Casino gaming as a novice could be frightening for most people. You might be concerned about embarrassing yourself in front of others because of the new gameplay patterns and activities involved. It’s perfectly normal. As with any new hobby, gambling has its phrases and vocabulary, and you’re only getting started.
But don’t worry! Being familiar with some of the most common casino jargon allows you to present yourself as an experienced player. A variety of uncommon phrases are used in casino gaming. And if you are familiar with casino jargon and terms, we bet you’ll feel much more at ease when playing all forms of table games.
To make it easier for you to quickly look up the most often used gaming words, we have prepared a list for you on this page. There are some in-depth remarks, so if you pay attention to those, you will quickly get the attention of seasoned players, or “sharks,” as some like to call them.
Casino Terms Every Player Should Know
Here are the 12 common terms every player should know.
- Action
Casino play is referred to as action. Slot machines and table games with action include blackjack and roulette. A dealer may say aloud in a game – “the action is on you,” indicating that it’s your turn to take action.
Sportsbooks merely refer to the total amount wagered on a particular game. The phrase also refers to the sum of cash wagered during a session when used in casinos.
- Bet/Wager Limit
The amount you gamble on one round of blackjack or roulette is a bet, sometimes a wager. It also depends on how much you put into a slot machine spin. There are betting restrictions for several table games. For instance, you might decide to play at a blackjack table with a top wager of $10.
- Cage
With any luck, your trip to the casino will be profitable. If you do, the dealer will not pay you. You should proceed with your chips to the casino’s secure “cage,” where they are converted into cash. You must become accustomed to the cage if you’re gunning for a winning casino profile.
- Chips
The casino punter’s unit of exchange is the chip. Chips are usually available in different colors, sizes, and price values, and they are the tokens a player can use for playing casino table games.
You might frequently witness gamers, particularly poker card players, “juggling” them in their hands because it’s enticing to play with them. The fun part of chips is that only the casino where you bought the chips from can cash them out.
- Card Washing
Scrubbing the cards with soap and potable water is unnecessary to clean them. Instead, it occurs when the dealer distributes and mixes the cards before shuffling them.
This term from casino terminology is hardly used nowadays because most tables in contemporary casinos have purchased shuffling machines that run automatically for timelines.
- House Advantage/House Edge
The casino or house advantage is the modest statistical edge the venue has over you in each game you play. The house is the company that runs the casino. The phrase “the house always wins” may be familiar to you.
With time this term becomes accurate since the house edge — a programming feature that favors the house in every casino table game and the slot machine, is always present. Without a house advantage, the casino’s internal finances go low and eventually could go out of business.
- Whales
Bosses of casinos adore whales. A great plus upon high rollers, these are individuals who are extremely rich in stakes. People travel to a casino with large sums of money to bet. As long as there’s fun and they enjoy their leisure time, they don’t care whether they win or lose.
- Comps
Make sure to join the rewards club anytime you stop by a casino. As you play, you accumulate points called the ‘comps’. These points can eventually be exchanged for a physical reward, like a free meal or a discount on hotel accommodations near a casino.
For online gaming, comp points can be exchanged for other benefits and used to advance to VIP status or increase your level of loyalty to the platform.
- Card Sharp
A player who excels at various card games is called a card sharp. When playing blackjack, you can enjoy playing with a card sharp because he would only focus on securing the dealer’s money; but, when playing poker, you should avoid him because he will be taking your money.
- Bankroll
Your bankroll is the sum of money kept exclusively just for wagering. It’s the total amount of money that most players wish to stake on a single casino trip. However, a bankroll is also the entire sum they use for “work” if they are professional players.
- Buy-In
The casino token equivalent, or chips, must be exchanged for cash when you are ready to sit in for table games. The buy-in is the total amount you invest. It’s the entry fee for poker tournaments.
- The Pit Boss
If you are a regular patron of gaming houses, you’ll notice a well-dressed staff member deployed at a station close to the dealers as you sit at a blackjack table. That is the pit boss, and he is the person in charge of ensuring that there is fair play on every playing table.
Conclusion
We have outlined the 12 common casino terms every player should know. You will quickly become accustomed to these gaming jargons after a few trips.
You can learn a few more terms by studying the casino glossary of terms online or through books.