Baccarat & Sic Bo Terminology: A Complete Glossary

List of Baccarat Terminology

A

Action – A term that is used in all forms of gambling, this simply means to have placed a bet. If you have placed a bet then you have action in the game.

B

Baccarat – As well as being the name of the game Baccarat also refers a hand of cards which is all 10s, Kings, Queens, and Jacks. These have no value in the game so this is the worst hand you can get.

Banco – The player who is acting as dealer in a particular game. The word is the Spanish term for banker.

Banco Prime – The player who is banco is the first to place a bet in the game after which the others can place a wager by calling banco. If more than one player calls at the same time then priority is given to the player on the dealer’s right who is known as ‘banco prime’.

Banker Bet – Baccarat has three possible bets with one of them being a banker bet. This usually offers the best odds but a %5 commission is deducted.

Bankroll – This is the amount of money a player has available with which to play.

Banque – A version of Baccarat that is very popular in Europe, this uses two tables with the banker sat in the centre.

Burning – A the start of the game a certain number of cards are discarded from the top of the deck, this is known as ‘burning’ the cards.

C

Caller – This is a member of casino staff who deals additional cards, and ‘calls’ the points.

Carte – The French word for card this is the equivalent of “hit me” in Blackjack and means that a player is requesting another card.

Chemin De Fer – A version of Baccarat popular in Europe which appeared in the late 19th century, the name comes from the French for Railway.

Cheques – Baccarat uses special chips to denote the amounts being bet and these are known as ‘cheques’.

Cheval – A type of bet in baccarat which is played by two players with both of them needing to win. If one player wins but the other loses then this is a ‘standoff’.

Commission – A banker bet is subject to a %5 commission which means that if the bet was to pay out $10, 50c would be taken off the total payout.

Coup – The term for a round of play in baccarat.

Croupier – The French word for dealer which has now been adopted by casinos around the world.

Cut – After the cards have been shuffled the deck is split in half into two piles face down. This is known as ‘cutting’ the cards.

Cut Card – A special card that a player inserts into the deck to show where the dealer should ‘cut’ the cards.

D

Dealer – This is the person who distributes the cards. In ‘chemin de fer’ this would be the player acting as banker but in other versions it could be a croupier.

Deux Tableau – Meaning ‘two tables’ this is another name for the variation of the game known as baccarat banque.

Discard Tray – When the cards are removed or ‘burnt’ at the start of the game the unwanted cards are placed in a discard tray.

Dragon Bonus – As well as betting on player or banker a ‘dragon bonus’ is a side bet which pays out if the hand is won with an 8 or 9, or if the winning margin is more than four points.

F

Face Cards – Cards such as the King, Queen and Jack are known as face cards. These have no point value in baccarat.

Flat Bet – This refers to when a player bets the same amount of money on a winning and losing hand.

H

Hand – The cards dealt to players in one round of the game.

High Roller – A player who bets a large amount of money.

House Edge – This refers to the mathematical advantage that the casino has in the games it offers. It ensures that the casino is able to make a profit over time.

L

La Grande – In French this means ‘the big one’ and is the best possible hand in baccarat.

La Petite – French for ‘the little one’ this is the second best possible hand.

Ladderman – This is a casino employee who oversees the game of baccarat.

Loss Bet – A bet against the bank has a higher ‘house edge’ so is known as a ‘loss bet’.

M

Match Play – A bonus offered by the casino to players enabling a winning to bet to receive a greater payout.

Mini Baccarat – A smaller version of the game that allows for up to 7 players and a banker which usually has lower limits and fast gameplay.

Monkey – A slang version for a 10 or one of the ‘face cards’. These have no point value in baccarat.

N

Natural – When the initial cards dealt to a player total eight or nine. A ‘natural 9’ is the best hand a player can get with a ‘natural 8’ being the second best.

P

Palette – A wooden tool used by the croupier to move cards on the baccarat table.

Pass the Shoe – In every other casino card game the players do not touch the container holding the cards (the shoe), but in some versions of baccarat, the shoe passes from player to player indicating who is the banker in any given round.

Pit – The area in a casino that holds the gaming tables is known as a ‘pit’. In larger casinos there may be separate pits for each individual game whilst smaller casinos may only have one pit containing everything.

Player – In baccarat ‘player’ refers to one of the three types of possible bet, the others being ‘banker’ and ‘tie’.

Punter – In baccarat one person acts as the banker (banco) whilst the other players are referred to as ‘punters’.

Punto – The Spanish word for ‘player’ they bet against the banker (banko).

Punto Banco – This is the most common variant of baccarat played worldwide. The name refers to the different roles in the game, punters and banker.

Push – If neither hand wins or loses a bet is ‘pushed’ meaning the players can either leave it, remove it, switch it, or change it.

R

Railroad – Usually known by the French name ‘chemin de fer’ or chemmy in the United States, this is one of the versions of baccarat.

S

Shoe – The box holding the cards used in a casino game. A shoe can typically hold up to 8 decks of cards.

Shuffle – The action of mixing the cards to ensure that they end up in a random order.

Super Pan Nine – A variation of Baccarat popular in Vegas in which the 7’s, 8’s, 9’s and 10’s are removed from the deck.

T

Tie – One of the three possible bets with the others being ‘player’ and ‘banker’. Tie offers the best odds (8:1 or 9:1) but has a relatively high house edge of more than 14%.

V

Vigorish – The percentage of a players winnings deducted by the casino as a fee for running the game.

List of Sic Bo Terminology

A

Any Double – When a player bets on both dice showing the same number. Also known as any pair this pays out at 11:1.

Any One Number – A bet that one of the three dice will be a specific number. If it happens once the payout is relatively low (1:1) but if it comes up consecutively then the payout increases to 2:1 for twice in a row and 12:1 for three times in a row.

Any Triple – An unlikely outcome and therefore with good odds of 30:1, this is a bet that all three dice will display the same number.

B

Bet – The amount of money that a player wagers on the outcome of a throw of the dice.

Big – One of the options for betting on sic bo, this pays out if the total number on the dice add up to a number between 11 and 17. However, it doesn’t count if all three dice have the same number as this would have been ‘any triple’.

Birdcage – Also known as ‘chuck a luck’ or ‘grand hazard’ this is one of the variants of sic bo. However, it offers worse odds than sic bo driving up the ‘house edge’.

C

Cage – The device used to shake the dice before throwing them.

Chuck a Luck – One of the variants of sic bo. (see birdcage).

Combination Bet – A bet that two specific numbers will come up on the dice. Also known as a ‘pair match’, ‘pair bet’ or ‘two faces’.

Croupier – The casino employee in charge of the game.

Cup – A device to shake the dice before throwing them.

D

Dai Su – Meaning ‘big, small’ this is another name for sic bo.

Dice – A cube with six sides or faces each displaying a number from 1 – 6.

Dice Face – Each side of a dice is known as a face.

E

Even – A bet that the total number from all the dice will be an even one.

G

Grand Hazard – An alternative name for ‘birdcage’, a variant of sic bo.

H

High Low or Hi-Lo – In the Philippines sic bo is known as Hi-Lo.

House – A term used to refer to the casino or whoever is running the game.

House Edge – This is the mathematical advantage that the casino has due to the calculation of the odds. This equates to the casino’s profit margin.

L

Live Dealer – If an online casino has a real, live croupier via a video connection then it is known as a ‘live dealer’ casino.

Lose On Any Triple – If an ‘any triple’ result is thrown then all ‘big’ or ‘small’ best will lose even if the numbers add up to the correct amount.

Lucky Dice – An English translation of the name of sic bo, although its literal translation would be ‘precious dice’.

O

Odd – A bet that the total number from all the dice will be an odd one.

P

Pair Match – Another name for a combination bet, this is a bet on two specific numbers appearing.

Pay Table – The paytable lists all of the possible bets in the game and the payout that they will receive.

Payout – The amount of money received for a particular bet, this is calculated from the odds. Odds of 10:1 (ten to one) mean that for every $1 bet the winner will receive $10.

R

Random Number Generator or RNG – In an online casino if there is no live dealer using actual dice then the numbers on the dice throws are generated by software called a ‘random number generator’.

Re-Bet – to repeat the bet from the previous round.

S

Small – A bet that the sum of all the numbers displayed on the dice will less than 10 as long as the dice do not display a ‘triple’ (the same number on each dice).

Snake Eyes – Originally coming from craps this is a slang term for when two ones are thrown as the two single dots look like ‘snake eyes’.

Specific Double – As opposed to any double where it doesn’t matter which number comes up as long as it is the same on two different dice, here the player has to state which number it is.

Specific Triple – When the player bets that one specific number will come up on all of the dice.

Spin – A term for when the dealer starts to shake the dice before throwing them. At this point no more bets are allowed.

Strong Bet – A bet which is dependent on the results of all three dice, such as a triple. These are less likely but as a result offer much better odds.

T

Tai Sai – Another alternative name for sic bo.

Three Dice Total – A bet that all three dice will add up to a specific number.

Three Single Number Combination – A bet that the dice will display three specific numbers.

Two Faces – Another name for a combination bet.

W

Weak Bet – Betting on the outcome of only one or two dice, the opposite of a strong bet.

Y

Yee Hah Hi – A variant of Sic bo popular in Macau.