Whether you are playing through the best online casinos in Australia or keen to visit some of the best brick and mortar casinos, playing games can be daunting if you don’t know the meaning of familiar words being used. Players can avoid this daunting experience with our experts’ list of the most common casino jargon and slang, plus what they mean to Aussies.
So it won’t matter whether you are logging in to enjoy online gambling games, or prefer heading out to jump on the pokies and hit the card games, you can skip forward and put in more work to master the winning combinations of casino games after reading this article.
What Does Casino Jargon and Slang Mean?
Jargon and slang are the same thing –a form of vocabulary used by people for words which are familiar or used every day. While slang is different depending on age groups, it can also differ in different cities or areas of a country.
For casinos, slang and jargon are used as a more straightforward way to identify or show that a player is taking a particular action, but can also be used as unique gamer-isms when speaking in conversation.
Popular Casino Jargon and Slang
Each of the jargon and slang words we’ve put together in this list include a short definition to help give context for Australian players.
Ante
The initial bet that is usually required in card games before a hand can start.
Burn Card
This is a card which is removed from the top of a deck of cards and discarded after a shuffle or before a new round of cards is dealt.
Card Shark
A popular name given to expert players of casino card games.
Chasing
A player is thought to be “chasing” when they are caught in the trap of trying to recoup their prior losses by making the foolish mistake of increasing their betting amount.
Coat Tail
A player is riding another player’s coat tail when they are mimicking or copying the betting patterns of another player.
Comp
The comp is the act of a casino providing players with free drinks, food, or accommodation as a way of thanking them for their gambling activities.
There is an alternative meaning for online games or mobile casinos, which refers to a competition or tournament-style program, as well as the passive rewards points received for playing.
Cut Card
The cut card is a blank plastic card used by staff to cut a deck of cards.
Dirty Money
This is what players refer to as the losing bets collected by the dealer at the end of a game.
ECOGRA
A very commonly found acronym in the online casino space, ECOGRA stands for the E-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance.
ECOGRA is an independent authority which regulates online casinos to approve those that have proved that they operate responsibly, to ensure the fairness of players.
Face Card
The term used for a King, Queen, or Jack in a deck of cards.
Flat Betting
This is a popular betting style for conservative players where the amount bet each time is the same.
George
George is slang popular among dealers and used to refer to a gambler that tips well.
House
The “house” is simply another term used to refer to a casino.
Marker
A marker is a particular amount of money that may be loaned to a player by a casino, strictly for the sole purposes of wagering.
This is mostly confined to brick and mortar casinos and for players that have a line of credit.
Paint
An alternative name also given to the King, Queen, or Jack in a deck of cards.
Pit
Only applicable to brick and mortar casinos, the pit is the name for each of the various areas that divide a large room into separate pits with a defined number of tables.
Reload Bonus
A very popular casino deposit bonus code for current players which provides a bonus amount of cash when a player makes a new deposit to their account.
Stiff
If you are a player that doesn’t tip, chances are the dealers will refer to you as a stiff.
Whale
Whales are big, high-value players who typically play at huge stakes or loses regularly.
So now you know some of the more popular casino gambling terms. If you are ready to play online slot machines or card games, check out our recommended Aussie online casinos.
Let us know what you think about this article
Pat founded 5star pokies back in 2019 and leads the Group as its Chief Executive Officer. For the past 20 years, he has been an avid biker and has travelled the length and breadth of Australia. He also loves to play pokies and share his thoughts on his favourite places to play and why he loves this past time so much.