gambling terms > all gambling terms

Set the Board [General]
	When a bookmaker completes the information shown on the betting board, by listing each runner in a race and their respective odds, he or she is referred to as having set the board.

Set Tracks [Skiing]
	Machine-prepared tracks suitable for cross-country skiing, sometimes referred to as loipe. Not to be confused with trails, which are merely defined paths that may be skiied along.

Set Up [Poker]

1) Make a bet or action that causes another player to think you always act that way, so that you can take advantage of the misconception later; set a trap for someone. For example, if in draw poker, you raise and draw one card to three of a kind several times, you may be trying to set someone up to think that every time you raise and draw one you have trips (particularly if you rarely raise on two pair). If later you raise and draw two when you really have three of a kind (if things work out the way you want, preferably aces), the player you have been setting up may think you can't possibly have trips, and will call a large bet after the draw with two pair or possibly even one high pair. (Of course, if things don't work out the way they're supposed to, he'll make a hand that beats your three aces. That's a chance a good player just has to take.) 2) Prepare a victim for being cheated. 3) Having check cashing privileges (or sometimes just credit) in a particular establishment. "Are you set up in the cage?"

Set you in [Poker]
	To bet as much as your opponent has left in front of him.

Set-Up Man [Baseball]
	A relief pitcher who usually enters the game in the 7th or 8th inning.

Settle [Luge]
	The portion of the start in which the athlete lies back on the sled.

Settle Up [Poker]
	At the end of a poker session, pay one's losses.

Settlement [Poker]
	The period of time at the end of a poker game (usually private) at which losers pay their losses and winners collect their winnings; cashing in of chips.

Setup [Motor Sports]

Slang term for the tuning and adjustments made to a race car's suspension before and during a race. Short Track - Racetracks that are less than a mile in length. Currently, the NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division holds nine events on seven short tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Memphis Motorsports Park, Myrtle Beach Speedway, Nashville Speedway USA, Richmond International Raceway, and South Boston Speedway.

Setup (Chassis) [Motor Sports]
	The configuration of the chassis in order to achieve the desired handling. Generally this consists of a selection of springs and shocks with the needed force and damping characteristics, plus adjustments like wedge and stagger.

Setup Sheets [Motor Sports]
	Documents with recorded setups from different tracks under varying weather conditions. Teams use this baseline to adjust setups when they arrive at a track.

Seven / 8 [Poker]
	A poker game, seven-card stud high-low split, with an 8 qualifier for low.

Seven Basic Wrestling Skills [Wrestling]
	The US Wrestling Federation has dividedwrestling skills into the following categories:

Seven Card Stud [Poker]
	Variation of Poker. One of the poker games most commonly played in public card rooms, seven card stud is probably the most well known. In seven card stud (sometimes "seven stud" or just "stud"), each player is dealt seven cards of their own: two down, then four up, and a final card down. There is a round of betting after the first up card and after each subsequent card dealt.

Seven Deuces Wild [Poker]
	This game is played exactly like Seven Card Stud except that all deuces in the deck are wild.

Seven Dozen [Bingo]
	84

Seven Furlongs [Horse Racing]
	Seven-eighths of a mile; 1,540 yards; 4,620 feet.

Seven Iron [Golf]
	An iron club used for a distance of 125-160 yards for men's clubs. Also known as a mashie-niblick.

Seven Out [Craps]
	[1] When the shooter rolls seven after a point has been established. Control of the dice is transferred to the next shooter. Another term for this is "miss out." This is often incorrectly called "crap out.". [2] Betting that the next roll will be the number of 7 (5&2).

Seven Rule [Poker]

In lowball, the rule that states that you must bet a 7 or better (that is, a no-pair hand topped by a 7, 6, or 5) after the draw. In some clubs, failing to bet a 7 costs you the entire pot; in more clubs, it costs you only the action (betting) after the draw. In such a case, if a player passes a 7, and then calls with it, if the player who bet has worse than his hand, that player gets his money back, and the player who passed the 7 wins what was in the pot before the draw; if the player who bet has better than his hand, that player of course wins the whole pot, that is, the bet after the draw along with the remainder of the pot. The purpose of the rule is to speed up the game (by preventing players from passing good hands, and then waiting for the action to get back to them so they can raise

Seven Stud Hi Low [Poker]

This game plays the same as Seven Card Stud except that the player with the lowest hand gets half the pot. (See Low) This varient is an Ace to 5 low hand, where straights and flushes are not counted in the low hand. This means that a wheel will most likely win the pot. Pairs and trips count against you in the low hand. Thus when evaluating ^AH ^2H ^3D ^3C ^4S ^9S ^JS, we throw the ^3C out leaving you with a 9 low hand. If it is impossible to get 5 cards out of the seven without having a pair then your hand is evaluated as the worst possible poker hand, usually leaving you with a pair or worse.

Seven's a Bruiser, the Front Line's a Loser [Craps]
	Betting that the next roll will be the number of 7 (5&2).

Seven-Card Flip [Poker]
	A form of seven-card stud, found exclusively in home games, in which each player receives four cards face down, turns any two up, and then the betting commences. Also called you roll two.

Seven-Meter Line [Water Polo]
	An imaginary line extending across the pool, seven meters from each goal line.

Seven-Stud [Poker]
	Seven-card stud.

Seven-Stud / 8 [Poker]
	Seven-card stud.

Seven-Toed Pete [Poker]
	A name for seven-card stud, heard only in home games.

Seven-Twenty-Seven [Poker]

A stud game (sort of), played only in home games, in which each player is dealt a down card, followed by a round of betting, and then one or more cards face up. Aces have a value of 1 or 11, face cards a value of , and all other cards have face value. This is a split-pot game, with the object being to end up with a total closest to 7 or 27. On each round, players can either receive a further up card, or refuse further cards. After any round in which no player takes a card, the players declare which "way" they are going (7 or 27, sometimes called high or low), and there is a showdown. (Sometimes there is one more round of betting before the showdown.) In some versions, once a player refuses up cards a certain number of times (say, three), that player can no longer request further cards. The purpose of this rule is that when a player is in a "lock" (cannot lose) situation, that is, when he is the only one going low, and there are more than one player going high, and who have quit asking for up cards, the player with the lock can prolong the betting by drawing cards to a point at which he cannot hit without destroying his lock. In some games, being on one side or the other of 7 or 27 (when no one has exactly that total) wins over the other side. For example, in some games, 6 loses to 7, while in others, the reverse is true. The best hand is some combination that adds up to 7, and includes two aces, so that the hand also adds up to 27. This is a potential scooping hand, but a hand with which a player must be careful at declare time in a game in which the rules dictate that a player who declares for both ways must clearly win both ways (that is, cannot tie for either). While this is not really a poker game, it is very popular in some home games (because it has many of the elements of poker, including bluffing). Two-twenty-two and three-thirty-three are similar games

Sevens [Rugby]
	A version of rugby with only seven players on a side, typically three forwards and four backs. A half is usually only seven minutes long.

Sevens Rule [Poker]

Seventh Street [Poker]
	The final betting round on the last card in Seven-Card Stud.

Severgi [Archery]
	A type of Russian arrow.

Sew [Wrestling]
	Southern Extreme Wrestling

Sex [Poker]
	6 (the card, or the lowball hand). Heard in a card room: He: "Do you like sex?" She: "Sure, sex-four, sex-five..."

Sex Allowance [Horse Racing]
	Female horses (fillies and mares), according to their age and the time of year, are allowed to carry three to five pounds less when meeting males.

Sextant [Sailing]
	A navigational instrument used to determine the vertical position of an object such as the sun, moon or stars. Used with celestial navigation.

Sextuple Peel [Croquet]
	Part of a plan to finish the game in two breaks, similar to a quadruple peel.

Sf [Baseball]
	Sacrifice Flies Allowed

Sh [Baseball]
	Sacrifice Hits Allowed

Sha Ho [Archery]
	The rules of archery, Japan.

Sha, Shagai [Archery]
	Archery, Japan.

Shackle [Sailing]
	A metal U-shaped connector that attaches to other fittings with the use of a pin that is inserted through the arms of the U.

Shade [Poker]
	Make a diversion, to draw attention away from a thief who is in the process of performing a cheating maneuver. Also called screen out.

Shade Work [Poker]
	Markings placed on the backs of cards, additions made to the natural design (as additional circles on a clock face or spokes on a bicycle wheel), for the use of cheating players or dealers.

Shade Worker [Poker]
	A card thief who uses shade work.

Shades [Luge]
	Retractable covers that shield the track from sunlight and sometimes from snow between runs.

Shading [Poker]
	Markings (or cosmetics) put on the backs of cards with paint, ink, or some other fluid, so that a thief can read the ranks (and sometimes suits) of the cards from the back; alterations made to the natural design on the backs of the cards.

Shadow [Ice Hockey]
	To cover an opponent, one on one, everywhere on the ice. As a noun, a player assigned to shadow a specific opponent.

Shadow Ball [Bowling]
	A practice ball rolled on an empty lane, without pins.

Shadow Roll [Horse Racing]
	If a horse has been shying away from sudden changes in light that naturally occurs on the racetrack, it may be equipped with a shadow roll. This is a large Sheepskin band that is fitted over a horse's nose to keep its eyes focused forward and away from distractions underfoot.

Shaft [Canoeing]
	The narrow part of the paddle, above the blade, encompassing the grip.

Shaft Cutting Board [Golf]
	Wooden or metal board, usually attached to a chop saw that measures and cuts a number of shafts at one time. Usually found in higher volume shops.

Shaft Extension [Golf]
	A piece of material inserted into the shaft butt that is used to make the club longer. The portion of the extender inside the shaft holds it in place (with epoxy), while the portion sticking out of the shaft butt will make the club longer, up to 1 ½”. The extension may be made of wood, steel, aluminum or graphite.

Shaft Extractor [Golf]
	Threaded steel rod inserted into a shaft broken off at the hosel. The threads lock onto the shaft, making it removable after the application of heat. May also be called and “Easy Out.”

Shaft Identification (Id) Gauge [Golf]
	Rectangular aluminum gauge (approximately 3” X 5”) used to measure shaft tip sizes and step patterns. Helpful in identifying shaft types and tip diameters.

Shaft Lab [Golf]
	Computerized system of shaft fitting developed by True Temper that places a high emphasis on how a player “loads” a shaft during the swing. Shaft lab provides computer readouts and graphics as part of its fitting system.

Shaft Log [Powerboating]
	A fitting in the hull bottom that contains the propeller shaft.

Shaft Pattern [Golf]
	The design of a particular shaft, indicating the distribution of flexibility about the shaft. Pattern is also the term used to designate a particular model of shaft, e.g., Dynamic™, Spectre™, FCM™, etc.

Shaft Puller [Golf]
	Specialized tool used in the removal of graphite shafts from steel or titanium club heads. The puller is designed to force the head from the shaft at the precise moment the epoxy bond is broken by heating. The concept of a shaft puller is to reduce the number of damaged graphite shafts as they are removed.

Shafting Beads [Golf]
	Small nylon (or other non-abrasive material) beads, when mixed with epoxy, that help center a shaft in a hosel.

Shag [Golf]
	To retrieve balls hit from the practice tee.

Shag Bag [Golf]
	A bag in which practice balls are carried.

Shagging [Golf]
	Picking up golf balls from practice ranges

Shake Out [Sailing]
	To remove a reef from a sail.

Shake-Shake [Poker]
	Another name for pai gow poker.

Shakedown [Sailing]
	An initial trip with a boat to make sure that everything is operating properly.

Shakehand Grip [Table Tennis]
	A grip in which the paddle is held as if the player were shaking hands with it.

Shallow Face [Golf]
	Any wood or iron having a face height less than the norm. Shallow face clubs typically have lower CG’s, thus making them easier to get airborne.

Shampoo [Luge]
	A liquid used to keep the visor from fogging over.

Shank [Golf]
	The portion of the hosel nearest the club's face. As a verb, to hit a shot with the shank, which causes it to go sharply off line, usually to the right for a right-handed golfer.

Shanked Ferrule [Golf]
	Ferrule, with a raised lip at its top, used in conjunction with wooden woods. The "shank” or lip, helps clubmakers begin the whipping without slippage.

Shaolin [Martial Arts]
	"Young forest" or "small forest." A method of kung fu based on eight postures and five animal forms: dragon, snake, tiger, crane and leopard.

Shapiro [Golf]
	Similar to a mulligan, but after hitting the second ball, the player can choose which one to play for the rest of the hole.

Shark [Poker]
	1) Expert player. 2) Thief. 3) Loan shark.

Sharker [Poker]
	1) Expert player.2) Thief.

Sharp [Poker]
	1) Expert player. 2) Thief. Often, cardsharp.

Sharp Top [Poker]
	A four or an ace. Some lexicographers use the term only for an ace

Sharpe Ratio [Blackjack]
	A method of comparing risk and ruin, named after Nobel prize winner William Sharpe. It compares the difference in return and investment may have over a risk-less investment to the risk of the original investment.

Shateki [Archery]
	An archer, Japan.

Shave [Luge]
	To shear off a thin, top layer of ice with the steels, usually caused by a slight, momentary loss of control.

Shaved [Poker]
	Pertaining to the situation in which a hand is beaten by one only slightly better. Also called edged, edged out, or topped out.

Shaving Points [General]
	The act of one or more participants in a contest manipulating the outcome of a game so that the final score does not cover the spread.

She [Sailing]
	All boats are referred to as female. "She is at anchor." "Her sails are set."

Shear Pin [Sailing]
	A pin attaching one part to another that is designed to break if excessive loads are applied. For example to connect the propeller to the propeller shaft so that the pin can break if the propeller strikes something, preventing damage to the propeller and engine.

Shear Strength [Golf]
	Resistance of material (i.e., epoxy) to being broken or torn apart.

Shears [Poker]
	1) Cards whose shape or size has been altered by a thief so they can be located by feel during manipulation of the deck. 2) A tool for making such cards.

Sheath of Arrows [Archery]
	A bundle of twenty four arrows.

Sheathing [Sailing]
	A covering to protect the bottom of a boat.

Sheave [Sailing]
	A wheel used to change the direction of a line, such as in a block or at the top of the masthead.

Shed [Poker]
	In draw poker, discard.

Shed Row [Horse Racing]
	The stable area with barns and walk-ways under a roof.

Shedrow [Horse Racing]
	Stable area. A row of barns.

Sheepshank [Sailing]
	A knot used to temporarily shorten a line.

Sheer [Sailing]
	(1) The fore and aft curvature of the deck. (2) A sudden change of course.

Sheer Strake [Sailing]
	The top plank on the side of a wooden boat that follows the sheer of the deck.

Sheet [Poker]
	The cashier's or floor man's record of stakes and cows, and sometimes transactions against players' banks and tab cards, which, at the end of the shift, is figured in with the determination of the net gain (or loss) for the shift; the balance sheet for the shift. From this comes the expression on the sheet, which means playing stake or cow.

Sheet Bend [Sailing]
	A type of knot used to tie two lines together.

Sheet Player [Poker]
	One who plays for the house, that is, on the sheet.

Sheet Wrapping [Golf]
	The process of making a graphite shaft in which sheets of graphite and epoxy resin are wrapped around a mandrel to produce a shaft. The process is quite labor intensive. It may also be known as “Table Rolling.”

Sheets [Horse Racing]
	A handicapping tool assigning a numerical value to each race run by a horse to enable different horses running at different racetracks to be objectively compared.

Shejak [Martial Arts]
	Begin.

Shelf [Poker]
	Where a stake player's chips are kept when he is between playing sessions, usually a space under the control of the cashier, often just to one side of the window (to the cage). From this comes the expression on the shelf; the expression is generally used only for a stake player

Shell [Rowing]
	A racing boat.

Shepherding [Croquet]
	An illegal stroke of guiding the ball through through the wicket with the mallet.

Shiai [Martial Arts]
	A competitive match between Japanese martial artists.

Shibum [Martial Arts]
	Demonstration.

Shido [Martial Arts]
	A minor violation that gives the opponent a koka. If a similar violation is committed later in the match, the shido is increased to a chui. (Judo)

Shielding [Soccer]
	A technique used by a ball carrier to protect the ball from a defender closely marking him; the ball carrier keeps his body between the ball and the defender.

Shift [Poker]
	1) One of the three traditional working periods in a card room or casino: day, swing, and graveyard. 2) The personnel of a particular shift. "What time does swing shift come on?"

Shift Boss [Roulette]
	The individual in charge of the casino during a given work shift.

Shift Cards [Poker]
	While dealing, reverse the order of two cards as they are dealt.

Shift Interlock [Motor Sports]
	On a vehicle with automatic transmission, a safety device that prevents the driver from shifting out of park unless the brake pedal is depressed.

Shift Out [Horse Racing]
	To veer out wide on the track while racing. A horse may shift out when racing under pressure, and may sometimes cross into the path of other runners.

Shift Points [Motor Sports]
	The best engine r.p.m. at which to shift gears. Some production and race cars have lights to indicate when a driver should shift gears.

Shifting Sands [Poker]
	A variant of Mexican stud in which the rank of each player's hole card is wild for that player. The game probably gets its name because a player's wild card can change each round, along with the composition of the hand. The game is also called Rickey de Laet.

Shigeto Yumi [Archery]
	A large bow rapped with rattan, Japan.

Shihan [Martial Arts]
	A master instructor.

Shihap [Martial Arts]
	A bout or match.

Shikko [Martial Arts]
	"Knee walking." A method of moving forward while keeping one knee constantly on the ground. Knee walking was originally a polite way of moving in a house, especially before a lord.

Shiko [Archery]
	A Japanese quiver worn on the right side.

Shiko Dachi [Martial Arts]
	Sumo stance

Shill [Poker]

1) Someone who plays for the house, to help start games or keep short or shaky games going, to keep the live players (that is, those who are not shills) from leaving. A shill is different from a stake, because a shill keeps no part of the winnings, and is usually in the employ of the house or casino. Shills often have to play according to shill rules. Shills are not common in California card rooms, where the function is more likely to be filled by employees helping get a game started, basically just filling seats till more live players come in. Also, game starter, house player, percentage player. An old term for shill is seat-man. 2) Someone who plays like a shill, that is, a no-action player. This is a derisive term used by other players to describe a tight or otherwise conservative player. 3) Act in the role of a shill. "I usually deal for 40 minutes, and then shill till my next down."

Shill Rules [Poker]
	How a card room wants its shills to play. For example, in a lowball game, a shill might not be permitted to draw to worse than a 7, call a raise to draw, call after the draw with worse than an 8 (often only a good (smooth) 8), and be required to fold (no matter what she has) if another shill bets

Shills [Baccarat]
	House employees, usually attractive young women, who sit around an empty baccarat table to attract players to the game. Also starter.

Shim [Golf]
	Thin metallic or paper wedge used to center a shaft in a hosel. The use of shims is not a highly recommend practice among clubmakers.

Shime [Martial Arts]
	Choke.

Shime Waza [Martial Arts]
	Strangling and choking techniques.

Shimmy [Baccarat]
	The American slang expression for chemin de fer.

Shimoseki [Martial Arts]
	Lower seat." In a traditional Japanese dojo, the area where students line up and face their instructor(s). Also known as "shimoza.

Shinai [Martial Arts]
	A fencing practice sword, made of bamboo strips, and used in the practice of kendo.

Shiner [Poker]
	A cheating device, a mirror or other shiny object, such as a highly-polished cigarette lighter, placed apparently innocently on the table, used to read the reflected faces of the cards while they are being dealt. Also, gaper, glimmer, reflector

Shingeto [Archery]
	A Japanese bow wrapped with coils of red cane on a black background.

Shinguards [Soccer]
	Pads that strap onto a player's lower leg to protect the shins should he or she be kicked there.

Shinken [Martial Arts]
	"Real sword." An actual life or death encounter.

Shintai [Martial Arts]
	"Stopped mind." A condition in which one remains exclusively defensive.

Ship [Sailing]
	(1) A large vessel. (2) To take an object aboard, such as cargo, or water. (3) To put items such as oars on the boat when not in use.