Table Game Terminology: A Complete Glossary

A

American Roulette – As well as the numbers 0–36 an American roulette wheel has a double zero segment, reducing the odds in favour of the house.

Ante – A bet that is required before the or at the start of a game. If a player subsequently increases this bet they are said to ‘up the ante’.

B

Baccarat – A popular table card game also known as baccara.

Banco – Spanish for ‘banker’ this refers to the player currently taking on that role in baccarat.

Banker Bet – One of the three possible bets in baccarat, the other are player and tie.

Banque – A version of baccarat popular in Europe

Biased Wheel – An unbalanced roulette wheel on which some numbers are more likely to appear than others

Blackjack – Probably the most popular casino card game, the aim is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over that number or ‘going bust’.

Block Betting – To bet on one of the groups of numbers displayed on a roulette table such as columns, dozens or corners.

Bust – To go over 21 in Blackjack thereby losing the game.

C

Cage – The area in a casino where chips are exchanged for cash.

Call Bet – A call bet is when a player calls out the bet but does not place chips on the table. For obvious reasons this is not allowed in most casinos.

Carr – The French term for a corner bet

Carte – The French word for card, this is the equivalent of saying ‘hit me’ and means a player is requesting another card.

Cash Out – To exit a game and collect your winnings

Chemin De Fer – The French term for railway, this also refers to one of the variants of baccarat.

Cheques –The chips used in a baccarat game

Cheval (Roulette) – The French term for a split bet

Cheval (Baccarat) – A bet in baccarat in which two players must both win.

Chips – The disks or pucks used by a casino to denote money.

Cold Deck – A slang term for receiving a run of unfavourable cards.

Colonne – The French term for a column bet

Colour Up – If a player has a lot of low denomination chips they may want to exchange them for higher value ones, this is known as ‘colouring up’.

Column Bet – The 36 numbers in Roulette are displayed on the table in three columns. Underneath these columns is a box marked 2 to 1 which are the odds for these types of bet. Placing a bet here will payout if the ball lands on any of the numbers in that column.

Commission – Some bets in a casino are subject to a commission which is paid to the casino. Details of this would be found in a games ‘paytable’.

Corner Bet – This is a bet on four numbers whose corners meet on the betting area, so they form a square.

Coup – One round of play in baccarat.

Craps – A dice game popular in casinos worldwide. Craps has a wide array of betting options.

Croupier – The member of casino staff responsible for a particular game, it is the French word for dealer.

Cut – To split a deck of cards.

Cut Card – A special card used to split a deck of cards.

D

Deax Tableaux – The French for ‘two tables’ this is another name for baccarat banque, one of the variants of baccarat.

Discard Tray – A tray on a gaming table into which unwanted cards are placed.

Discards – Cards that have already been dealt and are not eligible to be used again in the game.

Double Down – To double the initial bet.

Double Or Nothing – An even money bet whereby if you win you receive double your stake and if you lose you receive nothing.

Down Card – A card which is intended to be kept hidden from the other players, it is displayed ‘face down’.

Dozens – To bet on one of the three sets of 12 numbers on a roulette wheel as a block. This is very similar to a column bet but here the numbers are in sequence 1–12 etc. whereas each column is made up of every third number.

Dragon Bonus – A side bet in baccarat which pays out if the hand is won with an 8 or nine, or if it is won by a margin of more than four points.

E

En Plein – The French term for a straight up bet.

En Prison – In French roulette if the ball lands on zero they may apply the en prison (in prison) rule to any even money wagers. This means that the bet stays on the table and the wheel is spun again, if the player’s number comes up then their stake is returned but if it does not then it is forfeited.

European Roulette – In European roulette there are 36 numbers on the wheel and also a zero.

Eye In The Sky – Overhead cameras monitoring a casino.

F

Flat Bet (Baccarat) – To bet the same amount of money on a winning and losing hand in baccarat.

Flat Betting – Betting the same amount each time.

French Bets – A collective term for three different types of roulette bet each covering a certain portion of the wheel, Voisins du Zero, Tiers du Cylindre and Orphelins.

French Roulette – French roulette is played with the same wheel as European Roulette. However, it may also include the ‘la partage’ or ‘en prison’ rules and it uses French terminology.

H

Hand – The set of cards required for on round of a card game. If a player has been dealt good cards they are said to have ‘a good hand’.

High Roller – A player who bets large sums of money.

Hit – To request another card in a game of blackjack.

House Edge – This is the mathematical advantage in the odds that the casino has over players and produces the casino’s profits.

I

Inside Bets – Bets placed on the main block of the betting area in Roulette. It includes bets such as straight up, corner, street, and split.

J

Jackpot – The highest prize in a particular game.

Juice – Also known as Vigorish this is commission taken by the casino.

L

La Grande – The best hand in baccarat, it is French for ‘the big one’.

La Partage – If a casino uses the la partage rule for French roulette then if the ball lands on zero then the players will receive half of their stake on any even money bets.

La Petite – The second best hand in baccarat, French for the small one.

Ladderman – The casino employee who oversees a game of baccarat.

Layout  – The design on the surface of a casino game. Players make their bets by placing a chip in the relevant place.

Loss Bet – A bet against the bank in baccarat is known as a ‘loss bet’ due to its higher house edge.

M

Marker – A device used in roulette to indicate the winning number after a spin.

Max Bet – Short for maximum bet this is the largest amount that can be placed on a single wager.

Min Bet – Short for minimum bet this is the smallest amount that can be placed on a single wager.

Mini Baccarat – A smaller variation of baccarat in which the dealer always acts as banker.

Monkey – A slang term for a face card or ten in baccarat. These do not have any point value and so are seen as undesirable.

Multi Hand Game – A game in which a player can play more than one hand simultaneously.

N

Natural – This term is found in many games, in craps it refers to the shooter rolling a seven in the come out roll, whereas in baccarat it refers to a position being dealt a total of eight or nine.

O

Odds – The calculation used to work out the winnings of a particualr bet based on the mathematical probability of that result.

Orphelins – French for ‘orphans’ this roulette bet covers all of the numbers not covered by ‘Voisins du Zero’ and 'Tiers du Cylindre’, 17, 34, 6 and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9.

P

Palette – The wooden stick used by the croupier in baccarat.

Paytable – The financial information relating to a particular game such as the possible bets, odds and any commissions.

Pit – An area in a casino, depending on the size of the casino there may be a separate pit for each game or only one.

Pit Boss – The casino employee responsible for that particular area in the casino.

Pockets – Each of the portions of a roulette wheel on which the ball might land. These are the numbers 1–36 and, depending on the type of table, from 1–3 zeros.

Punter – In baccarat one player acts as banker with the others being ‘punters’. It is also a slang term for customer.

Punto Banco – The most common variant of baccarat. The name comes from the two types of player, punter and banker.

R

Roulette – A game where a ball is thrown onto a spinning wheel to select a random number. Players bet on the outcome of the spin.

S

Shoe – The container for the cards used in a casino game.

Shuffle – Before a game cards are ‘shuffled’ to ensure that they are in a random order.

Sign Up Bonus – Online casinos will often offer extra credits when you either sign up to an account or first deposit money.

Six Line – A bet covering the six numbers that appear on adjacent rows on a roulette layout.

Sixainne – The French term for a six line bet.

Split (Roulette) – A bet covering two adjacent numbers on a roulette layout.

Split (Blackjack) – In blackjack if you receive to cards of the same value you can split them into two separate hands which are played simultaneously.

Stake – The money a player places on a single bet.

Stand – This means that a blackjack player will does not wish to receive any more cards.

Straight Up – A bet on a single number in roulette.

Street – A bet made on a single row on a roulette layout.

Super Pan Nine – One of the variants of baccarat.

T

Tie – One of the possible bets in baccarat, the other being player and banker.

Tiers Du Cylindre – French for ‘third of the wheel’ this is a roulette bet on the third of the wheel opposite the zero. The series is 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33.

Toke – A casino term for a tip.

Transversale – The French term for a street bet.

Triple Zero Roulette – On a triple zero wheel there are as the name suggests three zero segments. This reduces the odds of the players winning even more than the American wheel but often landing on the third zero means that the wagers are all donated to charity.

U

Up Card – A card which is intended to be seen by all participants in a card game, it is displayed ‘face up’.

V

Vigorish – The percentage of a players winnings taken by the casino as a fee.

Voisins Du Zero – French for ‘neighbours of zero’ this is a roulette bet on the numbers either side of the zero. The series is 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25.

W

Whale – A super wealthy individual who has a lot of money to gamble with.

Wheel Checks – Special chips used only on a roulette table.