All Gambling Terms Dictionary

 D 
D [Poker]
Diamonds (the suit), in written text. Qd, for example, is the queen of diamonds.
  
D'alembert [Blackjack]
A betting progression. It is a system where the bettor raises the bet one unit after each loss and lowers the bet one unit after each win. A series of numbers equidistant from one another is established, such as 1, 2, 3, 4. The player starts out by betting 1 unit. If he wins, he continues to bet one unit. If he loses, he cancels out the 1 and moves to the 2 and adds one unit to the last number, now having a series of 2, 3, 4, 5. At any point in the series where the player wins his bet, he reduces his bet by one unit. If he wins enough bets to return to a one unit bet, he starts over. If he loses during the series, he cancels out the last number he played and adds another number to the series. This system has many variations. It has never been proven to win, and in fact, cannot win in any game with a negative expectation.
  
D'alembert Betting System [Roulette]
[1] A progressive system of betting where you increase your bet by one unit after a loss and decrease your bet by one unit after a win. [2] A progressive system of betting whereby two numbers are cancelled every time a previous bet is won, and one number, the total of two end numbers, is added whenever a previous bet is lost.
  
D-Rings [Bobsledding]
Handles used to steer the sled; so named from their shape.
  
D.O.a. [Bowling]
Short for "dead on arrival"; applied to a dead ball.
  
D.V.M. [Horse Racing]
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
  
Da [Archery]
An arrow, Western Tibet.
  
Da or Da2 [Blackjack]
Abbreviations for double down on any first two cards.
  
Daab [Martial Arts]
A Thai sword used in Krabi Krabong.
  
Daber [Bingo]
Bingo daber is a bottle of ink that has a foam top on it, when you touch the bingo card with the foam tip it marks the square.
  
Dachi [Martial Arts]
Stance.
  
Dacron [Sailing]
A synthetic polyester material.
  
Daffy [Freestyle Skating]
A mid-air split, in which the skier kicks one leg forward, the other backward, so that the front ski points straight up and the back ski points straight down.
  
Daffy Twister [Freestyle Skating]
A daffy followed by a twister.
  
Daffy Twister Spread [Freestyle Skating]
A sequence of a daffy, a twister, and a spread eagle.
  
Daggerboard [Sailing]
Similar to a centerboard, except that it is raised vertically. Like a keel, daggerboards are used to prevent a sailboat being pushed sideways by the wind.
  
Dai Kissaki [Martial Arts]
Enlarged point on a Japanese sword, a style more commonly found on swords from the 1700's.
  
Daikyu [Archery]
A large bow, Japan.
  
Daily Double [Horse Racing]
This type of wager is a wager on two races. You must select the winner of each race on one ticket, which you must purchase prior to the running of the first of the two races selected.
  
Daily Double Pool [Horse Racing]
The sum total of all money bet on the daily double in a given two races.
  
Daily Game [Lotto]
This can refer to any game where winners are determined once a day, but usually refers to a numbers game such as the "Daily 3" or "Daily 4" games played in many states.
  
Daily Racing Form [Horse Racing]
A daily newspaper containing news, past performance data and handicapping information. Do not use definite article "The" when describing According to Daily Racing Form,...
  
Daily Tote Double [General]
A double event in the Totalisator pool operated on the third and fifth races at any meeting. Backer has to forecast, by name, the winner of each of the two races. Unnamed selections, such as favourites, are not accepted.
  
Daily Tote Treble [General]
A Totalisator pool operated usually on the second, fourth and sixth races at a meeting. Backer has to forecast, by name, the winner of each of the three races. Unnamed selections, such as favourites, are not accepted.
  
Daily Triple [Horse Racing]
A wager where the bettor must select the winner of three consecutive races.
  
Daisan [Martial Arts]
The completed drawing phase of kyudo.
  
Daisho [Martial Arts]
"Big and small." Two swords, one long and the other short, worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.
  
Daishô [Martial Arts]
(Japanese) Translated: Big and Small or long and short... The combination of the two swords of the Samurai. The Katana (the long sword) and the Wakizashi (the short one).
  
Daito [Martial Arts]
A long sword, whose cutting edge, was over 24 inches in length, as contrasted with such shorter swords as the wakizashi (18 inches.)
  
Dam [Horse Racing]
The female parent, or mother, of a horse.
  
Dam's Sire (Broodmare Sire) [Horse Racing]
The sire of a broodmare. Used in reference to the maternal grandsire of a foal.
  
Dame [Poker]
Queen (the card).
  
Damper [Motor Sports]
A device which reduces vibration.
  
Damsire (Broodmare Sire) [Horse Racing]
The sire of a broodmare.
  
Dan [Martial Arts]
The Korean word for degree, usually used as a suffix with a number prefix to indicate a practitioner's rank, as in shodan. First dan is the lowest degree and 10th dan is the highest.
  
Dance Every Set [Poker]
Play every hand, or appear or claim to.
  
Dance Floor [Golf]
The putting green.
  
Dancing Queen [Bingo]
17
  
Danforth Anchor [Sailing]
A brand of lightweight anchor. It has pivoting flukes that dig into the ground as tension is placed on the anchor. It does not have a stock.
  
Danger Position [Wrestling]
A position in which a wrestler's back is at less than a right angle to the mat.
  
Dangerous Play [Field Hockey]
An action that could result in injury to any player, including the player performing the action. It includes an illegal tackle, a raised ball, and playing the ball while lying on the ground.
  
Danjun [Martial Arts]
Part of the body just below the navel which is believed to be the source of ki.
  
Danny La Rue [Bingo]
52
  
Dark [Poker]
1) Without looking at your cards. "I'll open dark." "He made a dark bet." 2) Check without looking; always followed by it. "I'll dark it" means "I have not looked at my cards and I shall check" and implies that the speaker is drawing to a powerhouse (in high draw poker) or to a must-call hand (in lowball; for example, an 8, but not a must-bet hand) so you better not try to bluff him, but in actuality usually means he doesn't want you to bet.
  
Dark Bay or Brown [Horse Racing]
A horse color that ranges from brown with areas of tan on the shoulders, head and flanks, to a dark brown, with tan areas seen only in the flanks and/or muzzle. The mane, tail and lower portions of the legs are always black unless white markings are present.
  
Dark Bet [Poker]
A blind bet.
  
Dark Day [Horse Racing]
A day when no live racing is scheduled.
  
Dark Horse [Horse Racing]
An underrated animal that wins or has good prospects of winning.
  
Dark Match [Wrestling]
(noun) A match that takes place either before or after a televised event begins or ends and is not shown on TV with the rest of the matches.
  
Darken [Poker]
Bet without looking at your cards. "I'll open dark." "He made a dark bet."
  
Darlington Stripe [Motor Sports]
A streak of scraped-off paint that appears on the right side of a car, from having made light contact with the outside wall. The term originated at Darlington back in the '60s, when the track had Armco for its retaining walls. Darlington has peculiarly-designed corners, and in the days of narrower tires, the fastest way for Stock cars to get through turn 2 (which was at the time turn 4) was to get right up next to the Armco, actually touching it, so that the corrugated metal rail produced a characteristic pair of scrape marks down the right side of the car. Richard Petty once said of Darlington: "Turn 4 would be perfect, if we were allowed to mount roller skates on the side of the car."
  
Darrell Survey [Golf]
Organization that counts and publishes equipment usage on professional golf tours. The Survey counts club and ball type and brand, type of clothing and shoes used, etc. The information is published and is made available to equipment companies and golfers by subscription only.
  
Darth Vader [Poker]
In hold 'em, the two black fours (the "dark force") as one's first two cards.
  
Darts [Bowling]
See arrows.
  
Das [Blackjack]
An abbreviation for a rule that allows the player to double after splits. See double after split.
  
Dash [Horse Racing]
A sprint race, versus a distance race.
  
Dasher [Ice Hockey]
The small ledge at the top of the boards.
  
Data Card [Skydiving]
Every parachute carries a data card with information on the reserve parachute, including type, last date packed, owner, serial number, etc.
  
Daub [Poker]
Markings put on cards with paint, ink, or some other fluid. Also called cosmetics.
  
Dauber [Bingo]
An ink marker sold in a small plastic bottle for the purpose of marking off numbers on "flimsy" sheets. See definition of flimsy.
  
David [Poker]
The king of spades. Probably comes from the Biblical King David
  
Davit [Sailing]
A device that projects beyond the side of the boat to raise objects from the water. Typically a single davit is used on the bow of a vessel to raise an anchor, and a pair are used on the side or stern of the vessel to raise a dinghy.
  
Dawn Patrol [Golf]
Golfers who tee off early to avoid the heavy traffic.
  
Day [Poker]
One of the three shifts in a 24-hour card room or casino, the shift between graveyard and swing. Day shift usually starts anywhere between 8 and 10 am and ends eight hours later. "When do you work?" "I'm on days."
  
Day Shift [Poker]
One of the three shifts in a 24-hour card room or casino, the shift between graveyard and swing. Day shift usually starts anywhere between 8 and 10 am and ends eight hours later.
  
Day/Night [Baseball]
Officially, night games in the National League are those that start after 5:00 pm, while night games in the AL begin after 6:00 pm. Therefore, a game at 5:30 in Yankee Stadium is a day game while one in Shea Stadium at the same time is a night game. We avoid this silliness by calling all games starting after 5:00pm night games.
  
Dayang [Martial Arts]
The female black belt ranks in the Filipino art arnis de mano.
  
Daybeacon, Daymark [Sailing]
A navigational aid visible during the day. In the United States and Canada, square red daybeacons should be kept on the right and triangular green daybeacons should be kept on the left when returning from a larger to smaller body of water. Also see can and nun buoys.
  
Days [Poker]
One of the three shifts in a 24-hour card room or casino, the shift between graveyard and swing. Day shift usually starts anywhere between 8 and 10 am and ends eight hours later. "When do you work?" "I'm on days."
  
Daysailer [Sailing]
A small boat intended to be used only for short sails or racing.
  
Dayshape [Sailing]
Black diamond, ball, and cone shapes hoisted on vessels during the day to indicate restricted movement ability or type. For example three balls means aground.
  
Daytime Running Lights (Drl) [Motor Sports]
These lights come on whenever the vehicle is turned on; they make the vehicle more visible to other drivers. Mandatory in Canada and standard equipment on many vehicles sold in the United States.
  
Daytona [Golf]
A game for 4 players divided into 2 sides. The scores of a side for each hole are combined to form a number of points; if one plyaer has a score of par or better then the lower score of the team is placed first - if the scores on a par 3 are 3 and 4 then the team score is 34. But if the best score for the hole is over par then the higher must be placed first - if scores on a par 3 are 4 and 5, the team score is 54. The side with the lower number of points for the round wins.
  
Db [Greyhound Racing]
Daytona Beach, Florida
  
Dd [Blackjack]
1. An abbreviation commonly used by posters to describe a Double-Deck game. 2. The acronym for Double Down.
  
De [Blackjack]
The acronym for Double Exposure, a variety of blackjack in which both dealer cards are dealt face up and ties lose.
  
De Ashi Barai [Martial Arts]
Forward foot sweep
  
De Dion Axle [Motor Sports]
The nineteenth-century axle principle of Count de Dion. The wheels tied by a transverse tube curved to clear the final drive unit rigidly mounted to the car's chassis frame. Drive to the wheels is by universally jointed half shafts. The tube moves vertically on a slide to allow the wheels to rise and fall independently. General use was dropped in 1914, but still is used on many sports and racing cars.
  
De-Arch [Skydiving]
To flatten out or reverse one's body position from the normal arched position. A de-arch results in a slower fall rate than an arch.
  
Dead [Poker]
A dead card is a card that is no longer available to help you. In seven card stud, for example, a pair of kings in the hole is less strong if the two remaining kings are two other players' door cards, and therefore dead.
  
Dead Ahead [Sailing]
A position directly in front of the vessel.
  
Dead Astern [Sailing]
A position directly behind the vessel.
  
Dead Ball [Basketball]
Any ball that is not live; occurs after each successful field goal or free-throw attempt, after any official's whistle or if the ball leaves the court; it stops play which is then resumed by a jump ball, throw-in or free-throw.
  
Dead Before [Sailing]
Running with the wind directly behind the boat.
  
Dead Blind [Poker]
1) A blind bet, the holder of which cannot raise unless the pot is already raised. 2) A blind that the winner of a pot does not get to keep; instead, he must put it back in the next pot. A winner blind is an example of a dead blind.
  
Dead Button Rule [Poker]
The rule that the button doesn't move if the small blind position leaves.
  
Dead Card [Poker]
A card no longer legally playable.
  
Dead Draw [Poker]
See Drawing Dead.
  
Dead Game [Poker]
A game full of mostly house players (that is, with few or even no live players).
  
Dead Hand [Poker]
A hand no longer legally playable, due to some irregularity.
  
Dead Handle [Curling]
A stone that either has no turn or loses its rotation during travel.
  
Dead Heat [Horse Racing]
A situation in which the judges cannot separate two or more horses when judging the outcome of a race. These horses are declared as having crossed the finish line at the exact same time. If the position the horses finished in was first, they are said to have dead-heated, if the position the horses finished in was second or third for instance, they are said to have dead-heated for second or third. Triple dead-heats (where three horses cross the line at the same time) do occur, but are quite rare.
  
Dead in the Pot [Poker]
Having no way of winning a particular pot.
  
Dead Man's Hand [Poker]
1) Two pair, aces and eights. 2) The black aces, black eights and nine of diamonds. The hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot to death.
  
Dead Money [Poker]
Money contributed to the pot by players who have folded.
  
Dead Puck [Ice Hockey]
A puck that flies out of the rink or that a player has caught in his hand.
  
Dead Reckoning [Sailing]
A method of determining position by making an educated guess based on last known position, speed and currents.
  
Dead Spider [Skydiving]
Slang for de-arch.
  
Dead Spread [Poker]
A Dead game.
  
Dead Table [Blackjack]
A table with no players. "You can't go home until there is one more dead table."
  
Dead Time [Water Polo]
The time when the ball is dead, between the whistle for a foul and the restarting of play and the clock. Compare live time.
  
Dead Track [Horse Racing]
A racing surface that lacks resiliency.
  
Dead Wood [Bowling]
Pins that remain on the lane or in the gutter after being knocked down. They are removed in ten-pin, but left in place in both candlepin and duckpin bowling.
  
Dead Wreck. [Poker]
Red deck. This is a spoonerism that you hear card room clowns use when they ask the house for a new deck.
  
Dead-Ball Foul [Basketball]
A foul committed while the clock is stopped and the ball is not in play.
  
Dead-Ball Line [Rugby]
One of two lines marking the lengthwise boundaries of the field, located at the back of the in-goal area, a maximum of 22 meters from the try-line.
  
Dead-Heat [Horse Racing]
When two or more race animals reach the finish line simultaneously.
  
Dead-Time Foul [Water Polo]
Any foul that's committed during dead time.
  
Deadlight [Sailing]
Fixed ports that do not open, placed in the deck or cabin to admit light.
  
Deadness [Croquet]
When a strikers ball hits another ball, the striker cannot use that ball until going through the next wicket. The striker is dead on the other ball, after taking the croquet shot.
  
Deadness Board [Croquet]
Board used to keep track of deadness throughout the game. (see: Equipment).
  
Deadrise [Sailing]
The measurement of the angle between the bottom of a boat and its widest beam. A vessel with a 0º deadrise has a flat bottom, high numbers indicate deep V shaped hulls.
  
Deadwood [Poker]
The discards; used cards out of play. "Push the deadwood. It's my turn to deal." Sometimes called timber.
  
Deal [Poker]
To deal is to give out the cards during a hand. The person who does this is called the dealer. At most public card rooms, a dealer is hired for this purpose (and for generally running the game). At most private games, players take turns dealing.
  
Deal a Slug [Poker]
Deal from a deck with a slug in it, in the manner described under slug, or with the slug at the bottom, and the dealer deals from the bottom as required to place those cards into his, a confederate's, or a victim's hand.
  
Deal Around [Blackjack]
To deliberately not give cards to a player even though he has a bet in place. "If he swears at you again deal around him."
  
Deal Bottoms [Poker]
Perform a cheating maneuver in which a card manipulator deals cards from the bottom of the deck.
  
Deal in [Poker]
Specifically include a particular player while dealing. "Deal me in. I'm just getting up for a cup of coffee. I'll be back before the cards are out." (He's usually not back in time.)
  
Deal Off [Poker]
Take the deal and then leave the table. In some games, a player must go through the entire set of blinds in each round in which he has a hand. If he deals off, he can come back in any position, or, in some clubs, in any position only in the round in which he dealt off.
  
Deal Out [Poker]
1) Skip a player while dealing. "Deal me out; I have to go to the bathroom." 2) Play the last hand or the last round of a session, usually used only in private games
  
Deal Seconds [Poker]
Perform a cheating maneuver in which a card manipulator deals cards not from the top of the deck, but from directly beneath the top card.
  
Deal Yourself [Poker]
Deal-yourself game, in which each player in turn physically distributes the cards. "We have no dealers; it's deal yourself."
  
Deal-Yourself Game [Poker]
A game in which each player in turn physically distributes the cards.
  
Dealer [Craps]
Each of the two Dealers at a Craps table is responsible for all the bets made on his half of the table. Whenever you want to make a free odds, place, or lay bet in a casino, you should give the money to the dealer at your end of the table and he will make the bet for you.
  
Dealer Advantage [Poker]
In a draw poker game, before the draw, the dealer gets information about how everyone bets before it is his turn to act, at the draw, about how many cards they take, and, again, after the draw, about how they bet. In hold 'em-type games in which the betting each round proceeds from the dealer's left and around, the dealer finds out how each player acts on his hand before himself having to act. This positional edge is called dealer advantage.
  
Dealer Blind [Poker]
1) In a three-blind traveling blind game game, the blind put up by the player in the dealer position. 2) The player who is in the dealer blind position.
  
Dealer Button [Poker]
In all flop games, a small disk used to signify the player in the last position if a house dealer is used; a buck.
  
Dealer Charges [Motor Sports]
Any extra charges for additional services or products sold by the dealer such as rust-proofing or extended warranties.
  
Dealer Control [Poker]
A facetious term used by a dealer who wins a large pot to imply that he won by "controlling" the cards (jokingly implying that he is cheating).
  
Dealer Edge [Poker]
In a draw poker game, before the draw, the dealer gets information about how everyone bets before it is his turn to act, at the draw, about how many cards they take, and, again, after the draw, about how they bet. In hold 'em-type games in which the betting each round proceeds from the dealer's left and around, the dealer finds out how each player acts on his hand before himself having to act. This positional edge is called dealer edge.
  
Dealer Holdback [Motor Sports]
Also known as "pack." Manufacturer refund to a dealer after a vehicle is sold. Usually a percentage (2 to 3%) of the MSRP.
  
Dealer Incentive [Motor Sports]
A limited time discount offered by the manufacturer to a dealership.
  
Dealer Incentives [Motor Sports]
A cash refund or attractive lease or loan rate offered by an automotive manufacturer toward the sale/purchase of a new vehicle.
  
Dealer Invoice Price [Motor Sports]
Also called dealer cost. The amount the dealer pays for a car or truck. Deducted from this price may be a dealer incentive, which is a set discount offered for a limited period of time, or a dealer holdback, which is a percentage of the vehicle's wholesale price.
  
Dealer Preparation Fee [Motor Sports]
Extra charges for getting the car ready.
  
Dealer School [Blackjack]
A tuition-charging training facility which teaches students the theory, standard methods, and rudimentary practice of dealing one or more of the games offered by a typical casino.
  
Dealer Sticker Price [Motor Sports]
The base price, or the price on the Monroney sticker, plus the suggested retail price of dealer-installed options, dealer preparation, and add-ons such as undercoating.
  
Dealer's Choice [Poker]
A game in which each dealer, in turn, chooses the type of poker to be played.
  
Dealer-Advantage Game [Poker]
Any poker game with dealer advantage, such as draw poker or a replacement high-low stud game in which players replace unwanted cards sequentially starting to the left of the dealer.
  
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