There are plenty of casino terms and meanings that you probably already know, from the hit and stand in blackjack, to the various poker hands in poker. Once you’ve played in a casino a few times over, there’s plenty of terms that you’ll pick up along the way. However, if you’re looking to really improve your casino terminology knowledge, then we’re here to help. Whether you want to jump into your first poker tournament in the big league or to start playing a little more seriously, there are a few terms that you can pick up that will really give you an advantage.

Poker

In poker, there are plenty of basic terms that you will have picked up as you played, including big blind, fold, bluff, call, raise and more. You also will have learned the different poker hand variations by now. However, tournaments and poker games among more advanced players have a bit more terminology of their own.

Bubble – In a poker tournament, the bubble is the top finisher that doesn’t end up with any winnings. For example, if a poker tournament has 450 people entered, and the top 50 will get paid for placing, the player in 51st place is regarded as the bubble.

Counterfeit – A counterfeit is when there is a duplicate card on the board that will greatly devalue your hand. For example, if you have a pair of 6s in your hand, you may believe that you have a pair that could do you well at first. But if the board is ace-ace-7-4, and the river card is 7, you’ve been counterfeited. Although you had two pairs in your hand at first, when the river card was produced, the board has two better pairs.

Implied Odds – This term defines when you take future calls into consideration when you’re drawing to something. If you draw successfully, you expect them to call with their hands. Although it is all estimation and speculative, it is a strategy that many players use.

Satellite – A satellite is a tournament with a smaller buy-in that pools all the entrants’ funds and awards seats to a higher-value tournament rather than cash. If you’re looking to start playing poker in tournaments, then this could be a key term for you to learn. This may help you gain entry to more expensive tournaments by winning the less expensive tournament.

Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world, and while the terminology is relatively simple throughout the game, there are a few terms at the blackjack table that you might not yet be familiar with.

Insurance – If you’ve been playing blackjack for a while, you might want to look at the insurance side-bet. If the dealer shows an ace as an up-card, the insurance side-bet is a wager placed on the dealer having a blackjack. If the dealer does have a blackjack, the payout is 2:1. However, if not, the bet is lost and normal play will continue.

Progression Betting – This is a type of strategy that is based on increasing or decreasing betting according to the previous hands. Positive progression is raising or pressing a bet after a win, while negative progression is raising after a loss.

Toke – Toke is a tip for the dealer. Although you may already be tipping the dealer, toke is often used around a blackjack table and is a useful term to know.

These casino terms are always beneficial to learn for players looking at more serious gambling, particularly if you plan on entering poker tournaments. If you want for a more comprehensive guide to terms and meanings in a casino for a wider number of games, the Ladbrokes Casino Periodic Table is a great source with a huge selection of casino terms and their meanings, providing you the knowledge to take on the casino as an even more advanced, knowledgeable player.