Last updated 06/13/24
Casinos have their own jargon that you may or may not hear as a patron. Slots and Table Games departments are where you are most likely to hear references your not familiar with. In an effort to help everyone out we’ve this extensive list to help you out when you need it. All right, it’s not that extensive, but we are adding to it all the time. Anything in bold has it’s own entry and definition.
Ante
An ante is a small, mandatory bet that all players must make before a hand is dealt in certain poker games. It helps to build the pot and encourage action. Other poker based table games have antes, like Ultimate Texas Holdem or 4 Card Poker.
Bankroll
A bankroll is the total amount of money a player has set aside specifically for gambling. Managing a bankroll effectively is crucial for sustaining play and mitigating losses.
Cage
Casinos have a cage area where you can buy chips, cash out your chips or TITOs, and perform various other transactions. Think of it as the bank inside of a casino.
Cheques
Cheques are chips. It’s the official name for them. See “Chips” for more detailed explanation.
Chips
Chips are generally colored clay disks you use to play table games in casinos. There are two types of chips in a casino. Value chips, or cheques, have a set value. A red $5 chip will be worth $5 on any table and you can exchange it for $5 at the cage. Non-value chips have a value set at the game they are used to play. Roulette is the most prevalent example. When you buy chips on a roulette table you can set the value of the chips. If you buy in for $100 you can get 20 chips that will be worth $5 each. Or, you can buy in for $20 and get 20 chips that will be worth $1 each. Since non-value chips don’t have a set value they can’t be used anywhere but on the game they were purchased at and they can’t be cashed out at the cage.
Comp Points
Comp points are rewards given by casinos to players based on the amount they wager. These points can often be redeemed for free play, meals, hotel stays, and other perks.
Comps
Comps are things given to players in exchange for their comp points. Complimentary things players received. There is a huge amount of things Comps can be; food, free slot credits, hotel rooms, cash, show and event tickets.
Croupier
A croupier is fancy name for a dealer. A casino employee who manages the gaming tables, dealing cards, spinning the roulette wheel, and handling bets. They are responsible for the smooth operation of the game.
Dealer
A casino employee who manages the gaming tables, dealing cards, spinning the roulette wheel, and handling bets. They are responsible for the smooth operation of the game. They are also called a croupier in different parts of the world.
Door Pushing
Some unscrupulous individuals enter hotels to steal things. Since Las Vegas has more than 150,000 hotel rooms there quite a few opportunities for them. Door pushers walk up and down each floor on a hotel looking for open doors, then they push on them. If someone is in the room they say “sorry, wrong room” and leave. If someone is not in the room, or in the bathroom, they take everything they can. Many pull empty luggage with them to put their loot in. Always lock your room, even if your just running down to the ice machine.
Door Pusher
One who pushes on doors. See “Door Pushing” for a more details explanation.
Floor Person / Floor Supervisor
See “Pit Boss“.
High Roller
A player who gambles large amounts of money. Casinos often offer special perks and incentives to attract and retain these valuable players. Also called a whale.
House Edge
The house edge is the mathematical advantage that the casino has over the players in a game. It is expressed as a percentage and represents the average gross profit the casino expects to make from each game.
Martingale System
The Martingale system is a betting strategy where the player doubles their bet after every loss, with the idea that they will eventually win and recover all previous losses plus a profit equal to the original bet. It is commonly used in games like roulette. The problem is you can lose enough times in a row that you hit the maximum bet allowed and then you can’t recover your losses. This is a system you should avoid.
Pit Boss
A pit boss is a casino employee who supervises the gaming floor. They oversee table games, ensure the integrity of the games, rate the players for Comps, and handle any issues that arise between players and dealers. Also called floor person or floor supervisors.
Progressive Jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot that increases every time the game is played but the jackpot is not won. These jackpots can grow to significant amounts and are often linked across multiple machines or games. Sometimes the linked games are across multiple games in multiple casinos.
Ratings
Ratings are how casinos keep track of each patron’s play on slots or table games so the players can receive comps. Each time you play you are rated on when you start, when you end, how much $ you buy in for, how much $ you leave with, and your average bet. Casinos also rate each player so they can keep track for themselves of how much each table is winning and losing.
RTP (Return to Player)
Return to Player (RTP) is the percentage of all wagered money that a slot machine or other casino game will pay back to players over time. For example, if a game has an RTP of 95%, it means that over a long period, it will return 95% of the money wagered on it to players.
Table Games
All the games on a casino floor that aren’t slot machines. All the tables manned by dealers are collectively called Table Games.
TITO
TITO stands for Ticket In Ticket Out. Slot machines have gone away from actually dropping coins out when a player wins. Coin machines are still out there, but they are rare. Modern slot machines keep track of your money electronically. When you cash out, instead of giving you money it prints out a ticket. The tickets can be put in other slot machines, which read the ticket and put your money on that machine or cashed out at the cage or a kiosk.
Whale
See “High Roller“.
If there is something you think we got wrong or something you’ve heard you want explained just send us an email at stayweidlasvegas@gmail.com and see what we can do.