Online Casinos on the Net
Casino Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
P
Paint
A Jack, Queen or King. Picture card. Face card.
Palette
The tool (usually a long flat wooden baton) used in the Baccarat game to move cards on the table.
Pass
In card games, 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.
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 20 paylines, although most have only one.
Payoff
The return or payback the player receives for his or her wager.
Payoff Odds
The form of odds that are conventionally posted in the casinos. Payoff odds specify how much a winning wager will be paid for each wager or chip that was bet. The casinos post the 'payoff odds' in terms of the number of chips won relative to the number of chips bet.
Payoff Schedule
See 'Payout Table' below
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 videopoker machine that tells you what each winning hand will pay for the number of coins or credits played.
Pigeon
An uneducated, naive, or unsophisticated gambler.
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
A supervisor who oversees a gaming area. Usually supervises more than one table at the same time.
Pit Manager
A pit manager is in charge of all the table games, enforcing casino policy. He deals with any problems that may arise during the shift where a crucial decision must be made that may lead to a customer being dissatisfied or angry. Also, he handles Comps and dodges undeserving customers who are trying to get free Room, Food, Beverage (free RFB).
Playing the Rush
A poker term referring to a player who has just enjoyed a short-run of good luck marked by winning a very large pot of money in one hand or winning several hands in close succession. If the player subsequently begins to play more loosely or more aggressively they are said to be 'playing the rush'.
Plug
A shuffling technique that is sometimes employed in card games like blackjack where the game is often dealt from a multi-deck shoe. When freshly shuffled cards are brought back into action a substantial portion of the cards are kept out of play by the insertion of a cut-card at the back of the deck or shoe. The placement of the cut card marks the place where play will be stopped and the cards are again shuffled. During the play, used cards are stacked in a discard tray. When the cut-card is reached, the game is stopped, and the remaining un-dealt cards are inserted somewhere into the middle of the cards that have already been stacked up in the discard tray. The cards so inserted are referred to as a 'plug'. Such action is called 'plugging' the deck.
Pocket Cards
In poker where some of the player's cards are dealt to them face down. These cards are called pocket cards.
Point (The Point)
The number that is established on the come-out roll. Only place numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10) can become the point. The shooter will attempt to repeat throwing the point before throwing a 7 in order to win that round of betting.
Poker
Basically a card game. But poker isn't just a card game
it is many card games. The majority of poker games do share some common features, especially betting in rounds and the ranking of hands. Poker is commonly played in cardrooms (often within casinos) and in private home games. The games played in cardrooms seem to divide into stud games, draw games, and flop games. In home games, however, anything goes, including games that seem to have no reason to be called poker. The varieties played in home games probably number in the hundreds. Some common cardroom games include Texas Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha, Razz, Lowball, and Pineapple.
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.
Press a Bet
Adding the winnings over the current bet, to 'let it ride'.
Pressing
A player is pressing the bet when they let winnings ride by wagering them along with the original bet.
Probability
A mathematical calculation that establishes 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.
Progression Betting
A system of betting applied to many games where bet-size is systematically changed, up or down, across as series of rounds of play according to some predetermined formula.
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.
Pull Tab, Pulltab
A game similar to the lottery game. Tickets sell for 25 cents or 50 cents or even more and typically offer prizes ranging from free tickets to $500. Each ticket has perforated windows which open revealing symbols similar to those found on slot machines or some lottery games.
Punch Board
Another lottery-type game. The player punches out a slot on a board for a chance to win a merchandise prize. Punch boards offering cash prizes are also common.
Punto Banco
European name for Baccarat; Punto is for Player and Banco is for Bank
Push
A tie hand between a dealer and a player. A round of play where neither the player nor the casino wins.
