gamblers
Casino floor regulars
Gamblers are people who gamble—who bet money or valuables on uncertain outcomes.
The term covers casual players at casinos and professional poker players alike.
It often carries connotations of compulsion or recklessness: He's a gambler who's lost everything twice.
More broadly, gamblers are risk-takers: Entrepreneurs are gamblers by nature.
People who bet
- wagerersThose who stake money
- high-rollersWealthy, lavish gamblers
- sharpsSymbols raising pitch
- whalesMassive marine mammals
fish · card counters · hustlers · sharks · rounders · grinders · railbirds · marks
Narrow elongated openings
- rouletteSpinning wheel wager
- blackjackCard game to twenty-one
- pokerHearth implement for coals
- crapsCasino dice wagering
baccarat · chips · dealers · croupier · pit boss · cage · comps · house edge
Posts or wagers
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- hazardSource of potential harm
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
uncertainty · variance · expected value · edge · exposure · ruin · double down · all-in
Those accepting wagers
- handicappersThose who predict contest outcomes
- tipstersThose offering predictions
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- spreadsDistributes over area
parlays · touts · syndicates · sharps · squares · juice · vigorish · layoff
Irresistible urge to act
- dependencyState of needing support
- cravingPowerful urge to have
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- relapseReturn to former illness
rehabilitation · intervention · recovery · enabler · self-destruction · desperation · anonymous · counseling
Baseless belief in omens
- lucky charmObject thought to bring fortune
- talismanMagical protective charm
- rabbit's footSupposed good-luck amulet
- hot streakSustained period of success
cold streak · jinx · ritual · horseshoe · four-leaf clover · lucky penny · beginner's luck · mojo
punters
People who bet
- wagerersThose who stake money
- high-rollersWealthy, lavish gamblers
- sharpsSymbols raising pitch
whales · fish · card counters · hustlers · sharks · rounders · grinders · railbirds · marks · pigeons
slots
Narrow elongated openings
craps · baccarat · chips · dealers · croupier · pit boss · cage · comps · house edge · jackpot
stakes
Posts or wagers
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- hazardSource of potential harm
speculation · uncertainty · variance · expected value · edge · exposure · ruin · double down · all-in · hedge
bookies
Those accepting wagers
- handicappersThose who predict contest outcomes
- tipstersThose offering predictions
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
spreads · parlays · touts · syndicates · sharps · squares · juice · vigorish · layoff · steam
compulsion
Irresistible urge to act
- dependencyState of needing support
- cravingPowerful urge to have
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
relapse · rehabilitation · intervention · recovery · enabler · self-destruction · desperation · anonymous · counseling · therapy
superstition
Baseless belief in omens
- lucky charmObject thought to bring fortune
- talismanMagical protective charm
- rabbit's footSupposed good-luck amulet
hot streak · cold streak · jinx · ritual · horseshoe · four-leaf clover · lucky penny · beginner's luck · mojo · fortune
- habit typessmokers, nail biters, procrastinators, coffee drinkers, early risers
- lucky peoplelottery winners, prize winners, winners, born lucky
- addictsaddicts, addict, junkies, drug addict, drug addicts
- frontier peoplepioneers, settlers, frontiersmen, trappers, fur traders
- Bret HarteClarence
- seekersseekers, seeker, treasure hunters, searcher, fortune seekers
gamblersconservatives
Advocates for gradual change
hedgers · pessimists · actuaries · accountants · bean counters
gamblerscalculators
Electronic computation devices
planners · strategists · engineers · scientists · analysts
- take a gambleRisk for uncertain gain
- wild gambleRisky bet, slim chance
- professional gamblerOne who bets professionally
- compulsive gamblerOne addicted to wagering
- Procter and GambleMajor household products company
- gambler's fallacyAssuming randomness self-corrects