- General Dictionary -

H

H [Poker]
	Hearts (the suit), in written text. Jh, for example, is the jack of hearts.

H.O.E. [Poker]
	A game or tournament format in which three forms of poker are played in rotation, usually either half an hour of each or one round of each. The games are limit hold 'em, Omaha/8, and seven-card stud high-low.

H.O.R.S.E [Poker]
	A game or tournament format in which five forms of poker are played in rotation, usually either half an hour of each or one round of each. The games are limit hold 'em, Omaha/8, razz, seven-card stud (high), and seven-card stud high-low (the e standing for 8-or-better).

H.O.R.S.E.L [Poker]
	A game or tournament format in which six forms of poker are played in rotation, usually either half an hour of each or one round of each. The games are limit hold 'em, Omaha/8, razz, seven-card stud (high), seven-card stud high-low, and lowball.

H.O.S.E [Poker]
	A game or tournament format in which four forms of poker are played in rotation, usually either half an hour of each or one round of each. The games are limit hold 'em, Omaha/8, seven-card stud (high), and seven-card stud high-low.

H/E [Poker]
	Shorthand, particularly in e-mail and Internet postings, for hold 'em.

H17 [Blackjack]
	An abbreviation used to signify that the rules of a particular blackjack game include requiring the dealer to hit a soft seventeen.

Half a Bet [Poker]

A bet equal to half the limit. Such a bet has significance only when a player has no more chips left than those with which to raise or call, in which case some establishments recognize it as a legitimate bet that can be reraised (on the side). For example, in some clubs, in, say, a $4-limit game, if I open the pot, and a few players call, and one player has $6 left, he can raise the pot. I can reraise, but to do so I need to put in two more full bets, that is, not a further $6, but a further $8. Some establishments do not even permit a player to call if he has less than a full bet. (He can play the hand through, but gets no action on his few remaining chips).

Half a Dollar [Poker]
	A $50 bill.

Half a Yard [Poker]
	A $50 bill.

Half and Half [Poker]

Go half and half with a player on his buy-in to a game; usually preceded by go; sometimes followed by up. When the player quits, he splits with the person with whom he went cow. Sometimes the house goes cow with a player to enable him to get into a larger game than he could otherwise afford, generally with the no altruistic purpose of filling what would otherwise be a shaky game. At some point when the player (the house hopes) gets far enough ahead of the game, the house may split him out, that is, remove half of his chips and put him on his own. "Will you go half and half with me, so I can get into the $20 game?"

Half Kill [Poker]
	A game in which the winner of two pots in a row (or the winner of the whole pot over a certain size in a high-low game) must kill the next pot.

Half Smart [Poker]
	Partially aware of the workings of thievery, but not among the inner circle.

Half-and-Half Game [Poker]
	A game in which two forms of poker are played, usually for half an hour each. For example, a half-stud, half-hold 'em game would alternate half hours with seven-card stud and hold 'em. Such a game is likely be played at relatively high stakes.

Half-and-Half Tournament [Poker]
	A tournament format in which two forms of poker are played, usually for half an hour each. For example, a half-stud, half-hold 'em tournament would alternate half hours with seven-card stud and hold 'em, generally with the limits increasing hourly or half-hourly

Half-Century [Poker]
	A $50 bill

Half-Pot Limit [Poker]

A form of poker (particularly common in England) in which the current betting maximum is equal to half the money in the pot at the moment the bet is made. When calculating a raise, it can include the amount required to call the previous bet. For example, the pot contains $100. You bet the maximum permitted, $50. If I call, the pot contains $200. I am now permitted to raise your bet by $100. If I do, your call brings the pot to $400, and you could raise my bet by another $200, and so on.

Hammer [Poker]
	Last position to bet in a particular hand; sometimes the person to put the last bet in; usually preceded by the. "You got the hammer" probably means "I'll check to you" (implying, "Since you made a large bet before the draw you will probably make one after so I will check and let you hang yourself").

Hand [Blackjack]
	1. The cards held by a player or the dealer to form a complete play. 2. A reference to a completed round of play. 3. A completed play at other table games, such as craps.

Hand [Video Poker]
	Refers to a collection of up to five cards. The cards you are dealt at the start of a game are your original hand. If there is more than one way to play your original hand, then each different way is also called a hand. You goal is to pick the hand with the highest Average Payback.

Hand [Poker]
	1) A player's best five cards. 2) A hand is also everything that happens between shuffles - cards are dealt, betting is done, a winner is declared, and the pot is pushed.

Hand For Hand [Poker]

The situation that arises near the end of a tournament in which, usually, two tables remain and a few players must bust out before the tables are combined for the final table, all of the players at which will finish in the money. Because some players might hope to guarantee a place in the money by playing slowly, hoping to outlast someone else who might go broke, the tournament director sometimes stipulates that whichever table finishes a hand first must wait for the other table before starting the next deal, and the tables play hand for hand.

Hand Mucker [Poker]
	A thief who palms cards, which he holds out for later introduction into the game. This usage comes from a pan (panguingue) dealer, who, in the course of dealing the game, constantly shuffles cards that have been played (taking these cards from the discard pile, or the muck) and reinserts cards of similar rank and suit into various separated places of the remainder of the deck.

Handle [Keno]
	The total of all money taken in for a game, shift, day or some other period of time.

Handle Slammers [Slots]
	A term for a certain kind of thief who probes the weakness of the machine by manipulation of the handle and then slams it to complete his scam.

Hard [Poker]
	Pertaining to chips in a change transaction. For example, when requesting change in currency (as opposed to chips), a request made by a dealer to a floor man of "$20 hard, $80 soft" indicates a player has a $100 bill and wants only $20 of it in chips.

Hard Hand [Blackjack]
	Hands without an ace, or with an ace valued at 1 are said to be hard in that they can only be given one value, as opposed to "soft" hands.

Hard Ten [Craps]
	A women's best friend.

Hard Total [Blackjack]
	The total of any hand not containing Aces or the total of a hand where the Ace is counted as 1. So a 10 and an 8 is a hard total of 18, or a hard 18. An Ace and a 7 is a hard total of 8.

Hard Way(S) [Craps]
	There are four hard way combinations: hard four (2&2), hard 6 (3&3), hard eight (4&4), and hard ten (5&5). Example: If you bet on hard 6, you win if a pair or 3's comes up before a 7. Hard 6 and hard eight pay 10:1, hard four and hard ten pay 8: 1.

Hard-Play [Poker]
	Show no mercy in one's play against another player, that is, do one's best to beat the opponent; opposed to soft-play.

Hard-Way [Poker]
	A pair of something, usually used in lowball. A hard-way 8 is a pair of 4s. One player says, "I've got an eight," and some other player is likely to say, "I've got a hard-way eight" (that is, he paired 4s).

Hardway Bet [Craps]
	A wager that the 4, 6, 8 or 10 will be rolled as a pair before being rolled easy or a seven is thrown.

Hart, Schaffner, and Marx [Poker]
	Three jacks.

Have a Sign on One's Back [Poker]
	Be known to be a cheat.

Hc [Blackjack]
	The acronym for High Card: 10, J, Q, K, or ace.

Head Up [Poker]
	1) Pertaining to two players playing a game by themselves. "They're playing head up for a big one." (Two players are playing freeze-out for $1000.) Also, two-handed. 2) Head-to-head. When a house dealer says "Head up," he means that there are exactly two players in the current pot.

Head-to-Head [Poker]
	Pertaining to (only) two players in a pot.

Head-Up [Poker]
	Pertaining to playing head up. "They're in a head-up game."

Heads Up [Blackjack]
	Playing one-on-one against the dealer. No other players at the table.

Heads Up [Poker]
	1) Pertaining to two players playing a game by themselves. "They're playing head up for a big one." (Two players are playing freeze-out for $1000.) Also, two-handed. 2) Head-to-head. When a house dealer says "Head up," he means that there are exactly two players in the current pot.

Heads-Up [Poker]
	Play between only two players.

Heart [Poker]
	1) Guts; courage; the ability to flow with the tides of fortune in a poker game. "He doesn't play well, but he's sure got a lot of heart." 2) Any card in the hearts suit.

Hearts [Poker]
	1) One of the four suits in a deck of cards, whose symbol is shaped like a valentine. Originally, hearts may have represented the upper class, love being an abstract concept appreciated only by the rich and educated. In both the traditional and four-color deck, hearts are red. 2) A heart flush, that is, five cards of the same suit, all hearts. "I've got a straight; whadda you got?" "Hearts."

Heat [Blackjack]

The pressure a casino puts on a winning player, typically someone who is suspected of being a card counter. It can range from very mild forms, such as a pit boss intently watching a player, unnecessary comments to more overt forms, such as a pit boss counting down the cards in the discard tray, particularly after a player has raised his bet, accusations of counting cards, intent scrutiny of your game by the pit bosses or other casino personnel. Most counters consider heat to be a warning sign that the casino suspects they are counting.

Heat [Poker]
	Attention being drawn to thievery or thieves by (usually) the management or (sometimes) other players; often preceded by draw. "I've been drawing too much heat at the Pasatiempo lately; I better stay away."

Heat [Roulette]
	Intensive scrutiny of a player's action to determine if he has an edge either due to cheating or expertise. Casinos turn up the heat if you seem to be winning too frequently or in big amounts.

Heavy [Poker]
	In lowball, pertaining to a bad card. "I caught heavy" means I missed my hand by a mile.

Hector [Poker]
	The jack of diamonds. Probably a classical reference

Heef a Dooler. [Poker]
	50 cents.

Heel Peek [Poker]
	Back peek (A cheating maneuver that enables the dealer to see the face of the top card on the deck, accomplished by squeezing the top of the deck between thumb and little finger in such a way as to bow the top card in the middle so that its value can be surreptitiously viewed. This move is made prior to dealing seconds.)

Heinz [Poker]
	1) A wild card game, seven-card stud (usually) with 5s and 7s wild; so-called because of the Heinz slogan, "57 varieties." 2) In hold 'em, 5-7 as one's first two cards.

Help [Poker]
	To improve one's hand - Someone who says they need help means they need their hand to improve in order to have a chance at the pot. Or that they've just pawned their pacemaker to fund a few more hours of poker.

Hen [Poker]
	Queen (the card). Old, rare usage.

Here to There [Poker]
	A straight, sometimes shortened to here to there; itself shortened from from here to there without a pair.

Hi-Lo [Poker]

Forms of poker in which the pot is split between the best hand and best lowball hand - In high-low split games, half the pot goes to the best hand (the high), half to the worst (the low). The criteria for deciding the low vary - see low. Split games are also often played with a qualifier that the low hand must be "8 or better." This means that the low hand must have five unpaired cards 8 or lower. Omaha and Seven Card Stud are the most popular high-low split games.

Hi-Lo Count [Blackjack]

A balanced level one counting system which values the 2 through 6 cards as a plus one and the tens, face cards and aces as a minus one. It has become the universal language of card counters, in the sense that many of the standard references to the count in games use the Hi-Lo count as a basis, such as the Illustrious 18. Often, when there is no other frame of reference, if someone refers to a count number, it is assumed that the reference is based on the Hi-Lo count. The most comprehensive guide to the Hi-Lo count can be found in Stanford Wong's book, Professional Blackjack.

Hi-Opt I. [Blackjack]
	A balanced level one counting system included in Humble and Cooper's book, The World's Greatest Blackjack Book. It assigns the value of plus one to 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's and minus one to ten valued cards.

Hi-Opt Ii [Blackjack]
	A balanced level two counting system which is sold separately from the Hi-Opt I system. It assigns a value of plus one to 2's, 3's, 5's and 6's, plus two to 4's and 5's, and minus two to ten valued cards.

Hidden Hand [Poker]

Concealed hand (A hand played in such a way that you would not suspect it of being very good, but that turns out to be so. For example, if, in lowball, two players kept raising each other back and forth, and a third just kept calling all the bets, you might suspect that he was drawing one to a good hand. If he turned out to have a pat wheel, that would be a concealed hand. In any poker game, if one player lets the others do all the betting for him, usually because the situation allows him to just keep calling without ever having to make a raise or leading bet of his own, and that player actually holds a hand that cannot lose, he is said to have a concealed hand. Also called hidden hand.).

Hidden Pair [Poker]
	Concealed pair (In stud, a pair, both cards of which are among a player's first two down cards.).

Hidden Trips [Poker]
	Down cards containing three of a kind, or, less commonly, a concealed pair matching one of the up cards.

High [Poker]
	The high hand is simply the best hand. When playing a high-low split game, one is said to "win the high" when one has the best hand, while another player wins the low. In seven card stud, the player with the strongest up cards is said to be high, and is usually first to act on fourth and subsequent streets.

High Belly Strippers [Poker]
	A deck marked by shaving the long edges of some cards (making the ends narrower than the middles) so that a thief can tell by feel the values of certain cards, usually certain high or low cards, such as the aces.

High Bet [Roulette]
	A wager on the upper 18 numbers (19-36).

High Breeze Hummer [Poker]
	A tight player. "So tight he hums in a high breeze."

High Card [Video Poker]
	A Jack, Queen, King or Ace. If you are playing Tens-or-Better Video Poker, then the 10 is also a high card.

High Card [Poker]
	1) In a stud game, the exposed card with the highest rank, usually the one who must initiate the first round of betting. 2) At the showdown, a hand that wins when two no-pair hands or two flushes are in contention by virtue of containing a card of higher rank than any in the other hand.

High Chicago [Poker]

This games plays the same as Seven Card Stud with the exception that the highest spade in the hole gets half the pot. This adds some interesting variation to the game, because if you are dealt the ace of spades in your first two down cards then you have guarenteed half the pot. Even if you start betting and raising like a maniac, chances are people won't fold because they will hope to get the other half of the pot. You might want to hold on until fourth street before you start betting heavily so that it isn't totally obvious that you have the ace.

High Draw Poker Dictionary [Poker]
	1) Any form of draw poker played for high. 2) California draw (High draw poker as most often played in limit games: pass-and-back-in before the draw, jacks or better to open, each player antes, and there are no blinds.).

High End Ticket [Keno]
	A keno ticket that pays more for catching a high number of spots, but less (or nothing) for catching fewer spots (as compared to a regular ticket).

High Hand [Poker]
	In high-low split, a hand that wins the high half, or is in contention for it.

High Limit [Poker]
	Big limit.

High Mambo [Poker]

A combination between stud and a widow game, in which players use three cards in their hands plus one community card, played high-low. Each player is dealt one down card and one up card, followed by a round of betting, one more up card, one more round of betting, and then a community card, with a final round of betting. Players use any combination of three of their four cards for high hand and any three for low. hand rankings differ from "ordinary poker." The highest ranking low hand, A -2 -3, is called a Low Mambo, and the highest ranking high hand, Q - K - A suited, is called a High Mambo. The remaining high hands rank this way: straight flush, three of a kind, straight, flush, one pair, highest card rank. There is a qualifier for low: to win the low half, a hand must be 6-high or better. One worse than a Low Mambo is A-2-4, and so on. If there is no low, the entire pot goes to the high hand.

High Man [Poker]
	1) In a stud game, the player whose board currently has the highest card combination. 2) In high-low split, the holder of the hand that wins high.

High Roller [Baccarat]
	A player that wagers big bets.

High Roller [Blackjack]
	A person who makes large wagers in the casino. What constitutes a high roller in one casino may be very different from one casino to another one. For example, a $100 bettor may be considered a high roller in a small downtown casino such as Fitzgerald's, but wouldn't attract too much attention at the Mirage.

High Roller [Poker]
	Someone who likes to play for large stakes, or in the biggest games.

High Roller [Roulette]
	A person who plays for big money (with big money).

High Roller Ticket [Keno]
	A ticket that has a high minimum ticket price.

High Society [Poker]
	High society chips (Chips of the largest denomination in a particular establishment. In a small game, in which dollar chips are used for most bets, and $5 chips are termed society chips, $20 or $100 chips would be considered high society chips; in a $20 game, with most bets made with $5 chips, high society chips would probably be $100 chips.). "Gimme a stack of high society."

High Society Chips [Poker]
	Chips of the largest denomination in a particular establishment. In a small game, in which dollar chips are used for most bets, and $5 chips are termed society chips, $20 or $100 chips would be considered high society chips; in a $20 game, with most bets made with $5 chips, high society chips would probably be $100 chips.

High Spade [Poker]

1) A side bet in which two or more players (usually in a draw or lowball game) agree that whoever has the highest card in the spade suit on the next hand (or, if no one has a spade that hand, on the following hand or hands) wins something, usually a prearranged bet, or a free drink bought by the loser or losers. 2) To play for the high spade. "I'll high spade you for the drinks" means that if, for example, I get the seven of spades on the next hand and you get no spades or a spade lower than the seven, you're supposed to buy me a drink, if you agree to the proposition. Sometimes called just spade.

High Spade in the Hole [Poker]
	A poker game played only in private or home games, a form of seven-card stud in which the pot is split between the holder of the highest hand and the holder of the highest spade in the hole. Also known as Black Maria, Chicago.

High Stakes [Poker]
	High-stakes game (Any game played for larger amounts than the other games in a particular establishment, or one in which big bets are permitted and common. Also called a big bet game.).

High-Low [Poker]
	A poker game in which the highest and lowest hands share the pot. Also called High-Low Split.

High-Low Bet [Roulette]
	Bets 18 numbers at the same time (1-18 or 19-36). Pays 1-1.

High-Low Light [Blackjack]
	Card counting system similar to Red Seven, but slightly more powerful. Recommended for those having mastered Red Seven.

High-Low Pick-Up [Blackjack]

The way the dealer picks up the players' or his cards from the table, is rigidly set down by each casino. "High-low pickup" is when the dealer, while pretending to follow house rules, picks up in separate slugs (small amount of cards) a pack of high cards (like face cards) and low cards, and then proceeds to control these slugs in the shuffle for a certain purpose (ie dealing high cards to a confederate at the table, dealing himself stiff hands etc).

High-Low Poker Dictionary [Poker]

High-Low Split [Poker]

High-Low Split Game [Poker]

High-Roll [Poker]
	Try to increase the stakes in a game, or try to run over the game by constantly betting more than the other players feel comfortable with. "We were happy playing $2-to-go until you came along jacking up every pot; quit trying to high-roll the game

High-Stakes [Poker]
	Pertaining to a game played for larger amounts than the other games in a particular establishment, or one in which big bets are permitted and common.

High-Stakes Game [Poker]
	Any game played for larger amounts than the other games in a particular establishment, or one in which big bets are permitted and common. Also called a big bet game.

Highball [Poker]
	High draw poker. This term is rarely used.

Hill to Climb [Poker]
	Obstacle to overcome. "You're stuck $100? That's no hill to climb for a stepper."

Hit [Keno]
	When a drawn number matches the spot on your ticket.

Hit [Poker]
	1) To make a hand or catch a card or cards that improves one's hand. 2) Arrive. "The ace of hearts hit on the river." 3) The needed card that makes a particular hand.

Hit / Hitting ( Draw / Drawing ) [Blackjack]
	A decision by the player to take another card. The request is almost never made verbally. In a hand-held game, it is made by scratching the cards against the felt, and in a face-up game, it is made by tapping the felt when it is the player's turn to either refuse or accept another card.

Hit and Run [Poker]
	A player who has only been at the table a short amount of time and leaves after winning a big pot.

Hit and Run Winner [Slots]
	Someone who moves ob if a slot does not pay after 3-5 maximum coin spins.

Hit Card [Blackjack]
	1. A card requested by the player during play. 2. Additional cards the dealer must take to complete a hand.

Hit Frequency [Slots]
	This is the frequency at which winning spins occur. This term is often used with bonus feature slots as the amount of spins between the bonus feature being won. A higher hit frequency is better than a low one although you have to take the machines pay cycle into account which can make measuring this difficult.

Hit it!. [Poker]
	1) "Let's go." That might be, depending on the situation, "I'll call your large bet," "I'll draw cards," "I'll play in this pot." 2) "I raise."

Hit the Brief [Poker]
	A cheating maneuver in which the deck is cut at a prearranged spot, often managed by shuffling in a brief. Also, force the cut.

Hit the Cage [Poker]
	Cash out.

Hit the Deck [Poker]
	1) Draw one or more cards. "When he stood pat, I knew I had to hit the deck." In lowball, usually implies a one-card draw. 2) Make a hand. "Things have been running so bad for me the only time I can hit the deck is when I'm drawing dead

Hit the Kicker [Poker]

1) In draw poker, draw two to a pair, or one to three of a kind, with a kicker, instead of drawing three to the pair alone or two to the trips, and catch another card of the same rank as the kicker. If you draw to a pair of kings with an ace and make two pair, aces and kings, you hit the kicker.2) In hold 'em, catch a card of the same rank as your unpaired card. 3) In seven card stud, catch a card of the same rank as one of your side cards, when you already have a pair.

Hit the Table [Poker]
	Stand pat (To decline an opportunity to draw cards.). So called because a player often hits the table with his hand when it is his turn to announce his draw if he has a pat hand. Also, knuckle, rap

Hit the with Deck [Poker]
	Be in a situation of making every hand or having good hands in crucial pots, particularly when large pots are involved.

Hit-and-Run Artist [Poker]
	One who plays briefly in each of several games, usually with the intention of having a short winning session in each. This kind of a player is usually disliked, because he takes money out of the game, leaving the remaining players trying to win from a reduced pool of chips. Also, chopper.

Hitchhiker [Poker]

1) An unexpected participant in your pot; usually preceded by pick up a. "I was trying to win all Jim's chips, but I picked up a hitchhiker, and she drew out on both of us." 2) An expected participant, generally someone you're trying to trap. "Looks like I got a hitchhiker" could be heard from someone who raised a lot and probably will win the pot, including many chips from the fool (that is, the hitchhiker) who elected to trail along. 3) Someone who comes in cold to a pot, that is, someone who has not yet had the opportunity to call any bets and, when a pot has already been raised, calls the initial bet plus the raise. For example, you open the pot in a limit game. I make it two bets, that is, I raise. Now the action comes around to the player to the right of the dealer, who calls the two bets. That player is called a hitchhiker. Also called fence hopper

Hoca [Roulette]
	Early version of roulette.

Hockey Sticks [Poker]
	In hold 'em, two 7s as one's first two cards. (That's what they look like. Sort of.)

Hog [Poker]
	In a high-low split game, use chips or voice to indicate you're going for both high and low simultaneously.

Hog it [Poker]
	In a high-low split game, use chips or voice to indicate you're going for both high and low simultaneously.

Hogger [Poker]
	1) A hand that wins both ways in any high-low pot. 2) The player holding the hand that wins both ways in any high-low pot. 3) The player who declares both ways in a high-low poker game that has a declare.

Hogier [Poker]
	The jack of spades. May have been a cousin of Charlemagne.

Hold [Blackjack]
	The amount of money won by the casino, often expressed in terms of the percentage of total wagers made in the casino. It can also be expressed as a monetary amount.

Hold [Keno]
	Handle minus payoffs, or the gross receipts after paying out all winning tickets.

Hold [Slots]
	By law there is a percentage that the house must payout in winnings. The slot machine is programmed to hold a certain percentage of the money on deposit as house profit. The exact amount of the house profit held by the slot machine is decided by the casino. See the article on Random Generated Numbers

Hold 'em [Poker]
	Generic name for a class of poker games where the players receive a certain number (2 to 4) of hole cards and 5 community cards. Usually there are betting rounds after dealing the hole cards, then after dealing 3 up cards (Flop), after dealing a 4th up card (Turn) and finally after dealing a 5th up card (River).

Hold 'em 8 [Poker]
	High-low split hold 'em, with an 8-or-better qualifier for low.

Hold 'em Player [Poker]
	Someone who plays hold 'em poker (usually exclusively, or in preference to other forms of poker).

Hold Buttons [Video Poker]
	Under the display on the video poker machine are five buttons, one for each card. You press these buttons to indicate which cards you want to hold and which you want to discard. Press a button repeatedly to switch between Hold and Discard

Hold Dead [Poker]

1) In lowball, cause another player to stand pat on a hand that is a loser, and not draw a card to a hand that might otherwise win. "John acted like he was going to draw two cards, and that held Henry dead on his 9-5, but in actuality John had an 8-7." Also, hold someone dead . 2) In lowball, decline to draw cards based on another player's actions with respect to his hand. "Sarah drew two cards, which held me dead on my 10-nothing."

Hold Me Darling [Poker]
	An obsolete name for hold 'em.

Hold Out [Poker]
	Perform a cheating maneuver in which a player removes one or more cards from play for later introduction. A held-out card can be concealed in a sleeve, in a vest, in a shoe, under the table, etc.

Hold Over [Poker]
	Consistently have better cards (than another player). "I can't beat him; he always holds over me."

Hold Someone Dead [Poker]
	Play a lowball hand in such a way as to keep another player pat on a worse hand, with the effect of keeping the player from drawing to a better hand, thus preventing the other player from winning the pot.

Holding [Poker]
	Your cards. "What are you holding?" or "What is your holding?" means "What is your hand?"

Holdings [Poker]
	Your cards. "What are you holding?" or "What is your holding?" means "What is your hand?"

Holdout [Poker]
	1) A card or cards being held out. 2) Holdout machine.

Holdout Artist [Poker]
	A thief who holds out (Perform a cheating maneuver in which a player removes one or more cards from play for later introduction. A held-out card can be concealed in a sleeve, in a vest, in a shoe, under the table, etc.).

Holdout Device [Poker]
	A mechanical device enabling thieves to surreptitiously hold out. Holdout machines used to be more popular many years ago, but are not often seen now, probably because thieves are becoming more sophisticated, and also because being caught with one is dangerous. Also called a string.

Holdout Machine [Poker]
	A mechanical device enabling thieves to surreptitiously hold out. Holdout machines used to be more popular many years ago, but are not often seen now, probably because thieves are becoming more sophisticated, and also because being caught with one is dangerous. Also called a string.

Holdout Man [Poker]
	A thief who holds out (Perform a cheating maneuver in which a player removes one or more cards from play for later introduction. A held-out card can be concealed in a sleeve, in a vest, in a shoe, under the table, etc.).

Hole [Poker]
	1) In stud and hold 'em-type games, the position for the card or cards dealt face down. From this comes the term in the hole. 2) Hole card (A card concealed in a player's hand.). 3) Losing; usually preceded by in the.

Hole Card [Blackjack]
	Dealer's first card dealt, always face down. Always assume it is a ten-value card.

Hole Card [Poker]
	1) A card concealed in a player's hand. 2) In stud and Hold'em, the face-down cards dealt to each player.

Hole Card Play [Blackjack]
	To play blackjack with the knowledge of the dealer's unexposed hole card.

Hole Card Stud [Poker]
	A form of five-card stud with an extra betting round, immediately after the first card, the hole card, is dealt. Usually played only in home games. Also called pistol stud or pistol Pete.

Hollywood [Poker]
	1) Acting. "Quit the Hollywood; we know you've got the Holy City." 2) In a showoff manner. When a player has only a few chips left, and someone bets him $1000, knowing that he can't call even 1% of that bet, that's a Hollywood move.

Holy City [Poker]
	The nuts (The best possible hand of a given class. The "nut flush" is the highest possible flush, but might still lose to, e.g., a full house. Usually used in Hold'em games.); usually preceded by the. "Get in a pot with him and he'll show you the Holy City

Home [Poker]
	The deal, or where the deal is. "A round from home" means one round in which each dealer over blinds.

Home Chowaha [Poker]

A hold 'em variant invented in a private game by RGPer Mike Chow, and popularized at BARGE, in which each player gets two down cards, the dealer flops nine cards, arranged in three rows of three, then turns two cards vertically at the ends of the "corridors" between the preceding rows, and rivers one card in the middle and to the right of the two, the whole arrangement forming a large arrow-like structure. Players form their best five-card hand using their two plus any three cards from the four possible five-card board combinations: top row of three plus top card of two plus river card, bottom row of three plus bottom card of two plus river card, middle row of three plus either one of the two turn cards plus river card.

Home Game [Poker]
	A private game played at someone's home, often one regularly scheduled, perhaps weekly. Players might refer to such a game as "the Friday-night game."

Home Run Hitter [Poker]
	A player who makes big plays that require maximum risk.

Honest [Poker]
	Not bluffing, with respect to calling a bet, and usually part of the phrase keep someone honest. "Well, I know you're not bluffing, but I've got trips, so I'll keep you honest." Related to pay off.

Honest Reader [Poker]
	A deck that has not been trimmed, or otherwise deliberately marked, but that, nonetheless, contains irregularities or factory defects, which permit observant players to identify some (or, rarely, all) of the cards from the back. Also called imperfect deck.

Honor Card [Poker]
	Any card 10 or higher. This usage comes from bridge (the game)

Hook [Poker]
	A Jack. So named because the "J" resembles a hook

Hooker [Poker]
	Queen (the card).

Hoop [Poker]
	1) A worthless ring. This has card room relevance, because you will often encounter a broker trying to sell you a hoop or a block. 2) Someplace to do something unspeakable to yourself, as an insult, and part of the expression, "Ah, stick it in yer hoop."

Hop [Craps]
	A one roll wager that a particular number will come up on the next throw of the dice.

Hop [Poker]

1) Remarkable draw; usually part of the phrase, two-card hop or three-card hop. "I thought I had a lock on the pot with a pat 7, but he made a three-card hop on me" means another pat hand just got beat by a three-card draw. Also called cathop. 2) Replace the cards in the same order as they were prior to the cut. This is a slSeven-of-hand maneuver by a card mechanic to negate the effect of the cut. Also called elevator the cut, jump the cut, make a pass, shift the cut.

Hop Bet [Craps]
	A bet that the next roll will result in one particular combination of the dice, such as 2-2 (called a "hopping hardway") or 3-5. 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5 are paid the same as a one-roll 2; other hop bets are paid the same as a one-roll 11.

Hop the Cut [Poker]
	Replace the cards in the same order as they were prior to the cut. This is a slSeven-of-hand maneuver by a card mechanic to negate the effect of the cut. Also called elevator the cut, jump the cut, make a pass, shift the cut.

Hop the Fence [Poker]
	Come in cold (Call a bet and one or more raises without yet having any money in the pot.); often followed by for. "He hopped the fence for three bets, drew two cards, and beat my pat 7," is often heard in a lowball game. Also jump the fence.

Hopper [Video Poker]
	The internal tray that holds the coins. The hopper electronically counts coins to be paid and releases them into the player's tray.

Hopper [Slots]
	This is the basket where the coins are stored inside the slot machine. When the hopper is full the excess coins fall into a basket in the bottom of the machine. When it is empty it flashes “Tilt

Hopping Hardways [Craps]
	Bets that a certain pair of identical dice faces will appear on the next roll. These all pay 30:1 (sometimes higher or lower).

Hopping the Deck [Blackjack]
	The action of a cheating dealer in single deck blackjack with which he nullifies the player's cut of the cards and returns them to their pre-cut order.

Horn [Craps]
	A one roll wager on the 2, 3, 11 and 12 combined.

Horn [Poker]
	A drink. "How about a horn?" is a suggestion to join someone in a libation.

Horn Bet [Craps]
	You bet on a combination of these four numbers: 2, 3, 11, and 12. 3 and 11 pay 15:1, and 2 and 12 pay 30:1.

Horn High Bet [Craps]
	A bet made in multiples of 5 with one unit on 3 of the horn numbers, and two units on the "high" number (number 12). "$5 horn high eleven": $1 each on 2, 3, 12, and $2 on the 11.

Hornbred [Craps]
	Horn bet, high on big red. A drunk was calling this out. Eventually started to say Cornbred.

Horse [Poker]
	Someone playing for you, with your money, or with money owed you. "I'm losing, but I've got a horse in the 20 who's way ahead" means that I have a part (or all) of someone's action in the 20-limit game.

Horsing [Poker]
	Passing a small amount of money to another player after winning a pot.

Hot [Poker]
	1) Doing well; catching good cards. "Don't get in his way; he's hot tonight" means "Stay out of his pots; you can't beat him because he's making every hand he draws to." 2) Angry. "I'm hot enough to eat fried ice cream." 3) With reference to a deck, one that has recently produced a series of good hands.

Hot and Cold Systems [Roulette]
	Classification of systems that wager on the side that won previously. Another name for a streak method of betting.

Hot Babe [Poker]
	An attractive, well-dressed female in or near a casino. The term is a trademark of rec.gambling.

Hot Deck [Blackjack]
	Playing situation with a high count value, very favorable to player.

Hot Deck [Poker]
	A deck that has recently produced a series of good hands.

Hot Dice Are Mighty Nice [Craps]
	Hot table.

Hot Hand [Craps]
	A shooter who is continually making points and numbers while rolling the dice is said to have a hot hand.

Hot One [Poker]
	To burn (To set aside a card which has been inadvertently revealed.). When the person dealing the cards (usually in a player-dealt game) takes the burn card off the deck prior to dealing the draw cards, he might say, "There's the hot one."

Hot Roll [Craps]
	A roll in which the dice are continually passing and are held by the shooter for a long period of time.

Hot Seat [Poker]
	A seat or position at the table that has recently had a run of good hands.

Hot Streak [Poker]
	Winning streak.

Hot Table [Craps]
	Craps table with lots of action.

Hot Table [Roulette]
	A table where the players have been winning.

House [Video Poker]
	The establishment running the game. Example: "The $2 you put on the button goes to the house."

House [Keno]
	The casino.

House [Poker]
	The establishment; the casino or card room - The card room (management, owners, etc.) is the house.

House Advantage / House Edge [Blackjack]
	The term "house edge" refers to the percentage advantage of casino over the player.

House Chips [Poker]
	Chips being played for the establishment, that, is those belonging to a dealer while he is working, to a shill, or perhaps a stake or proposition player, as opposed to live chips.

House Cut [Poker]
	Generic term for how the house profits from hosting the game.

House Dealer [Poker]
	A house employee who deals the cards, sells chips, settles arguments, makes minor rulings in case of irregularities, and generally runs the game.

House Edge [Baccarat]

The casino's advantage over the player. In baccarat the best bet is always on the banker and the fewer the decks the better the banker bet. Eight decks baccarat has a house edge of 1.06% / 1.24% (banker bet / player bet). One deck baccarat has a house edge of 1.01% / 1.29%. These differences in percentage do not seem large, but they do have a considerable impact on play in real life. Dealt and played using "standard" rules, a winning Banker bet is charged a 5% commission. If ties pay 8:1 the casino's advantage is 14.11% on ties. If ties pay 9:1 the casino's advantage is 4.8% on ties. In some casinos, ties are permitted to be bet on.

House Edge [Keno]
	Also known as PC (percent casino). The percent of all wagers the house can expect to win, over a period of time. Can vary widely, but normally is about 30%.

House Edge [Roulette]

The mathematical advantage of the casino has on a given bet. The house edge is set at 5.26%, resulting from the player receiving odds of 35 to 1 rather than the true odds of 1 in 36 or 37 to 1. All in all, that edge is comparable to the "rake" in poker, and in some bets on the craps table, in Baccarat and other games including sports betting. The single 0 European roulette wheel has a house edge of only 2.70%. The player has a 1 in 37 chance of winning and still gets 35 to 1.