Glossary of Gambling terms

abandoned racing has been called off at that particular meeting.

accumulator a bet on any number of selections in different races, where the winnings on the first horse go onto the second and then onto the third and then onto the fourth and so on.

all in in poker a player who runs out of funds may still play for the portion of the pot he has contributed to.

allowance the weight conceded by professional jockeys to apprentices or conditionals to compensate for their inexpenence.

also-ran a horse that lost

anchor box the player who is dealt cards first is sitting on the anchor box

ante initial bet

apprentice a young jockey tied by contract to a trainer while learmng flat racing

arbitrage back and lay or buy and sell in the same market to make a profit

AWT all-weather fibre-sand track

back bet that a horse will win

back all bet that all the horses in a race will win

banker a horse that is strongly fancied and is often the main selection in multiple bets

basic strategy a playing strategy that reduces the house advantage in blackjack

blackjack a score of 21 made with an ace and any other card worth 10

blind bet bet made before a hand is seen
 
bluff pretend you have a good hand in poker board community cards in hold ’em and Omaha board price the current price on offer for a horse bookies betting shop or bookmaker’s

book percentage a figure that shows the profit of a book. The book percentage minus 100 gives the percentage profit or loss that is made by betting on all runners. A figure greater than 100 is its profit. The percentage less than 100 is the percentage loss on a book

boxed in when a horse cannot overtake another because one or more horses block its path

break a score over 21 in blackjack

brought down a horse that has fallen due to the actions of another horse

bumper a flat race for horses bred for national hunt

burlington bertie a price of 100/30

burnt cards cards that are discarded without being seen by the players

button marker used to denote the dealer in poker

call bet the same as the previous player in poker

carpet a price of 3/1

carre bet on four numbers on roulette

cheval bet on two numbers on roulette

clerk of the course race course official who manages the race day

clerk of the scales Jockey Club official who ensures horses carry the correct weight.

closing a bet (spread betting) placing a second bet of the same size in the opposite direction of the initial bet co-favourites where there is more than one favourite colours silk shirts worn by the jockeys

colt young male horse, aged 4 years and under

come-out first roll of the dice

commission the amount charged for the services supplied by a betting exchange or spread betting firm

community cards cards laid face up in games like hold ’em and Omaha that may be used by all players to make a hand

conditional young jockey tied by contract to a trainer while learning national hunt racing

conditions race a race where horses carry weight according to factors such as age, sex, whether they have won before or the type of race won

connections people related to a horse, such as the trainer and owner

craps dice; a score of two, three or 12 in dice

court cards king, queen and jack

dead heat where a race is a tie for either the winner or one of the placed horses

dead man’s hand two pair of aces over eights in poker

decimal odds odds where the stake is included in the price. For example 2/1 is 3.0

deuce two

dolly marker used on roulette to show the winning number double carpet a price of 33/1

down bet a bet that the result will be lower than the lower end of the quote. Also called a sell

draw the position of a horse in the starting stalls

drift odds that lengthen

dutching betting different stakes on several horse in a race to give the same payout no matter which of the selections wins

dwelt slow at the start

edge the profit a casino makes on bets usually expressed as a percentage

en plein bet on one number on roulette (straight up)

evens a price of 1/1

favourite the horse with the lowest price

FC an abbreviation for forecast

field the runners in a race

filly a female horse up to 4 years old

first base the player who is dealt cards first is sitting at first base

first time out a horse running in its first race

flat tops slot machines with fixed payouts

flop first three community cards dealt on hold ’em or Omaha fold surrender from the game

form a record of a horse’s previous racing performance

furlong an eighth of a mile (201 metres)

gelding a castrated male horse

gentleman jockey an amateur jockey

going the condition of the racing surface

going down the horses are on their way to the start

grand £1000
 
green a description of an inexperienced horse

hand a measure of a horse’s height, equivalent to four inches

hardways same score on both dice

hedge place additional bets to guarantee a profit

hit take another card

hole card dealer’s down card

hole cards cards in the player’s hand

home stretch the length of straight track before the finishing post

hopping one-roll betting

house advantage the profit a casino makes on bets, usually expressed as a percentage

IBAS the Independent Betting Arbitration Service, a British organization that settles disputes with bookmakers on the punters’ behalf when the bookmaker is a member of the scheme

impair odd

index bet a bet where the performance is measured by awarding points for a particular outcome

in-running betting on an event as it happens

inspection due either to the weather or condition of the course, a decision will be made about whether or not racing can go ahead

irons stirrups

joint favourites two horses are favourite jolly the favourite

judge Jockey Club official who declares the race result and the distances between runners

juvenile a 2-year-old horse in flat racing, a 3- or 4-year-old-horse in jump racing

lame a horse that is having difficulty walking or is limping

lay bet that a horse will lose

lay all bet that all the horses in a race will lose

layers bookmakers

laying off bookmakers practice of reducing betting liability by betting with other bookmakers

long shot a horse with high odds

maiden a horse or rider that has not previously won a race

makeup the result on which a bet is settled

manque low

mare female horse aged 5 years and over

match a race where there are only two horses competing

maximum makeup a maximum limit on the result

miss out losing score in dice

muck pile where the losing hands are placed

nap the top tip of the day from a racing tipster

natural a Score of 7 or lIon the first roll of dice; a score of eight or nine in punto banco

no offers no price is offered by the bookmakers. N/O is displayed on the screen

novice a jump racing term: a novice hurdler is a horse that has not won a hurdle race before the current season, a novice chaser is a horse that has not won a steeplechase before the current season

objection a complaint from a jockey that, in his opinion, the rules of racing have been broken

odds on a price lower than evens off the race has started

open make the first bet

open bet a bet that has not been closed or settled

outsider a horse with little chance of winning

over-round the profit on a book

overbroke a book with a loss

pacer a horse in harness racing which moves its legs on one side of its body in unison

pair (roulette) even: two cards of the same value, for example two aces

pari-mutuel the prices quoted by the French tote

pass take no further cards

passe high

pattern created in 1971 to ensure that the major European races are spread out across the season and do not clash. Pattern races are classified in groups one to three with group one being the most important races and including the classics

penalty a weight added to the handicap weight of a horse

photo finish a close race where the aid of a photograph is needed to determine the result

picture cards king, queen and jack plate a shoe Worn by a horse for racing plater a horse that runs in selling races

pocket cards cards in the players hand in games like Hold ’em and Omaha
 
pokies video poker machines

pot money played for in poker

press increase bets

prop bets proposition bets (craps bets and hardways)

pulled up a horse that drops out of the race after the off

punter someone who bets

push a bet that is tied

racecard a programme for the day’s racing

rag a horse with little chance of winning (an outsider)

raise make an increased bet

rake a charge made by the casino for the use of its facilities, usually a percentage of the pot

rating a measure of the performance of a horse on a scale of 0-140, where 140 is the highest.

run a straight reduction factor. The percentage that will be deducted from odds on a betting exchange in the event of a withdrawn horse.

rule 4 a deduction made from the prices due to the withdrawal of a horse from a race

scratching a horse that is withdrawn from a race.

seven out a score of 7 after the come out roll in dice

shooter person who throws the dice

showdown when the players reveal their hands in poker

sidewheeler a pacer in harness racing

SP an abbreviation for starting price

spread the difference between what a spread betting firm predicts and the outcome

spread a plate lose a horse shoe

stake amount of money bet

stallion male horse that has retired from racing and is mating mares

stand take no more cards

standoff a tie

starter the person responsible for starting the race

steeplechase a race over obstacles

steward Jockey Club official who is responsIble for checking that the rules of racing are followed

stewards’ enquiry an inquiry into whether or not the rules of racing have been broken

straight slots slot machines with fixed payouts

stud where horses are bred

stud book a book that contains the pedigree of thoroughbred race horses

system a method of betting that is supposed to favour the player

thoroughbred a horse bred for racing that is registered in the general stud book

tipster a person who is employed by a newspaper to recommend horses that are likely to win

tissue prices early prices offered before a betting market has been formed

trip the distance of the race

trips three of a kind

trotter a horse in harness racing that moves with a diagonal gait

under orders the race is about to start

up bet or buy in spread betting, a bet that the outcome will be higher than the prediction

vigorish commission

walkover a race with only runner. In order to be declared the winner, the horse must walk over the course. Where there are obstacles, the horse need not jump over them, but may walk around

weigh-in after each race the jockeys on the winning and placed horses must weigh in to confirm that they are carrying the same weight as at the start of the race

yearling a horse from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its birth