Casino Chip Terminology
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- Casino Chip Terminology Meaning
- Casino Chip Terminology Definition
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Looking to play the best casino games with your casino chips? While playing the best online casinos you could win a lot of chips into your casino bank account! Enjoy the thrills of the best online casinos in Australia, when you play for real money online in AUD or take some good advice on where to play pokies online. GLOSSARY OF TERMS 86'd (eighty-sixed): The act of getting booted from a casino for cheating. Action: Sum total of your winnings. All in: In poker, to put your last remaining chips into the pot. Ante: In poker, a small portion of the minimum bet that each player is required to put into the pot before a new hand starts.
Action – Amount of money wagered, either the total amount of bets made over a period of time or the amount staked on a single bet.
Advantage – An expected win rate expressed as percentage of total money wagered.
Advantage Player – One who uses strategy to gain a mathematical advantage over the House.
Ante – A minimum bet required of a player to be able to play.
Apron – The outer edge of a casino game table layout.
Autoplay – An option in electronic games to allow bets to be placed automatically for a fixed number of turns.
Baccarat – A casino card game played against the House or other players; the object is to hold 2 or 3 cards totally as close to nine points as possible. The name of the game, which comes from the Italian word for “zero” and also describes the worst hand possible, totaling zero.
Bank – May refer to the casino’s stacks of chips; the last hand to be dealt and act; or the financial backer of the game, i.e., the casino or House.
Banker – The position at the table accepting wagers and distributing payouts, typically the dealer; in Baccarat—one of two playing positions, taking action after the Player position.
Bankroll – The total amount of money a player has available for wagering during a session of play.
Bet – A wager; the amount of money put at risk with the intention of winning more money.
Bet Spread – The difference between a player’s minimum and maximum bets.
Betting Order – The order in which players make their bets.
Black – A $100 casino chip.
Blackjack – A casino card game played against the House; the object is to form a hand of cards totaling as close to twenty-one points as possible without going over; massy also refer to a two-card hand containing an Ace and any card valued at 10; also known as a “Natural.”
Bones – Slang term for dice.
Bonus – Extra chips or credits given to a player for free or as a reward for some action.
Bonus Round – In slot play, a feature offering the opportunity to win a bonus that is separate from the basic game.
Buck – Slang term for a wager of $100.
Burn – To discard several cards at the beginning of a new shoe.
Burn Card – Any card removed from the deck after the shuffle.
Buy in – The act of converting cash into chips for the purpose of gambling; also refers to tournament entry fees.
Cage – The cashier area, where chips may be purchased or cashed in.
Card Counting – In Blackjack, keeping track of the cards in a deck in order to gain an advantage during play.
Cardsharp – An expert at playing cards.
Caribbean Stud – A casino table game based on Poker, but played at a Blackjack-type table against the House instead of other players.
Chart – A written summary of optimum plays for any particular game.
Chemin de Fer – Literally “railway” in French, this is the original French version of Baccarat, with players taking turns being the Bank.
Chips – Multi-colored casino tokens used in place of real currency for gambling.
Color In or Color Up – To exchange smaller chips for larger denominations preparatory to leaving the table.
Comps – Short for “complimentary,” this refers to gifts given to players to thank them for their play.
Craps – A casino game played on a felt covered table with two, 6-sided dice; the object is to roll certain point totals, such as seven or eleven when starting out; also refers to rolls that total 2, 3, or 12.
Croupier – A dealer or casino employee who collects and pays bets or otherwise assists at the gaming tables; commonly used to refer to staff at Roulette, Baccarat and Craps tables.
Cut – The act of splitting a deck into two groups of cards, typically performed after the shuffle and before to dealing.
Deal – To distribute cards to players during a card game.
Dealer – A casino employee who manages a table game, most often one who distributes cards; also used to refer to the Croupier at other games.
Deck – The standard 52 cards used in blackjack.
Dime – Slang term for a $10 chip.
Discard Tray – A receptacle on the dealer’s right that holds all of the cards played or discarded.
Discards – All of the used or burned cards removed from play.
Down Card – A card dealt face down.
Draw – The act of taking an additional card in games like Baccarat, Blackjack or Video Poker; may also be used as an alternative term for “Push” or “Tie.”
Drop – For players, money lost; for the casino, money won; also an alternative term for
Edge – The odds favoring the casino; also referred to as Advantage or House Edge.
Egalite – The French term for “Tie.”
Even Money – Odds of 1 to 1; a bet that wins the same amount as was bet originally; in Blackjack, an automatic 1-to-1 payout for a blackjack when the dealer shows an Ace.
Expectation – The amount a player can expect to win or lose on a bet, expressed as a percentage.
Face Cards – The Jack, Queen, and King of any suit, each having a value of zero; also called “Court Cards,” “Paint” or “Pictures.”
Fade – To match the wager made by an opposing player or the Bank.
Fish – Slang term for a novice or poor player; one who always loses money.
Flat Betting – To wager the same amount on every hand, without variation.
Fold – To drop out of play, abandon the hand and surrender any wagers made.
Gambler – One who takes risks, such as playing games of chance for money.
Green – A $25 casino chip; or sometimes in the U.S., “folding money.”
Hand – The cards held by a player; also, all that happens between deals.
Heads Up, Heads On, or Head-to-Head – A single player seated alone against a dealer.
High Roller – A person who makes very large bets.
Hit – To add a card to a hand; also see “Draw.”
Hole Card – An unexposed card, sometimes referred to as a “Down Card.”
House – A reference to the casino or the operator of a casino game; also in Britain, another name for “Bingo.”
House Edge – Usually expressed as a percentage, the mathematical advantage over players that the rules of the game give a casino; also see “Advantage” and “Edge.”
House Rules – The set of regulations governing a particular game at a particular table, including how the dealer’s hand must be played, betting limits, amount of buy-ins, etc.
Insurance – In Blackjack, aside bet that the dealer has a blackjack, available only when the dealer’s up card is an Ace.
Insurance Bet – Two or more wagers that partially cover one another.
Jackpot – A bonus or large payout for winning on a certain bet, often applied to slot games.
Kelly Betting – The practice of wagering a percentage of a bankroll equal to the percentage advantage.
Keno – A lottery-type game played with a card of 80 numbers; players attempt to predict which of 20 numbered balls will be drawn.
Layout – The surface of a gaming table, with markings indicating where to place bets.
Let It Ride – A casino card game based on Poker but played against the House rather than other players.
Limit – A preset maximum for wagers.
Limits – In table games, the minimum and maximum amounts that can be wagered on a single bet.
Loose – A game that pays out at a higher percentage than average, often applied to slot machine games; also see “Tight.”
Marker – Casino credit; an IOU signed by a player.
Max Bet – The highest bet that can be made; also in Slots, a button for making such a wager.
Maximum/Minimum – The limits on how much can be wagered on a single bet; also see “Limits.”
Money Management – The way a player handles a bankroll, for better or worse.
Multiple Deck or Multi-Deck – A card game played with two or more decks shuffled together.
Nickel – Slang for a $5 casino chip, also known as a “Red.”
Odds – A ratio describing the probability of winning (or losing); also may refer to the payout amount; in Craps, the amount for which a Pass Line bet may be backed.
Pai Gow Poker – A two-handed version of Poker played against the House rather than other players.
Paint – A face card—the Jack, Queen, or King; also called a “Picture.”
Parlay – Said of wagering, to leave winnings on a bet and active; aka “let it ride.”
Payline – On Slots, any line on the machine window where the symbols from each reel must line up to form a winning combination.
Payoff – The return or payback that the player gets for a winning wager.
Payoff Schedule, Payout Table or Paytable – A list of the values paid for winning combinations on slots or video poker games.
Payout – The amount of money paid for a win.
Picture – A face card—the Jack, Queen, or King; also called “Paint.”
Pigeon – Slang term for an uneducated, naïve, or unsophisticated player; also see “Fish.”
Pit – The area in a casino where the table games are located.
Pit Boss – The casino manager in charge of all the games and dealers in the Pit.
Play – To make an initial bet or to increase a wager.
Player – Anyone who participates in casino games; in Baccarat, one of two playing positions, taking action first, before the Banker position.
Playing Conditions – An alternative phrase for “House Rules.”
Poker – A variety of card games with shared betting rules and hand rankings, played against other players rather than against the House.
Pot – Especially in Poker, the total amount of bets made by all players at any given time.
Progressive – A type of jackpot based upon a prize pool that continually increases incrementally until it is won; most common in slots and video poker along with some table games, such as Caribbean Stud.
Punter – British term used to refer to a gambler; also a paying participant in a Baccarat game (as opposed to “Player,” which refers to one of the two opposing hands dealt).
Punto Banco – A variation of Baccarat popular in North America.
Push – Noun or verb to describe the player and dealer hands being of equal value, with no winner or loser declared; also known as “Tie” or “Draw” or “Stand Off”; in most games, the player’s wager is returned when a Push occurs.
Quarter – Slang term for a $25 casino chip, usually green in color.
Rack – A container for coins or chips.
Rail – The grooved wooden edge around the table, where players store their chips.
Railbirds – Slang for spectators.
Rake – A commission charged by the House, especially for dealing Poker games.
Rate – A term used by the casino regarding a player’s skill level, rate of play, average bet size, and other factors; comps are frequently determined by how a player is rated.
Red – A $5 casino chip, also called a “Nickel.”
Roulette – A casino game using a numbered wheel and corresponding field of numbers on which players bet, trying to predict where a ball will land when it is spun around the wheel.
Round – One complete deal, in which all players have acted on their hands, wins have been paid off, and losses collected.
Rounding – The act of rounding up or down the amount paid out.
Sabot – The French term for the “Shoe” that holds playing cards, especially in Baccarat.
Scared Money – Any bet a player cannot afford to lose.
Session – Any period of time for which a game is played without interruption or prolonged break.
Shoe – A special container that holds up to eight shuffled decks and is used by the dealer to dispense cards in a multi-deck game.
Shooter – in Craps, the player who is currently throwing the dice.
Shuffle – Randomly mixing up the order of the cards between deals.
Sic Bo – A table game played with three dice; the object is to predict the outcome when they are rolled.
Single Deck – A card game played with just one deck of 52 standard playing cards.
Slots – A form of electronic gaming based on lining up symbols that appear on spinning reels in order to win payouts at fixed odds.
Spanish 21 – A version of Blackjack that has no 10 cards in the deck.
Stack – A group of chips, one atop the other; in Roulette, a stack contains 20 chips in a column; in Poker, this refers to the total amount of chips a player holds at any given time.
Stake – The total amount of wagered by a player on a single round, hand, spin or deal.
Stand – In Blackjack, Baccarat or Poker, the act of drawing no card, accepting the value of the hand and refusing an additional card.
Stand-off – Another term for “Push.”
Stay – Another term for “Stand.”
Steaming – Used to refer to a losing blackjack player who has lost emotional control and begins betting wildly; also see “Tilt.”
Streak – A run of winning hands or losing hands.
Suit – One of the four groups of 13 cards in a deck: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds or Clubs.
System – Any mathematically based method of betting.
Table Game – A casino game for multiple players seated or standing around a table, which is controlled by a dealer or croupier.
Table Limits – Minimum and maximum wagers allowed at the table, aka “Limits.”
Table Stakes – Betting is limited to the amount on the table at any given time; players may not exchange cash for additional chips when a hand is in play.
Ticket – Another name for a card in Bingo or Keno; in sport betting, the receipt for a bet.
Tie – Alternative term for “Push.”
Tight – A game that pays out at a lower percentage than average, often applied to slot machine games; also see “Loose.”
Tilt – To play or gamble wildly or recklessly.
True Odds – The correct odds according to a probabilities chart as opposed to the payout odds for a winning wager.
Twenty-One or 21 – Alternative term for “Blackjack.”
Unit – A standard bet, often the table minimum.
Up Card – A card dealt face up.
Video Poker – A form of electronic gaming based on the card game known as Poker; the object is to obtain hands of high enough rank (such as a pair Jacks or better) in order to win payouts at fixed odds.
Vigorish or Vig – A commission taken by the House, such as the 5% charged by the House on the winning Banker hands in the game of Baccarat.
VIP – Acronym for a Very Important Person; may refer to exclusive high-limit areas of a casino.
Casino Chip Terminology Game
Wager – Any bet.
Whale – Slang term for the highest level of high roller, who makes extremely large wagers.
Wild Card or Wild – A Video Poker card or Slots symbol that can substitute for the value of other cards or symbols.
Win Rate – The average amount a player wins per hour.
[1-9]
86’d: Being thrown out of a casino usually due to suspected advantage play.
21: Having a hand that adds up to 21 but is not a blackjack.
21 (Game): The game of blackjack can also be referred to as 21.
A
Ace: The Ace card in blackjack is counted as a 1 or 11
Ace Poor: A point in the game where more aces than anticipated have been dealt. The deck is now considered ‘ace poor’.
Ace Rich: A point in the game where the number of aces in the pack/deck/shoe is more than expected.
Action: The total amount of money that a player has bet at a particular point in the game.
Advanced Omega II System: A counting system devised by Bryce Carlson in his book ‘ Blackjack for Blood’.
Advantage: Used to describe the expected theoretical value for the player or the casino in a given game. Example, A player may be said to have a 1% advantage in a given game, which means that he/she is expected to win 1% of the all the money.
Advantage Player: Someone that strategically bets only when there is a clear mathematical edge present in their favor.
Automated Shuffling Machine: A machine that shuffles cards after the shoe is finished.
B
Bet Behind: A bet placed by a spectator that has seat at the table or chooses not to take one. This wager is placed next to a player’s bet and is subject to the decisions taken by that player.
Back Count: Counting cards while not actually playing
Back off: This occurs when a player is asked to stop playing a particular game from one of the Casino’s employees. Read this post for an example of how this can happen.
Balanced Count: A counting system where the plus and minus cards balance each other out. If a deck were to be counted out to its end using this system, then the resultant total would be zero.
Bank: The total amount of money that has been set aside by a team of players for playing blackjack.
Barred: When a player has been prohibited entry to a casino.
Basic Strategy: These are the optimal decisions that a player makes in order to maximize the return based on the total in the player’s hand and that of the dealer’s upfront cards. See our basic strategy engine.
Bet Spread: This refers to the difference between the minimum and maximum bet of a player. For example a 1-5 bet spread would indicate that a player bets five times his minimum bet as his maximum.
Big Player: A player who relies on the counters to signal to him when to enter the game and make some big bets.
Biometrica: A service utilized by casinos to help them identify advantage players. Their website is located at https://biometrica.com/
Blackjack: Refers to the name of the game and the name of the best starting hand with an ace and a ten value card.
Blackjack Bonuses: These are promotions offered by online casinos as incentives to play. Usually the come in the form of offering to match your deposit with a bonus amount. Be wary that these often come tied to wage requirements.
Burn: To discard a card from the top of the deck/shoe/pack at the start of the game
Bust: To have a card total that exceeds 21
C
Cage: This is where the cashier resides to exchange your chips/money.
Camouflage: An action intended to hide advantage play or the fact that card counting is going on.
Cap: A form of cheating, this is when the player attempts to sneakily add to the bet after receiving a card.
Card Counting: Keeping track of the cards for the purposes of gaining an advantage.
Check: Refers to a casino chip.
Chip: A token at a casino that represents monetary value.
Civilian: A regular or average casino player who knows little or nothing about advantage play.
Clump: This term can be used to refer to a number of cards of the same value together in the shoe or cards that are bunched together which favor the player or the house heavily.
Color Up: When a player exchanges his lower value chips for higher denominations, usually before the time of leaving the table
Cooler: an expression for a deck of pre-arranged cards used to replace the casino’s original deck before being inserted into the shoe. It requires collusion with the pit crew and can be extremely profitable. It is also highly illegal and punished severely.
Count: The points total at any point in time is referred to as the count.
Cover: Camouflaging the fact that card counting is going on through the use of various techniques including deliberately betting using the wrong strategy for a short period of time.
Credit Line: The player can raise a marker for any amount up until the established credit and purchase chips to play with. This credit usually has to be cleared before the patron’s next visit to the casino. A casino may opt to give a customer a certain amount of time before depositing the check.
Crossroader: A colloquial term for a scam artist, hustler, or cheat.
Cut: To divide the cards into two different parts after the dealer has finished shuffling them. This is usually done by a player by inserting a plastic card into the deck. The dealer will reverse the two halves front to back after the cut has been performed to minimize any chance of cheating.
Cut Card: A plastic card that the dealer uses to cut the deck after finishing shuffling. The dealer will reshuffle the deck after reaching the cut card.
CVBJ: Acronym for Casino Vérité Blackjack which is software used to help you learn how to card count.
CVCX: Acronym for Casino Vérité Chapter X which is software used by card counters to run simulations.
D
DA2: Rule that outlines double on any two cards are allowed.
DAS: Rule that outlines double after splitting is allowed.
Deck: A set of 52 cards.
Casino Chip Terminology Meaning
Deck Penetration: The percentage of cards that has to be played out of a deck or shoe before the dealer reshuffles.
Deviations: A playing deviation from the basic strategy based on the count of the cards being dealt.
Double Down: A playing decision which results in the player doubling their original bet. The dealer is then required to deal just one more card to the player’s hand.
E
Early Surrender: A rule variation that allows the player the option to surrender their hand after receiving their two cards but only before the dealer has checked his/her own cards for a blackjack. The player would lose half the bet in such a scenario. Explained in further detail here.
Casino Chip Terminology Definition
Edge: Used to describe how much of an advantage a player (or the casino) has.su
Even Money: A wager where the bettor stands to win or lose the same amount of money.
EV: The “expected value” is the statistical theoretical value of a hand given an adequate amount of time.
F
Face Card: Any card that is a Jack, Queen or King.
False Shuffle: A cheating shuffling action by the dealer to maintain a certain order in which the cards are dealt.
First Base: The seat on the dealer’s far left which will receive the first dealt hand.
First-Basing: Being able to spot the cards that the dealer is getting from first base
Five Card Charlie: A rule where if a player draws 5 cards and doesn’t bust then they automatically win.
Flat Bet: Betting the same amount of money on successive hands of the game
Floorman: An employee of the casino which acts as a supervisor over the pit.
H
Half-Shoe: When the dealer is directed to cut the shoe penetration in half, effectively destroying any edge that a counter might have.
Hand: The cards held by a player/dealer.
Hard Hand: A hand with no Ace or one where the value of the Ace is 1.
Hard Total: The total numerical value of the cards in hand with Aces being counted as 1.
Hit: A playing decision requiring the dealer to deal another card to the player’s hand.
Hit 17: A blackjack rule where the dealer is expected to hit when dealt a soft 17.
High Roller: A person who makes large wagers.
Hole Card: The dealer’s face down card.
Hole-Carding: Being able to spot the dealer’s hole-card and then using it as a betting strategy. It provides one of the highest advantage edges if it can be done successfully.
House Advantage: The theoretical winning percentage of the casino against a player.
I-L
Index: In terms of card counting, the index refers to the integers on a deviation chart. The index helps a player determine when they should deviate from the basic strategy.
Insurance: This is a proposition bet that the dealer has a blackjack. It is independent of the main bet and pays 2:1 to the player. It is available when the dealer has an exposed ace on the table.
Casino Chip Terminology Games
Late Surrender: Late surrender means that the player may surrender his hand and lose half his bet only after the dealer checks for blackjack
Live Dealer: Refers to playing blackjack online with a streamed video of a casino dealer.
Martingale System: A popular betting system where you double your bet on a loss. For more details on whether this is effective visit this article.
N-R
Natural (blackjack hand): A player with an Ace and 10 value card as the first two cards dealt is said to have a natural blackjack hand. This usually pays out 3:2 on the player’s bet although house rules can vary from casino to casino.
NDAS: This is a rule which mean you are not allowed to double after splitting any hand.
Preferential Shuffle: When the casino can decide to shuffle up the deck whenever they want. This effectively destroys any edge that has been built up through card counting.
Push 22: Push 22 is a rule of blackjack where if the dealer draws 22, all hands that are still in play are considered a push. This is used in the blackjack variant called Free Bet Blackjack which was created by Geoff Hall
Ploppy: A typical, average, sucker blackjack player who has no knowledge of card counting and is unable to employ any winning strategy.
Rebuy: Usually applicable to online blackjack tournaments only, if you have been eliminated early in a tournament, you can rebuy to reenter for a nominal fee. You may or may not receive the same amount of chips that all players initially start with depending on the tournament rules.
Risk of Ruin: The mathematical chance of losing your entire bankroll.
Round: In Blackjack, a round begins when there are no cards on the table and the players have placed their bets. It ends with the hands dealt have been played through and the bets have been paid out.
Rogue Casino: An online casino that has been identified as having poor business ethics with the intention of cheating players.
Running Count: The total value of the count at any given time. This is the total which is used to arrive at the True Count.
S
Second Dealing: An action performed by the dealer to deal the second card instead of the top card in the shoe for the purposes of cheating. Interestingly BetOnline was accused of doing this in Feburary 2017.
Seven Card Charlie: A rule where if a player draws 7 cards and doesn’t bust then they automatically win.
Shoe: A gaming device which holds multiple decks of cards. Used by dealers in the casino to deal cards.
Shoe Game: A Blackjack game, usually multiple decks, being dealt from the shoe. Single or double deck games are usually dealt by hand.
Shuffle: An action to mix the order of the cards thoroughly.
Shuffle Tracking: Refers to an advantage play for hand shuffled decks. The idea is to steer high-cards towards the top of the deck and bet big from the get-go.
Soft Hand: Hand with an Ace that can be either 1 or 11.
Soft Total: The total of the cards which can use Ace as an 11 value card without going bust.
Split: The playing decision to split the card is available when the player is dealt two cards of the same value.
Spooking: A hole-carding strategy where one player communicates the information about the cards being dealt to the team.
Spotter: A member of a team of advantage players whose job it is to identify a good opportunity to bet to the Big Player.
Stand: Refusing another card being dealt on the player’s hand from the dealer.
Stand 17: A blackjack rule requiring the dealer to stand on a soft 17.
True Count: The count per deck is called the true count. It can be calculated by dividing the running count with the number of decks still left to be dealt.
T-W
Two-round: When the casino instructs the dealer to shuffle the cards every two rounds. This effectively destroys any card counting edge.
Vig: A colloquial expression for the house advantage on a game or the amount of fees collected from the players to be able to partake in a game.
Wash: A form of shuffling where the dealer mixes the cards face down on a table in a washing motion.
Whale: A casino term to denote a high-roller.
Wage Requirements: Applicable to online casinos, this denotes the requirements you must fulfil before you can withdraw any bonus you have claimed. These are often impossible to clear by playing blackjack only. Read our blackjack guide for more information.
Wonging: To back count at a table and only join in and place a bet when the situation has begun to favour the player. Read here for more info.