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 duplicate numbers. 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 his bets 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 outcome of a sporting
event without benefit of knowledge.
TRUMP: Cash
VALUE: A professionals
opinion regarding a proposition that appears to be an overlay or
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) Dollar
for dollar, even money on either side. *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. |
