The Casino Glossary A to B

When it comes to gaming, gamblers almost have their own language. Here are some of the gambling terms you're likely to come across in online casinos and UK casinos. If you can think of any terms beginning with A or B that we've missed out, or of any words or phrases you'd like to know the meaning of, Email Us.

A to B

Action: The amount of money that's wagered by a player. In poker, action can also mean your turn eg: "your action".

Active player: In poker, this refers to a player who is still in play.

Add-on: Buying additional chips, usually at the end of the re-buy period in a poker tournament. Some tournaments allow players to do this.

Aggregate limit: Total payout liability of a casino during a single game.

Aggregate winnings: Total winnings.

All-in: Again, this is a poker term. It means running out of chips while betting or calling. If this happens, a side pot is created in which the player who has run out of chips has no interest.

All or nothing: A phrase used in Keno, a lotto-type game in which players bet on which numbers are to be drawn. An all-or-nothing Keno ticket is one that only pays if all the selected numbers are drawn, or if none of them is drawn.

Ante: In card games, a bet required to begin a hand. The initial compulsory bet before you receive your cards in Casino Stud Poker.

Arm: A phrase used in the dice game, craps. An 'arm' is a player who is so good at throwing the dice they can alter the conventional odds of the game. The only question is whether such 'arms' exist or whether they are just wishful thinking.

Baccarat: Also called Punto Banco and Chemin De Fer (similar to Baccarat but requires skill). A table game using 6 or 8 decks of cards which does not require skill.

Banker: In card games, the dealer is the banker. In some, such as Chemin de Fer, the players take it in turns to be banker/dealer.

Bankroll: The total amount of money a player has to gamble with.

Banned/Barred: Something no gambler wants to be. These mean you're not allowed to enter casino premises.

Basic strategy: The optimal strategy for playing a Blackjack hand. Basic strategies vary according to the game and casino rules.

Blackjack: Blackjack is the only casino game an amateur can learn to play and at which he can definitely win," argues Lawrence Revere, author of Playing Blackjack as a Business, which perhaps accounts for the casino game's enduring popularity. The aim of blackjack, in a nutshell, is to have a hand that is closer to 21 than the dealer's, without exceeding 21.

Black Book: Again, this is something no gambler wants to get in to. The Black Book is the name given to the list of people who are banned from casinos in Nevada.

Betting limits: The minimum and maximum amounts of money you can put on one bet in a table game. You can't bet above or below these limits.

Blinds: A forced bet in Hold'em Poker.

Bluff: A poker term. You bluff when you raise with a weak hand. The aim is to drive out the players with stronger hands.

Board: Another poker term. The cards which are dealt face-up in the middle of the table are said to be on the 'board'.

Bug: A joker

Buy-in: Changing cash into chips.