple symbols are perceived as more exciting than slots that don't.'
| Fixed-value slot: | games in which the betting amount and/or coin size cannot be altered. Some of these games allow for multiple credit wagers, which gives the player some control over the size of each spin. |
'Fixed-value slots make it easier to manage your slot bankroll, though they limit your options as a player.'
| Free spin: | a bonus feature in which the player earns one free round of play. |
'Wouldn't you know it – I spent all that cash and then finally hit a jackpot during a free spin.'
| Fruit machine: | UK slang term for slot machine. Most games of this type are basic slots with few features. |
'I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the classic fruit machines found in British pubs.'
| Hit frequency: | a theoretical number referring to how often a given slot machine pays out a prize of any amount, relative to the total number of games played. |
| Hold percentage: | a theoretical number that refers to the amount of a player's money a slot machine retains. |
'Theoretically, a machine programmed to have a 95% hold percentage will keep 5% of all the money a player feeds into it.'
| Jackpot: | either the highest-value prize paid out by a given slot machine, or (used more generically) any prize paid out by a machine. |
'You have to bet five coins per spin to gain access to the jackpot – it's a buy-a-pay slot.'
| Line bet: | the number of active pay lines on a given multi-payline slot. |
'I try to always place a max line bet on progressive slots.'
| Linked progressive slot: | a slot that pays out an ever-increasing top prize connected to a network of two or more games. These games produce larger progressive jackpots because more players are paying into them. |
'Linked progressive slots are placed prominently on the casino floor to attract attention.'
| Low-level slot: | any game that includes a built-in seat or chair. |
'You don't find nearly as many low-level slots in Atlantic City as you do in Las Vegas.'
Gambling Phrases Idioms
| Multiplier: | a specific type of bonus slot feature where a payout is increased, usually between 2x and 10x. |
'I like this slot's multiplier feature – I just wish it came up more often.'
| Near-miss: | player slang for a result that's incredibly close to a payout. |
Gambling Phrases
'I needed five cherry symbols for the jackpot, and only got four. Talk about a near-miss.'
| Nudge slot: | games that include a particular bonus feature in which near-miss combinations are occasionally bumped into a winning combo. |
'Nudge slots are exciting because it seems like you win more often, even though the odds are adjusted to take the nudge effect into account.'
| One-armed-bandit: | popular slang for a slot machine. |
'I got robbed by the one-armed bandit all weekend.'
| Payback percentage: | a theoretical number that refers to the amount of money a particular slot machine will return to a player. Because this number is based on an infinite number of wagers, it should be used only as a guide. |
'Progressive slots and games with lots of bonus features generally have a lower payback percentage than traditional slots.'
| Pay line: | an invisible line that moves across the reels of a slot. Winning combinations only pay out prizes when they appear on one of these invisible lines. Must be activated by the player, usually with a wager. Sometimes spelled 'payline.' |
Caesars palace room and show packages. 'If I had all fifty pay lines activated, that last win would have paid my mortgage for six months.'
| Payout: | the amount paid by a slot for a specific combination of symbols. Sometimes spelled 'pay out.' |
'Reading a slot's pay table is a simple matter of finding a winning combination and reading the payout listed next to it.'
| Pay table: | a chart posted on the slot machine's case (or on the display) that indicates the payout for various winning combinations, as well as any specific game or bonus rules. |
'You can tell how much variance a slot has by reading its pay table and comparing the payouts to one another.'
| Penny slot: | a slot which accepts pennies as its basic denomination. Because of the cost of activating multiple pay lines, most modern penny slots don't really cost $0.01 per spin. |
'If you don't have a lot of money to waste, there's a penny slot on the casino floor with your name on it.'
| Pokie: | Australian slang term for 'slot machine.' |
Casino Words And Phrases
'When he called the slot machine a ‘pokie,' I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.'
| Progressive slot: | a game with an ever-increasing jackpot built from tiny portions of all the wagers played into it. |
'This progressive slot has been taking my money for years – maybe today's my lucky day.'
| Real stop slot: | a game that allows players to skill-stop each reel, one at a time. Rare on casino floors these days. |
'The reel stop slots of the 1970s added a new skill dimension to slot play, but weren't all that popular with players because of their reduced payouts and small jackpots.'
| Reels: | refers to the sets of symbols that spin and stop to determine winning combinations. |
'Old-school slot machines had just three reels, while most modern games have five or more sets of spinning symbols.'
| RNG: (Random Number Generator) | a piece of software that produces random numbers within a certain range. Used by modern slot machines to randomize results. |
'The use of Random Number Generator software gave game designers the freedom to produce increasingly complicated and feature-laden slots. '
| Scatter symbol: | a symbol that doesn't have to appear in any specific combination or on any specific reels or lines in order to trigger a bonus feature. |
'Usually, a specific number of scatter symbols must appear to trigger a bonus or prize.'
| Second-screen bonus: | an industry term that refers to video slot game features that take place on a separate screen from the standard slot game. |
'Modern licensed games depend on video scenes and second-screen bonus games to attract players familiar with the brand.'
| Short win: | refers to hitting a combination that should lead to a huge jackpot, but doesn't because of a low-credit or low-denomination wager. |
'Sure, you can play nickel slots for a nickel per spin, but all your jackpots will be short wins.'
Catchy Gambling Phrases
| Slot club: | member's-only programs offered by casinos to track their play in exchange for comps and other rewards. |
'Joining the slot club won't cost you a thing and could lead to some nice freebies.'
| Slot host: | a casino employee whose job it is to assist serving customers at slot machines. Usually performs all necessary hand-pays. |
'Tipping your slot host after a big win is considered proper etiquette – how much you tip is up to you.'
| Slot machine: | a gambling game that pays prizes based on random combinations of symbols. |
'The slot machine is America's greatest contribution to the world of gambling.'
| Slot tournament: | an event that brings slots players together to compete for a set of specific prizes on a pool of specific games. |
'I love this casino's promotions – especially the weekly $10,000 slot tournament.'
| Spin: | refers to one round of slot machine play. |
'As a low-roller, I'm most comfortable betting about $0.50 per spin.'
| Symbols: | images on the reels of a slot machine that must be lined up in various combinations to win. Can be anything – traditional symbols include fruit, numbers, and playing cards. |
'The best symbol on this game is the game's logo itself, which acts as a scatter and a wild at the same time.'
| Tilt: | a slot malfunction that usually requires the attention of a host and possibly a mechanic. |
'I was in a good rhythm and then the machine tilted and I had to switch games.'
| TITO: (Ticket In, Ticket Out) | refers to a specific type of slot game that prints a ticket with your winning amount when you cash out. Can then be inserted in a different machine to continue playing. Most modern casinos have switched to the use of plastic cards rather than tickets. |
'You wouldn't believe how many people leave behind tickets in TITO slots.'
| Total bet: | refers to the total number of credits multiplied by the chosen denomination. |
'I was betting a nickel per credit and betting the fifty pay line max, for a total bet of $2.50 per spin.'
| Video slots: | refers to a category of slot games that use a video screen to display virtual reels. The vast majority of slots on modern casino floors are video slots. |
'You hardly ever see anything but video slots these days – but I miss the spinning reels of the basic slots.'
| Wide-area progressive: | games with ever-increasing jackpots, linked between different online or land-based casinos. They the largest of all possible progressive payouts, since a huge number of people are paying into their jackpots. |
'The largest jackpot in Vegas history was won on a wide-area progressive slot machine.'
