Glossary of Casino & Noir Terms

The vocabulary used across the tables, the back rooms and the case file — defined plainly, with the practical consequence attached wherever there is one.

Casino language is deliberately comfortable. "Action" sounds like excitement rather than exposure; "comp" sounds like generosity rather than retention spend. Knowing what the words actually mean is the cheapest edge available, so this glossary attaches the consequence to each definition rather than just the dictionary meaning.

Money and betting

Action: The total amount wagered over a session, not the amount lost. House edge is charged against action, which is why fast games are expensive even at small stakes.
Bankroll: The money set aside for play. Sensible players think of it in units rather than dollars.
Unit: One standard bet, usually 1–2% of bankroll. Betting in units keeps sizing consistent as the stack moves.
House edge: The share of action the house expects to keep long-term. Ranges from about 0.5% (correct blackjack) to 16.7% (craps propositions).
RTP: Return to player — the mirror of house edge, used mainly for slots. A 92% RTP machine carries an 8% edge.
Variance: How wildly results swing around expectation. High variance means long droughts punctuated by big hits.
Risk of ruin: The probability of losing the whole bankroll before the edge has time to matter. Driven mostly by bet size.
Comp: Something the house gives away — a drink, a room, a marker of goodwill — to keep you seated. Nothing is free; it is priced into the edge.
Marker: Credit extended by the house. In a noir story, a marker is a plot device with interest.

At the tables

Shoe: The dispenser holding multiple decks. More decks means slightly worse odds for the player.
Hard total: A blackjack hand with no ace counted as eleven — it can bust on the next card.
Soft total: A blackjack hand where an ace counts as eleven. It cannot bust on the next card, which is why soft hands are played aggressively.
Stiff: A hard total of 12 through 16 — too high to hit comfortably, too low to win. The hands that decide most sessions.
Push: A tie. The bet is returned, nothing won or lost.
Insurance: A side bet that the dealer has blackjack. Always a losing bet, whatever the situation.
Natural: A two-card 21 in blackjack, or an 8 or 9 in baccarat.
Pass line: The base craps bet, and one of the best wagers in any casino once backed with free odds.
Free odds: The additional craps bet behind the pass line, paid at true odds with no house edge. Take the maximum you can afford.
Proposition bet: The centre-of-the-table craps bets. Loud, exciting, and priced worse than anything else on the floor.
Banker bet: The lowest-edge bet in baccarat at 1.06%, even after the 5% commission.
Hold: In video poker, the cards you keep before the draw. Correct holds are the entire skill of the game.
Paytable: The posted schedule of payouts. Two machines that look identical can differ by several percent of return.

The floor and the house

Pit: The area enclosed by the tables, staffed by dealers and supervised by the pit boss.
Pit boss: The person who notices you. Winning quietly keeps them uninterested; winning loudly does not.
Eye in the sky: Surveillance. In this game, surveillance is a mechanic, not a metaphor.
Heat: Unwanted attention. Distinct from losing money — you can be a winning player and still lose the night to heat.
Backed off: Politely told to stop playing a particular game. The warning shot before something less polite.
Whale: A very large bettor. Whales get tolerated for things ordinary players get removed for.
Grinder: A player who takes small consistent edges over long sessions. Boring, effective, and hard to notice.

The night at Lucky's

Case file: Your running record of what you have proved. Only hard evidence counts; tips and gossip are leads, not proof.
Lead: Something a patron told you. It points somewhere. It does not convict anyone.
Evidence: A confirmed, documented piece of the case. Ten of them close the night.
Suspicion: How interested the house is in you. Driven by conspicuous wins, long stays, and asking the wrong questions.
Mob heat: How interested the wrong people are in you. Rises with unpaid debts, broken deals and poking at protected business.
Police pressure: How interested the law is in you. Rises while you are holding contraband, and rises sharply if you deal with the wrong buyer.
Backpack: Where bought and planted items live. It travels with your companion — lose the companion, lose the contents.
Contraband: Anything illegal you are carrying. It appreciates while you hold it and costs you heat the whole time. A leveraged position with a carry cost.
Gambit: A once-per-run special play tied to your character. Powerful, and usually loud.
Companion: The person who came in with you. They carry the bag, cover for you, and can be lost permanently.
Dossier: The end-of-run recap: what you proved, what you took, and how the night ended.
Dead man's hand: Aces and eights, black. Historically the hand Wild Bill Hickok held when he was shot. Around here it is on the sign outside.

Where to use it

Most of these terms show up verbatim in patron dialogue and in the case file. If a stranger at the bar offers you a marker, or a dealer mentions the paytable changed, that is information, not colour. Read the odds breakdown for the numbers behind the table terms, or how to play for the heat systems the second half of this list describes.