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Basic Gambling Vocabulary

To be able to play casino and other gambling games, one needs to familiarize himself with the basic words used. Below are some of the commonly-used terminologies in gambling.

Action refers to the amount of money a player wagers or bets during the playing session.

Ante is the initial bet before a player receives his cards in Stud Poker.

Baccarat is a popular and easy casino game where you place your bet on either the section labeled “player,” “banker” or “tie.”

Banker refers to the dealer in card games. In some card games though, the player can also become the banker.

Bet means to wager.

Betting limits are the minimum and maximum amounts of money a player can wager in a table game. A player should always follow the amount required, no more, no less.

Blackjack is a table game that requires a pair of cards to total 21. A winning hand should be higher than the dealer’s cards without going over 21.

Buy in means to convert the chips into cash.

Chips are the round-shaped tokens used in gaming instead of cash. These are bought at the gaming tables and converted to cash at the cashier’s booth or cage.

Color up is when a player converts chips of smaller denominations to larger denominations.

Deal is to give out the cards during a table game.

Doubling down means to double the original bet in Blackjack after the first deal where the initial two cards are dealt face up.

Even money bet refers to a bet that pays a player the same amount that he wagered on top of his original bet.

Hand means the cards that a player holds.

Hit means to take another card in Blackjack.

House refers to the casino or any gambling facility.

Inside bets are bets played on any number or a combination of small numbers in the Roulette game.

Jackpot means a big win on a slot machine.

Jacks or better refer to a higher ranking in some video poker games.

Natural refers to a two-card hand of 21 points in Blackjack while in Baccarat, it means a two-card of eight or nine.

Odds are the ratio of probabilities. This is the fraction by which a casino offers to increase a bettor’s stake.