MintDice Blog Post Image

30 Gambling Terms You Should Know

Gambling is a thrilling world – and it takes some time to get to know. If you’ve spent time inside a casino, you will know that various casinos and games come with their terms. Some gambling terms you can push to the side, but others are valuable to understand if you want to fully participate in an adventure on the gambling floor.

If you’re interested in learning about some gambling terms you’ll encounter in the casino, you’re in the right place. Although we didn’t cover every term, we will dive into thirty to give you an excellent running start. Keep reading to learn a few of the words you need to know.

Romain Vignes Ywqa9 Izb D U Unsplash

1. Action

Action is a casino and sports betting term. When it appears in a casino, it means the total amount of cash bet during a particular betting session. When used in sports betting circumstances, it means how much bet on one event.

2. Apple

Apple is a term used in poker. It refers to the casino’s biggest poker game.

3. Arbitrage

Arbitrage is a term that appears in the sports betting world. When this word appears, it is talking about the odds. They are in favor of the gambler and reveal they can back either side and earn cash no matter what.

4. Bankroll

Bankroll is a general term used on the casino floor. It is the total money a person must bet and gamble.

5. Behind

Behind is a word you will find in poker. It means that the player has a hand that is weak compared to their opponents based on statistics, which means they are likely to lose.

6. Bluff Catcher

Bluff catcher is a poker term. It speaks about any poker hand that triumphs over a bluff hand.

7. Calling Station

Calling station is a poker term. It means you’re a person in a game who will continue to call throughout the process. 

Related: Bitcoin Gambling Slang Infographic

8. Carte

Blackjack is a game where a carte will appear. Carte is an older term. It means “a card” and is like “hit” - it’s a request for another card to be dealt in.

9. Chalk Player

Chalk player is a sports betting term. This individual will always go with favored teams in a bet.

10. D’Alembert

D’Alembert is a term you might hear in a casino. It’s an old technique based on mathematician Jean de Rond D’Alembert.

11. En Prison

En Prison is a roulette term. If the wheel lands on a zero, any bet you make is locked in the prison for an additional re-roll.

12. Eye-in-the-Sky

Eye-in-the-Sky is a casino term. It’s a technology used for the security of the casino floor, often to do things like catch card counters.

13. Fifth Street

Fifth Street is a poker term. If someone says you are at “fifth street”, they are saying you are in round three of your poker game.

14. Final Schnapps

Final Schnapps is a term in roulette. If you are betting on Final Schnapps, you have a bet on numbers 11, 22, or 33.

15. Grand Salami

Grand Salami is verbiage you will hear in sports betting. If you decide to bet on a Grand Salami, you bet on every goal scored during a betting day of hockey.

16. Hot Table

Hot Table is a term that comes up in the casino. It means that players playing intelligently at a table are the winners.

Pisit Heng F Qvad Xm A524 Unsplash

17. Idiot End

Idiot End is a poker term. If it comes up, the person saying it is talking about the low portion of a straight.

18. Juice

Juice is a term in sports betting. If someone refers to the “juice”, they are talking about the commission paid on the bets to a sportsbook.

19. Junket

You will find junket as a term in a casino. If someone calls you a junket, they are saying you’re a person who enjoys going to locations with the specific intent to high roll at a casino.

20. Limp

Limp is a term in poker. It means you are outright matching the big blind bet.

21. Martingale

Martingale is a general term in gambling. It is a progressive strategy where the player doubles the bet every time they lose and returns to a default bet size once they win.

22. Nina from Pasadena

Nina From Pasadena is a craps term. If someone says they are going with Nina from Pasadena, they mean your next roll will come up with a nine.

23. Pineapple

Pineapple is a poker term. It’s an alternate form of poker based on Hold ‘Em Poker, with more than one betting round.

Related: Cryptocurrency Terms: What Are They Talking About?

24. Pokies

Pokies is a slot term. If you’re in Australia, you’ll hear players call slot machines “pokies.”

25. Puppy

Puppy is a general gambling term. If someone calls you a pup or puppy, the individual is saying you are the underdog.

26. Rainbow

Rainbow is a term in poker. It means three out of four of your cards are different suits.

27. Scared Money

Scared money is a term in the casino environment. Any betting action is outside what you can purchase with your money.

28. Turkey

Turkey is a term you’ll hear in poker. If someone is a turkey, they are being rude to the dealer without any reason to be doing so - they haven’t been provoked.

29. Whales

Whale is a general term to understand in gambling. A whale in a game has a large bankroll but no skills, so they aren’t playing very well.

30. YW

YW is a general term. It’s simple - it means “You’re Welcome.”

Final Thoughts

From action to zero-sum game, there are ample terms to understand when stepping into the gambling world. Although it isn’t necessary to understand all of them, they will help you feel more confident in the room.

Hopefully, this information will come in handy at your next gambling adventure! There are ample terms to understand, but you’ll get the hang of them as you play. These will provide an excellent jumping-off point for your experience. 

You May Also Enjoy: Common Sports Betting Terms Explained

Gambling terms | Gambling lingo | Gambling vocab | Gambling jargon | Common gaming terms | Terms

Check out our games!

Wager cryptos with our provably fair casino games!