Many new players are intimidated when they visit their first casino for the first time. The entire gaming floor is packed with people, the slot machines are rattling, and everyone appears to be speaking in a language other than their original tongue. When you finally build up the courage to sit down at a table and begin playing, you find you don’t understand half of what is being spoken, as if the ambiance of the casino wasn’t intimidating enough.
Gamblers, like members of many other communities united by a common interest, have developed their terminology over time. It may be difficult for newcomers to grasp at first, and it may take some time for them to become familiar with all of the terms and phrases used in gaming. To make your experience more convenient, we have developed a glossary of the most frequent gaming terminology and phrases that you should be familiar with before visiting a casino.
Buy-in
This one should be simple to understand. Because casinos rarely allow customers to play with cash, you will be obliged to acquire chips as soon as you take your seat at the table. This approach is known as “buy-in.” In addition, it is used to refer to the entry fee for a poker tournament.
Chips
As previously stated, casinos normally do not allow real-money table gambling in their establishments. Instead, you’ll need chips. The majority of casinos have their versions made, each with a casino insignia and value written on them. You can buy them from merchants or the cage if you choose.
Cage
You’ve finally won some money, but all you have are a few casino chips that are worthless outside of the gaming business. The next step is to take them to the cage and trade them in for money. The cashier’s cage is located near or at the casino’s entrance and acts as a location for cash storage. The area has a high level of security, as one would anticipate, and the “cage” gets its name from the hefty metal bars that surround it to prevent illicit entry.
Cards for Playing
A “card sharp” is a player that possesses a high level of proficiency in several card games, such as poker or blackjack. In a game of poker, you don’t want to be seated next to one because there’s a considerable possibility they’ll take advantage of you. When playing blackjack, however, it can be advantageous to play alongside a card sharp because it lets you witness a master at work and possibly pick up some hints from them.
Croupier
This is a phrase that is seldom heard in casinos in the United States. It is a French term that means “table merchants.” Only at Las Vegas roulette tables will you see it employed frequently. Nonetheless, you should be aware of it if only to convey the idea that you are intelligent.
Cards with faces
Face cards are any playing cards that have a portrait on them. The jacks, queens, and kings are among them. The great majority of casino games have a high value and must be played by a set of rules. Each face card has a value of 10 in the game of blackjack.
The Casino’s or the House’s Edge
Have you ever heard the expression “the house always wins”? This is the reasoning for the correctness of the aphorism in question. The percentage of each stake that goes to the casino rather than the player is referred to as the “house edge.” Simply expressed, the advantage that casinos have over players is the capacity to guarantee that a small amount of all wagers will end up in their safes, regardless of whether or not the players win. Depending on the game, it could be as low as 1 or 2 percent or as high as 10 percent. As a result, before beginning to play, it is critical to becomebecoming acquainted with the home edges.
High-risk gamblers
Players that wager large sums of money are referred to as high rollers. These folks are treated differently than other players since they may spend thousands of dollars in a single night without breaking a sweat.
Whales
Whales are a class above high rollers and the ideal customer for any casino. These are multimillionaires, if not billionaires, who don’t mind spending a little extra money on a weekend excursion to Las Vegas since they don’t bother to inquire about the price. They won’t blink an eye when throwing away tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars.
They are given the best that a casino has to offer, from the rooms to the service, and, strangely, the majority of it is free. If a man spends a couple hundred thousand dollars at your casino playing blackjack, the least you can do is give him a free room and some champagne. After all, it’s the very least you can do.
Betting Caps
The majority of casino games have predetermined betting limits. This is done to ensure that a single roll of the dice or slot machine does not cause the casino to go bankrupt.
Minimums for Betting
Betting minimums, on the other hand, are set so that someone cannot play the entire night with chips worth only ten dollars, so monopolizing the available space. This is the bare minimum that a casino must meet to be profitable.
Washing Card Game
Washing cards does not imply washing the cards themselves. It is a technique that is followed whenever a new deck is added to an ongoing game. The dealer will remove the deck from its container, place it face up on the table so that everyone can see it, remove the jokers, and shuffle the remaining cards before commencing to utilize the cards.
eCOGRA
eCOGRA is a body that regulates online casinos and conducts frequent inspections to ensure that they follow fair play standards and are not fooling their players. The company was founded by Microgaming and has its headquarters in London. If you play at online casinos, you’ve probably noticed their certifications posted on their websites. You should look for them if you don’t already have them. If you can’t find them, it might be time to hunt for another casino to spend your time at.
Jackpot
The term “jackpot” was first connected with slot machines, and it related to winning the game’s top prize, which was usually a large sum of money. It has recently become normal practice to use it whenever a large score is achieved, even if the score has nothing to do with gambling.
Shooter
The person who rolls the dice at the craps table is known as the shooter. Each participant can take turns being the shooter as long as they follow the regulations.
Eyes of a Snake
Another term for the game of craps is “snake eyes,” which refers to when both dice come up with a 1. This craps roll is unpopular among players since it is guaranteed to result in a loss.