INDEX a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Like Wall Street, the gambling sub-culture has a language all its own. Here are some words that you will not find in your pocket Webster.
Accountant -
- Webster Says: a trained person whose work it is to inspect, keep or adjust accounts.
- Roxy Says: another term for bookmaker.
Alpo -
- Webster Says: actually, Noah had no idea.
- Roxy Says: another term for an underdog.
Beard - - Webster Says: the hair that grows on the chin and cheeks and around the lips, especially of a man.
- Roxy Says: a person who bets for someone other than himself, as a way of disguising the source or origin of the wager.
Book - - Webster Says: any number of written or printed sheets when bound or sewed together along one edge, usually between protective covers.
- Roxy Says: Refers to the neighborhood accountant with whom one wagers. Short for bookmaker, or if you're in a rushÉbookie.
Chalk - - Webster Says: a calcareous earthy substance, of an opaque white color, soft, and easily pulverized. It is a variety of limestone, calcium carbonate (CaCO3), and composed mainly of small sea shells.
- Roxy Says: a heavy favorite, therefore, one who consistently plays large favorites is a "chalkeater."
Circle - - Webster Says: a plane figure bounded by a single curved line, called its circumference, every point of which is equally distant from a point at the center of the figure.
- Roxy Says: when a circle is put around a game, that means the betting limits are cut down. Games are usually circled for an injury, or the over/under total would be circled for inclement weather.
Dime - - Webster Says: a silver coin of the United States and Canada equal to10 cents or one 10th of a dollar.
- Roxy Says: a monetary term of the gambling community meaning $1,000.
Dime line - - Webster Says: once again, Noah had no idea.
- Roxy Says: A line used for baseball for those that wager in hundred dollar units (for an explanation of the dime line, click on "Roxy's Rules of Order.")
Dog - - Webster Says: any of a large and varied group of domesticated animals related to the fox, wolf and jackal.
- Roxy Says: the team that is expected to lose; short for underdog. This team gets points, goals or an edge in the quoted odds.
Dollar - - Webster Says: the monetary unit of the United States equal to 100 cents.
- Roxy Says: the monetary unit of the gambling community equal to$100.
Downtown - - Webster Says: of, like, or in the main business section of the city.
- Roxy Says: a description of your credit rating - when you're losing. If the voice at the other end of the phone Says:, "680 downtown," it means you are in the hole, or minus $680.
Evaporate - - Webster Says: to change or convert from a solid or liquid state into a vapor.
- Roxy Says: what happens to your bank account after a bad day.
Favorite - - Webster Says: a person or thing regarded with special favor, preference or affection.
- Roxy Says: the team that is expected to win. The favorite is the team giving points or goals.
Figure - - Webster Says: a sum of money, either estimated or exact.
- Roxy Says: this represents the status of your account - to the penny.
Five times - - Webster Says: see fivefold.
- Roxy Says: a term used to determine the amount of your wager, used mostly by smaller bookmakers on the East coast. One time is equal to $5, so five times means that you are wagering $25.
Grind - - Webster Says: to crush into bits or fine particles between two hard surfaces; to pulverize.
- Roxy Says: to scratch out a small profit over a long period of time.
Hook - - Webster Says: a curved or bent piece of metal, wood, etc., used to catch, hold or pull something.
- Roxy Says: a word used to denote a half point. Instead of saying 3 1/2, it would be three and a hook.
Inch - - Webster Says: a measure of length, equal to 1/12 of a foot (2.54 centimeters).
- Roxy Says: a nice size for a knot.
Juice - - Webster Says: the liquid part of a fruit or vegetable.
- Roxy Says: the percentage of the wager that goes to the house for the privilege of transacting business, also known as vigorish. This fee is usually 10 percent.
Knot - - Webster Says: a lump or knob in a thread, cord, etc., formed by passing one free end through a loop and drawing it tight.
- Roxy Says: a big, fat wad of cash, usually kept outside of the wallet.
Line - - Webster Says: a very thin threadlike mark; specifically, a long, thin mark made by a pencil, pen chalk, etc.
- Roxy Says: the odds that are established for a game or sets of games.
Lock - - Webster Says: a mechanical device furnished with a spring or bolt, for fastening a door, strongbox, etc.
- Roxy Says: a selection involving a game that "can't lose." Beware of lock games, they can damage your bank account.
Man - - Webster Says: an adult male human being.
- Roxy Says: your bookie.
Meet - - Webster Says: to come upon; to come across; to encounter (a person).
- Roxy Says: an arrangement whereby you get together with your favorite accountant, usually to settle up.
Middle - - Webster Says: halfway between two given points, times, etc.; equally distant from either end; in the center.
- Roxy Says: Nirvana for the gambler, and economic ruin for the bookmaker. When a player hits a middle, the player collects on both sides of a game. For example; check out Super Bowl XIII, which came to be known as "Black Sunday" for all bookmakers. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened up at -3 1/2 points over the Dallas Cowboys, and wound up closing at -4 1/2. The smart players bought the Steelers early at -3 1/2, and the Cowboys late at +4 1/2. When the final gun sounded, the 35-31 Pittsburgh victory fell right in the middle of the 3 1/2 and 4 1/2. The bookies had to pay off both sides, and the players that bought the game at -4 were issued a refund. Probably the worst day ever for legal books in Nevada, and illegal joints around the country.
Move - - Webster Says: to change the place or position of; to push, carry, or pull from one place or position to another.
- Roxy Says: when there is a line shift that changes the odds or points.
Nickel - - Webster Says: a United States or Canadian coin made of an alloy of nickel and copper and equal to five cents.
- Roxy Says: a monetary term of the gambling community meaning $500.
Nickel Line - - Webster Says: again, Noah had no idea.
- Roxy Says: a line used in baseball, also known as the "Eastern Line." (for an explanation of the Nickel line, click on "Roxy's Rules of Order").
Off the board - - Webster Says: don't bother me with these three-word deals.
- Roxy Says: when there are no odds or points posted on a game.
Office - - Webster Says: the building, room, or series of rooms in which the affairs of a business, professional person, branch of government, etc. are carried on.
- Roxy Says: the place where your accountant is located.
Out - - Webster Says: away from, forth from, or removed from a place, position, or situation; as out of the house.
- Roxy Says: another one of the many names for your local accountant or bookmaker.
Over - - Webster Says: in, at, or to a position up from; higher than; above; as, the branch hung over the house.
- Roxy Says: when a game goes over the posted over/under point total.
Over/under - - Webster Says: see over; see under; and don't pester me.
- Roxy Says: the total points posted on a particular game. For example; say a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears had a posted over/under total of 40. If you wager on the under, the combined point total of both teams can not exceed 39. If you wager on the over, the combined point total of both teams must be 41 or more. If the game fell right on 40, it would be a push.
Parlay - - Webster Says: to bet (an original wager plus its winnings) on another race, contest, etc.
- Roxy Says: the Webman finally got one right.
Pick or pick'em - - Webster Says: to dig, probe or scratch at with the fingers or with something pointed in an attempt to remove, as a scab.
- Roxy Says: when oddsmakers feel two teams are evenly matched, and no points are given or taken. Also referred to as an even game.
Pieces - - Webster Says: a part, or parts, or a fragment broken or separated from the whole.
- Roxy Says: this term denotes how many games one uses on a particular day. Wagering on five games would be using five pieces.
Play - - Webster Says: to have fun; to amuse oneself; to take part in a game or sport; to engage in recreation.
- Roxy Says: another way of describing any wager that is made. If one played, or had a play on the Jets, that would mean a wager had been made.
Pray - - Webster Says: to ask very earnestly, to make supplication; to say prayers.
- Roxy Says: what you do before you make a playÉ or during a gameÉ or the day before you are to meet your man.
Price - - Webster Says: the amount of money asked or given for something; cost; charge.
- Roxy Says: when one asks for a price on the game, it is a request to obtain the current odds.
Push - - Webster Says: to thrust, shove, or drive up, down, in, out, forward, etc.
- Roxy Says: if a wager ends in a tie, you have a push. For example, if the Seattle Seahawks were -4 points over the Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle won 20-16, the game would be a push, and all wagers would be refunded.
Quote - - Webster Says: in commerce, to state the price of something.
- Roxy Says: close enough.
Rainbow - - Webster Says: a bow, or an arc of a circle , consisting of the colors of the spectrum in consecutive bands.
- Roxy Says: something every gambler chasesÉand chasesÉand chasesÉ
Runner - - Webster Says: a person who runs errands, carries messages, etc., as for a bank or brokerage house.
- Roxy Says: not bad Noah. Just substitute bets for errands, money for messages, group for bank and syndicate for brokerage house.
Run line - - Webster Says: maybe in the next edition.
- Roxy Says: another way to wager on a baseball game ( for an explanation of the run line, click on "Roxy's Rules of Order ").
Sandwich - - Webster Says: two or more slices of bread with a filling or meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, etc. between them.
- Roxy Says: a spot on the schedule where a team, usually in college, has a soft touch or creampuff in between two very strong opponents.
Scalp - - Webster Says: the skin on the top and back of the head, usually covered with hair.
- Roxy Says: shopping at more than one store, or with more than one bookmaker, to get the best price on a game making a small profit with no risk.
Settle - - Webster Says: to put in order; to arrange or adjust as desired, as clothing, a room, one's affairs, etc.
- Roxy Says: when you clear up your figure with your man.
Sock - - Webster Says: a stocking reaching only a short distance up the leg.
- Roxy Says: a place to stash your winnings. As of 1997, there is still no space on your tax return labeled 'sock.'
Spread - - Webster Says: to lay out in display; to exhibit.
- Roxy Says: another way of expressing the line on a game.
Steam - - Webster Says: water as converted into an invisible vapor or gas by being heated to the boiling point.
- Roxy Says: when an extraordinary amount of money floods in on a game, that game is called the 'steam' or the 'steam game.'
Stiff - - Webster Says: hard to bend or stretch; rigid; firm; not flexible or pliant.
- Roxy Says: one who fails to meet his monetary obligations.
Store - - Webster Says: an establishment where goods are regularly offered for sale.
- Roxy Says: another name for a bookmaking joint.
Teaser - - Webster Says: one who or that which teases.
- Roxy Says: a type of exotic wager where the player can adjust the line or spread in any direction. For example, in a three-team 10 point teaser, you could take a game where the Vikings were favored by 14 points over the Saints, and adjust the line down 10 to minus 4 if you liked the Vikes, or adjust the line up 10 to plus 24 if you thought the Saints had a prayer. You would take three teams, and the only catch is, ALL THREE must win. As Meat Loaf said, "two out of three ain't bad," but when it comes to teasers, it's a loser.
Tout - - Webster Says: to praise or recommend highly; to puff.
- Roxy Says: a handicapper that sells his or her selections to the public via phones or a newsletter. Before sending your money, or giving your credit card number, make sure you do your homework, because, like any other industry, there are a number of scam artists, so it's buyer beware.
Under - - Webster Says: in, at, or to a position down from; below; lower than; as, he his under the bed.
- Roxy Says: when a game goes under the posted over/under point total.
Uptown - - Webster Says: of, going toward, or in the upper part of a city or town, or in the part away from the main business district.
- Roxy Says: another description of your credit rating - when you're winning. If you're man Says:, "you are 242nd street uptown," you bankroll is in the plus.
Vigorish - - Webster Says: off the board.
- Roxy Says: to amount of money, usually 10 percent, that the legal sportsbooks and illegal bookies charge to make a wager; also known as vig.
Wash - - Webster Says: to clean by means of water or other liquid, as by dipping, tumbling, or scrubbing, often with soap, etc.
- Roxy Says: say you called your man and placed a wager, then suddenly decide, that's not what you wanted. You call back and ask for a wash, which would strike it from the record. In Las Vegas, or anywhere in Nevada, the only wash you'll find is in a laundromat. Once you buy a ticket at the window, you have, action, unless the game is postponed.
Work - - Webster Says: to exert oneself in order to do or make something; to do work; to labor; to toil.
- Roxy Says: usually preceded by the, as in the work. This represents a combination of the number of games played plus the total amount of money
Zombie - - Webster Says: a dull, stupid, unattractive person.
- Roxy Says: the look that those who wager take on as they crawl into their chair for Sunday night dinner. This occurs after sitting in front of two or three television sets for six hours straight, with an earplug attached to the radio, a beeper with score updates in one hand, and a cellular phone for halftime wagers in the other hand.
If you have any terms that we missed, and would like to see them in the Gambler's Glossary, you can Email us at: xteen@worldnet.att.net.
©1997 Roxy Roxborough
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