If you want to get action at the hot tables, you’ll need to speak the language of whales and high rollers, so go all-in with the SPYSCAPE HQ glossary.

Action - Big spenders bring ‘action’ to the gambling tables by putting down money and chips. The ‘action’ is the amount bet over a period of time on a single event - typically at a sportsbook. Equally, a dealer might say: "The action is on you," meaning it’s your turn.

Back on the game - A person who has been away from the gambling action - possibly in prison or trying to ‘go straight’ - is back on the game when they return.

Backer - A wealthy person who finances another player. In Paul Newman’s masterpiece movie The Hustler (1961), Eddie Felson is a brassy pool shark. George C. Scott is Felson’s wealthy ‘backer’, with Jackie Gleason as legendary Minnesota ‘Fats’.
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Bankroll - Cash set aside for gambling. Professionals use the word to describe the money they use for ‘work’. Your ‘bankroll’ increases when you win and - obviously - decreases if you lose!

Bet - A wager staked on a round of blackjack, roulette, the spin of a slot machine, or in a sportsbook. Some table games might have a minimum or a maximum bet - or no limit at all for the high rollers.

Blood game - Generally, a high-stakes, cutthroat poker game. The opposite of a ‘social game’.

Bust - Rounders poker player Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) lost all of his chips and went ‘bust’ in a game against a Russian gangster (John Malkovich). The word is also used to describe ‘busting your opponent’ or forcing your rival out of the game.

Buy-in - When players convert cash for casino chips, the amount spent is called their buy-in. In poker, the buy-in is the cost of entry into a tournament.

Card Counting - In Rain Man, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) can count up to six decks of cards, remembering which cards have been played and which remain in the decks. Raymond’s card counting allows Charlie (Tom Cruise) to double down on Blackjack bets he might not otherwise make. 

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Chips - Tokens used for playing casino table games. Poker players ‘riffle’ them while debating their next move.

Cold/Hot - Gambling tables run cold when players are on a losing streak. Running hot is far more lucrative.

Comped - Casino regulars who typically gamble significant amounts of cash will be ‘comped’ 0 anything from rooms, meals, tickets to events and much more. Even lower stake gamblers can expect to be comped drinks.

Double or nothing - If you win your bet on red or black in roulette, you double your money. If you lose, you get nothing.

Doubling down - A second bet that strengthens your positions even if it is potentially risky. In blackjack, players double down after a look at the initial cards, with the requirement that one additional card be drawn.

Down and dirty - Commonly used in seven-card stud poker, referring to the last card of seven which is dealt face down. Down and dirty is also used to describe aggressive betting and competition.

Eight, Skate, and Donate - Generally used to describe a no-limit game whose minimum bet is $8.

El Paso - I’ll pass.

Eyes of Texas - Used in Texas Hold 'em poker, a pair of aces particularly when they constitute a player's down cards.

Fever - Fever (not fiver) refers to the card or bet of $5. If $5 turns up in Texas Hold 'em, the dealer may say: "Fever in the north and the doctor went south."

Filet Gumbo - Full house.
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‍High roller - Big spenders who flash more cash than the average punter but less than a whale. 

House - The casino is ‘the house’, and as singer Brandon Flowers croons: “Didn’t nobody tell you, the house will always win. Las Vegas.” 

Juice - The house’s commission on games like baccarat and craps. 

Let it ride - The name of a casino card game. Let it ride is also a term used by gamblers who let their winning chips remain on the table in roulette, hoping they will win again on the same number

Pit boss - The casino manager who ensures fair play. 

Railbirds - Spectators who watch the high rollers and whales from a distance without reaching into their pockets to play.

Rounders - Players who make the rounds of high stakes games. As Mike (Matt Damon) says in Rounders: “If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” 

Toke - A tip, usually for the dealer, from a player on a winning streak. The word comes from ‘token’ of appreciation. 

Whale - Uber-wealthy individuals don’t always care if they win or lose. They are there for entertainment. ‘Comped’ whales tend to pay for nothing!

Yeast Raise - A player sweetens the pot with: "Let's give it a little yeast,” meaning “I raise your bet with more money.” 

Z-Game - The smallest game in a card room or casino (the opposite of A-game).

Zombie - A poker player with no ‘tells’, who shows no emotion and gives nothing away about what cards are in his/her hand.