Casino Glossary: Every Term from Ante to Zero

In poker, betting every chip you have in front of you. An all-in player can win only as much from each opponent as they put in; any further betting forms a side pot. See poker rules.

A small compulsory stake every player puts in before the deal, used in stud poker and late in many tournaments. In three card poker, the Ante is the main bet against the dealer.

In punto banco, one of the two hands you can back. Banker wins slightly more often than Player, so winning Banker bets pay even money less a 5% commission.

The set of blackjack decisions that loses the least over time for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s up-card. It lowers the house edge but never removes it. See the basic strategy chart.

The larger of the two forced bets in Hold’em and Omaha, posted two seats left of the button. It sets the minimum bet for the hand.

The card game, and also its best hand: an Ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards, which pays 3:2 at standard tables. Also called a natural. See blackjack rules.

In seven card stud, a small forced bet made on the first round by the player showing the lowest up-card.

A card discarded face down before dealing, so that a card someone has seen cannot affect the game. In Hold’em, one card is burned before the flop, the turn and the river.

In blackjack, a hand that goes over 21 and loses at once. The dealer busts when they draw past 21, and every player still in then wins.

A disc marking the nominal dealer in a poker hand. It moves one seat clockwise each hand, and the player on it acts last after the flop.

The cash desk in a casino, where you buy chips and exchange them back for money. See how casino chips work.

In poker, matching the current bet to stay in the hand.

Keeping track of which cards have left a blackjack shoe to judge when the remaining cards favour the player. It is not illegal, but casinos may reshuffle, limit bets or refuse play.

In poker, passing the action without betting. Only possible when nobody has bet in the current round.

A token used for stakes at the table. Cash chips carry a value and can be cashed at the cage; roulette colour chips have a value only at the table that issued them.

Exchanging many small chips for fewer chips of a higher value, usually when you leave a table.

The first roll of a new round in craps. A 7 or 11 wins for the pass line, 2, 3 or 12 loses, and any other number becomes the point.

A charge taken from certain winning bets, most often 5% on winning Banker bets in baccarat.

The casino employee who runs a table game, deals cards or spins the wheel, and pays out or collects bets. Usually called the dealer.

In blackjack, doubling your stake in exchange for exactly one more card. Many British tables allow it on totals of 9, 10 or 11 only.

The extra green pocket marked 00 on an American roulette wheel, which raises the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%. See European vs American roulette.

A roulette rule for even-money bets: when the ball lands on zero, the bet is held for the next spin instead of being lost. It has the same effect on the house edge as la partage.

A bet that pays 1:1, such as red or black in roulette. In blackjack, “even money” is also the offer to take a 1:1 payout on a blackjack when the dealer shows an Ace.

The first three community cards in Hold’em and Omaha, dealt face up together. See Texas Hold’em rules.

Giving up your hand and any chips already in the pot.

In craps, an extra bet placed behind a pass or come bet once a point is set. It pays true odds, so it has no house edge of its own.

A blackjack hand with no Ace, or one where any Ace must count as 1. Hard 16 can bust on the next card.

A card dealt face down. In poker, your private cards; in blackjack, the dealer’s face-down second card, which British tables usually do not deal until the players have acted.

The share of each stake the casino keeps on average over many bets, set by the difference between what a bet pays and its true odds. See house edge explained.

A roulette bet on a single number or a small group of numbers on the main grid of the layout, such as a straight-up, split or corner.

A blackjack side bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace. It pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack and loses about 7.7% of each stake over time.

In poker, a card that is not part of the pair, trips or quads but is used to break a tie. See poker hand rankings.

A roulette rule that returns half of an even-money bet when the ball lands on zero, cutting the house edge on those bets to 1.35%.

A winning two-card total that ends the round at once: a blackjack in blackjack, or 8 or 9 on the first two cards in baccarat.

A roulette bet on a large group of numbers placed outside the main grid, such as red or black, odd or even, a dozen or a column.

The basic craps bet, which wins on a 7 or 11 on the come-out roll, or if the point is rolled again before a 7.

What a bet pays, such as 35:1 for a single roulette number. When payout odds are lower than the true odds, the difference is the house edge.

In Hold’em, when the five community cards are your best hand. Any opponent can do the same, so the best you can do is split the pot.

In craps, the number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10) set on the come-out roll. The pass line wins if it is rolled again before a 7.

A British card game related to blackjack, with its own terms: twist, stick and buy. See pontoon rules.

The form of baccarat played in British casinos, where the cards are dealt by fixed rules and players only choose whether to back Player, Banker or a Tie.

A tie between player and dealer in which the stake is returned.

In poker, increasing the current bet. In no-limit games a raise must be at least as large as the previous bet or raise.

The share of each poker pot, or the fee, that the house takes for running a game between players.

The percentage of all money staked on a game that it pays back to players over a very large number of plays. A slot with 96% RTP has a 4% house edge in the long run. See how slots work.

The fifth and last community card in Hold’em and Omaha, followed by the final round of betting.

A box holding several shuffled decks, from which blackjack and baccarat cards are dealt.

An optional extra wager alongside the main bet, such as Perfect Pairs in blackjack. Most carry a much higher house edge than the main game. See blackjack side bets.

A blackjack hand with an Ace counted as 11, which cannot bust on the next card. Ace + 6 is soft 17.

In blackjack, turning a pair into two separate hands, each with its own stake equal to the original bet.

In blackjack, keeping your total and ending your turn.

A roulette bet on a single number, which pays 35:1.

A blackjack option, rarely offered in Britain, to give up half your stake and end the hand.

The fixed table in baccarat that decides whether the Player and Banker hands draw a third card.

A baccarat bet that Player and Banker finish level. It usually pays 8:1, and its house edge is far higher than on Player or Banker.

The real chance of a bet winning, stated as odds. A single roulette number on a 37-pocket wheel has true odds of 36 to 1. See how we calculate odds.

The fourth community card in Hold’em and Omaha.

In blackjack, the dealer’s face-up card, which players use to make their decisions.

Another word for the house’s cut: a commission or the built-in margin on a bet. Often shortened to vig.

How much a game’s results swing. A high-volatility slot pays out less often but in larger amounts than a low-volatility slot with the same RTP.

The number of times a bonus (or bonus plus deposit) must be staked before winnings from it can be withdrawn. See wagering requirements explained.

The spinning roulette wheel; in poker, also the lowest straight, 5-4-3-2-A.

The green pocket on a roulette wheel. Most bets lose when the ball lands there, which is where the game’s house edge comes from.