|
Terms M - Q
|
|
|
Marker
|
A check that can be written at the gaming tables by a player who has established credit with the casino.
|
|
|
Mini-Baccarat
|
The scaled-down version of baccarat, played with fewer players, dealers, and formality
but following the same rules as baccarat.
|
|
|
Natural
|
In blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of twenty-one points.
In baccarat a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine.
|
|
|
Number Pool
|
The range of numbers from which you select the ones you want to play. A typical lottery
pool ranges from 1 to 60, and the keno pool is 1 to 80.
|
|
|
Nut
|
Either the overhead costs of running a casino, or the fixed amount that a gambler decides to win in a day.
|
|
|
Odds
|
Ratio of probabilities.
|
|
|
Open
|
In poker, the player who bets first.
|
|
|
Outside Bets
|
Roulette bets located on the outside part of the layout. They involve betting 12 to 18 numbers at one time.
|
|
|
Overlay
|
A good bet where you have an edge over the casino.
|
|
|
Pair
|
Any two cards that have the same rank.
|
|
|
Pass
|
To not bet, to fold.
|
|
|
Pat
|
In draw poker, a hand that does not need any more hands. In blackjack, an unbusted hand worth at least 17 points.
|
|
|
Pay Cycle
|
A theoretical expression that reflects the number of plays required for the machine
to cycle through all possible winning and nonwinning combinations.
|
|
|
Payline
|
The line on a slot machine window on which the symbols from each reel must line up.
Slot machines can have as many as eight paylines, although most have only one.
|
|
|
Payoff
|
Your payback; the return you see on a wager.
|
|
|
Payout Percentage
|
Also referred to as the payback percentage, the percent of each dollar played in a video or
slot machine that the machine is programmed to return to the player. Payback percentage is
100 percent minus the house edge.
|
|
|
Payout Table
|
A posting somewhere on the front of a slot or video poker machine, that tells you what each
winning hand will pay for the number of coins or credits played.
|
|
|
Pit
|
An area of a casino in which a group of table games are arranged, where the center area is
restricted to dealers and other casino personnel.
|
|
|
Pit Boss
|
The person who supervises all the games and casino personnel associated with a pit
during a particular work shift. Pit bosses are in place to watch for cheating, settle
disputes, and give comps to big bettors.
|
|
|
Pot
|
In a poker game, the amount of money that accumulates in the middle of the table as each player
antes, bets, and raises. The pot goes to the winner of the hand.
|
|
|
Pressing
|
A player is pressing the bet when they let winnings ride by wagering them along with the original bet.
|
|
|
Probability
|
A branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood that an event will occur.
Probabilities are expressed as numbers between 0 and 1. The probability of an impossible
event is 0, while an event that is certain to occur has a probability of 1.
|
|
|
Progressive
|
A slot machine whose potential jackpot increases with each coin that is played. When the progressive
jackpot finally hits, the amount resets to the starting number.
|
|
|
Push
|
A tie hand between a dealer and a player; no money changes hands. A push at blackjack occurs
when both the player and the dealer have a unbusted hands with the same total points.
|
|
|
Quads
|
Four of a kind.
|
|
|
Qualifier
|
In poker, the minimum standard a hand must meet in order for it to be eligible for part of the pot.
|
|
|
Return to Terms Index
|
