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Whether
you’re a whale or a wise guy (see terminology below),
it’s always a plus to know the gambling lingo. For some
of you, these terms may be a whole new world while others
may consider them their own dialect. Have fun.
ACTION:
Any wager. A better is said to be in action when having a
bet riding on any sporting event or table game.
ACTION
JACKSON: A gambler who wagers every day- day and night.
AGENT:
(1) Player cheat who frequents casinos and works with casino
dealers and employees. (2) Person who for a fee or commission
lures people to a crooked game to be fleeced.
APPLE:
A sucker. A soft player-easy prey- cannot win.
BACKER: Someone who will stake a gambler with a good reputation
during a difficult period.
BEARD:
A person used to place bets so the bookmakers will not know
the identity of the actual bettor.
BEEF:
Any situation that is or may cause a problem.
BIG
DIME: A $10,000 wager.
BIG
ORDER: A large sports bet of five or six figures.
A
BITE: A request by a gambler for a loan.
BOOKIE:
A person who takes race and sports bets.
BOAT
RACE: A crooked horse race.
BUCK:
A $100 wager.
BUM
STEER: Bad information.
BUSTER:
Odds of 15 to 1 on a winning horse. (also- a fuzzy)
CARPET
JOINT: A plush-class operation.
C.O.D.:
No assets, no credit. All bets must be for cash only. (also-
up is the game)
CHALK:
Any favorite- team, horse, greyhound etc.
CHALK
PLAYER: Person who bets ONLY favorites.
C-NOTE:
A $100 bill.
COOLER:
A prearranged deck or shoe of cards (Blackjack, Poker or Baccarat)
Has been used both for and against the house.(also-cold deck)
COPPER:
When one gambler "fades" takes the opposing side
of another gamblers bet, position or opinion.
COVER:
As in "covering the spread". This occurs when a
favorite you have bet wins by more points than you have had
to give up.
CROSSROADER:
Any gambler who does not bet without cheating.
DAUB:
A paste or liquid used to mark cards.
DEUCE
DEALERS: A dealer who can peek at the top card and deal the
next card if the
top card is not to his advantage.(also-second dealer,mechanic
or number two man.)
DEAN(THE):
A smart gambler who can calculate odds and percentages.(also
called
The Professor)
DESPERADO:
A gambler who bets on credit with rough people with absolutely
no way to pay if he loses.
DIME
BET: $1,000 wager.
DOG:
The underdog in any betting proposition.
DOG
IT: To be afraid to increase your bet during an extended winning
streak.
DOUBLE
BET: A wager twice the size of a persons usual wager. (also
press bet or doubling up)
DRY:
A player is "DRY" when he has run out of funds and
credit. (also - dead, broke, busted and"used to be somebody"
DUTCH
BOOK: A pricemakers odds line totaling MORE than 100%
EAR:
A bent corner put on a playing card to identify or locate
it. "He put the ear on the aces".
EASY
WAY: CRAPS- To make a point number(4,6,8 or 10) any way but
the hard way.
EDGE:
Any advantage.
EIGHTER
FROM DECATUR: CRAPS- The number eight.
END:
A share. "What's my end of the score?
EVEN
UP, EVEN MONEY: (1) A bet or proposition giving each player
an equal chance to win. (2) A bet at correct odds. (3) A 50-50
bet.
EXACTA:
HORSE RACING- A wager picking the two horses finishing first
and second in the correct order. See-QUINELLA
FACE
CARD: A king, queen or jack in a deck of cards.also-paint
FADE:
To cover a bet. "You're faded."
FALSE
CUT: A cut leaving the deck in its original position.
FAST
COMPANY: Seasoned or smart gamblers.
FAT:
Said of a person with a large bankroll."He's fat".
also- loaded, deep pockets and on fat street
FEVER:
A gambling habit
FIELD:
Several horses in a race or contestants in a sports tournament
grouped as one contestant for betting purposes.
FINK:
A stool pigeon or informer.
FISH:
A sucker. see-APPLE
FIX:
To bribe. "The fix is in".
FLAT
STORE: Any gaming operation that is crooked.
FLATS:
Crooked dice which have been shaved to favor certain numbers.
G-NOTE:
$1,000 bill.
GAFF:
Any method or device that aids in cheating.
GET
OUT: To regain ones losses.
GEORGE:
Generous, big tipper-the opposite of TOM.
GET
DOWN: Place a wager.
GRAVEYARD
SHIFT: The early morning shift of a gaming establishment.
GRIND:
Small play.
GRINDJOINT
OR STORE: An establishment that caters to small play.
HARDWAY
BET: To bet the number 4, 6, 8 or 10 will be made with two
duplicatenumbers. 2-2,3-3 etc..
HOT:
Said of dice that are passing or a player on an extended winning
streak.
HIGH
HURDLER: A person who left town owing money leaving no forwarding
address.also-skipped,took a hike, took a powder and came up
lame
HANDICAPPER:
A person who studies and evaluates all sporting events.
HOLDING
YOUR OWN: Breaking about even.
HOUSE:
The operators of the casino.
HOOKED:
Losing a wager by exactly 1/2 a point.
HOT
GAME: Any game attracting a lot of action on one side by many
players.
IN
THE BAG: Said of a sporting event with a predetermined outcome.The
fix is in.Also said by over-optimistic tout who may say it
about both sides to many clients and then expect a reward
from half of them.
JACKPOT:
A troublesome situation.
JUICE:
AKA-Vig or vigorish.The bookmakers commission for taking a
bet.(also a term in casinos denoting influence with upper
management.
KIBITZER:
A spectator at any game who usually dispenses unwanted advice.
KICK:
Ones pocket. "He put the bankroll in his kick".
KNOCK:
To cast disparaging remarks about someone. Usually done behind
his or her back also-rap
LAYING
THE POINTS: Betting on the favorite.
LAYDOWN:
A wager.
LIMIT:
(1) Maximum amount a player may wager on a specific bet or
event. (2) Maximum amount a player may increase a previous
bet.(at poker,etc) (3) maximum amount bet before the casino/bookie
changes odds and/or the points.Also known as the "cap".
LINE:
The listed odds or points offered on a game. also-point spread
and price line
LINEMAKER:
A person who establishes (creates) the original and subsequent
betting lines. also known as ODDSMAKER.
LITTLE
JOE FROM KOKOMO: CRAPS - The point four.
LIVE
HORSE: A horse considered to be in shape to run his best.
LIVE
ONE: A player with money looking for action.
LOCK:
Best bet,an easy winner, a no brainer..
MAIDEN:
A horse that has never won a race.
MARKER:
An advance extended to a player on credit.
MICHIGAN
BANKROLL: A large bankroll consisting mostly of dollar bills
with a
large denomination bill on the outside.
MIDDLES:
Winning both sides of a betting proposition.
MORNING
LINE: A linemakers morning guess as to the probable odds on
horses that are to run in afternoon races.
MUDDER:
A horse known to favor a muddy track.
NAILED:
Caught cheating or stealing
NATURAL:
(1) Black Jack - Ace and 10 count card (2) Craps - 7 or 11
on the first roll
NICKEL:
A $500 wager.
NOSE
OPEN: To have ones nose open is to lose control usually when
losing and try to steam ones way out of the trap.
NUT:
A gambler or gambling enterprises overhead expenses.
ODDS:
Correct odds are the ratio of favorable vs. unfavorable possibilities.
ODDS
ON FAVORITE: A horse or competitor that is so favored that
the odds are quoted as less than even money."The odds
on favorite is priced at one to ten".
OFF
THE BOARD: Sporting events casinos or bookmakers will not
accept action on.
OFFICE:
A secret signal passed from a gambler to his confederate.
ON
THE HOP: A one roll wager.
ONE
DOLLAR: $100 wager.
PAPER:
Marked cards.
PARLAY:
A bet on two or more propositions.
PAST
PERFORMANCE: Prior events are studied in order to help determine
the outcome of a future contest.
PAST
POST: A devious attempt to bet during or after an event has
taken place.
PICK`EM
GAME: A dead even game giving both sides an equal chance.
P.M.G.:
Baseball terminology-Advertised Pitchers Must Go.
PUSH:
A tie. Neither side wins or loses.
QUINELLA:
A wager picking the first or second place finish in either
order (1,2 or 2,1).
RACK:
A box to hold chips or checks.
RENEGE:
(1) To refuse to honor a lost wager or debt; to welsh. (2)
To misplay a card illegally.
ROUND
ROBIN: A bet of 3 teams or more. e.g. A&B - A&C -
B&C, this constitutes three 2 team parlays
RUSH:
POKER- A streak of winning many consecutive hands
SAWDUST
JOINT: Unpretentious gambling casino.
SCOUT:
Person who studies a team during play and/or practice and
reports findings.
SCORE:
A substantial win.
SEND
IT IN: A player who takes full advantage of a winning streak
by increasing hisbets substantially."When he's going
good he sends it in".
SHORT
ENDER: An underdog in any betting proposition.
SILKS:
A jockeys uniform.
SMART
MONEY: When professional gamblers wager.
SOFT
PLAYER: Bets less when he wins and doubles up when he loses.
Can't stand to take off a score.
SQUARES:
Perfect dice to within a tolerance of 1/5,000 of an inch.
SNAPPER:
Ace/10 see natural
SPIT:
A very small amount of money.
STEAMER:
Will only bet big when losing. The softest of soft players.
STUCK:
Losing,-In the hole:losing a lot.- Buried: lost it all.
TAP
OUT: To bet and lose ones last dollar.
TOM:
No good. Not generous. Opposite of George.
TOUT:
A professional tipster who offers to sell his opinion on the
out come of a sporting event without benefit of knowledge.
TRUMP:
Cash
VALUE:
A professionals opinion regarding a proposition that appears
to be an overlayor an underlay - High or low.
VIRGIN
LINE: A line sent out to Sports Books before any wagers have
been made.
WAVE:
(1) To bend the edge of a card during play for identification
purposes. (2) The bend itself.
WISE
GUY: An educated professional gambler with an extensive track
record of being a winning player.
WHALE:
A sky high bettor who tries to negotiate maximum limits that
make even the largest casinos uncomfortable.
WRONG
BETTOR: DICE-A player who bets the don't
ZOMBIE:
A gambler who never shows emotion regardless of the outcome.
A
glossary of terms commonly used in sports gambling.
Point Spread:
Number of points a team is favored to win by Over/Under (or
Totals) Total combined number of points expected to be scored.
(Both teams) Sometimes the over or under is favored.
In the following example the over/under is followed by an
"o" or "u", then the money line (5.Ou-125)
Money Line
The money line is an indicator of the odds that a team will
win. The negative money line represents how many dollars you
would need to bet to win $100. A positive money line represents
how many dollars you would win if you bet $100.
-110 or -120 (excessive advantage) for either side would constitute
the sports book advantage.
Basketball and Football
Basketball and Football both use point spreads and the over/under
Baseball
Baseball uses the money line for odds.
Occasionally a run line maybe an alternative.
(Atlanta -1.5runs Florida +1.5runs) Player lays 11 to 10.
Hockey
Hockey combines both a point spread and the money line.
(Edmonton +1.5+125 at Detroit -1.5-145)*
They also use a split line for increased advantage.**
(Toronto - 1.5goals Montreal +1goal)
**Please note never play into a split line unless you have
tomorrow's newspaper today
EX: (Edmonton +1.5+125 at Detroit -1.5-145)*
Detroit is favored by 1.5 goals. If you bet $145 on Detroit,
you would win $100 if Detroit wins by two goals or more
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