Page 8 - Southern California Gaming Guide • June 2020

by Alex Winters How many times have you used gambling related sayings or idioms and perhaps wondered where they came from? Idioms are commonly used expressions whose meaning doesn’t relate to the literal meaning of the words, like “ bite the bullet” or “ beat around the bush.” of racing. If a horse had a large lead, then a jockey didn’t need to use the riding crop and could let the horse do all the work and therefore keep his or her“hands down.” Ace in the Hole An “ace in the hole” is used to refer to a hidden resource that’s being saved until it can be most effective. The origin of this term comes from Blackjack when a dealer’s hole card (the one facing down) is an ace. Players who can only see an upturned 10 will be praying that the dealer doesn’t have an ace as his hole card, as this would mean he had Blackjack and would win the hand. Pass the Buck We all know “pass the buck” is a common idiom that means to shift responsibility. But why, would handing someone a dollar bill indicate that responsibility is transferred? In high-stakes gaming halls and riverboats in the nineteenth century, the “buck” was a poker term designating the marker that was placed in front of the player whose turn it was to deal the next hand. Rotating the dealer was done to vary the order of betting and keep one person from dealing all the time, transferring the disadvantages of being the first to bet, and also to cut down on the chances of cheating. During the heyday of poker at that time, the marker used was often a hunting knife whose handle was made of a buck’s horn, hence “passing the buck.” Hopefully you’re now champing at the bit to show off your idiom origin knowledge with some of these often-heard gambling expressions! Alex Winters lives in Las Vegas and is an avid sports fan, gambler, and writer. I’m willing to bet “across the board” that you don’t know all the origins of the following gambling idioms. Countless phrases and sayings rooted in gambling have traveled through time, some changing and some staying the same to end up in our modern lexicon. Here are a few, along with their origins. No Dice Originating from the early part of the 20th century when gambling was illegal and the courts could only prosecute gamblers and casinos if dice were present, the phrase “no dice” meaning no convictions, eventually morphed into the expression we now use to indicate an absolute refusal or not a chance. Champing at the Bit We’ve all probably heard this saying when someone is impatiently waiting or anxious to do something. The early saying, “champing at the bit” refers to the small metal rod that lies in a horse’s mouth and is connected to the bridle. Some racing bettors would look for horses champing or gnawing on the bit before a race as a sign of readiness and anticipation to run. Happy-Go-Lucky We now use this phrase to describe someone who seems impervious to hard times or always in a good mood. This idiom’s meaning has changed slightly since its original use in the early 1800’s and mentioned in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. For instance, if a person were reluctant to enter an unknown or dangerous situation, but needed to gather some courage to continue, they might say, “Nevertheless, happy-go-lucky. Let’s see what happens.” Across the Board First used in thoroughbred racing when a horse was bet to Win, Place and Show. If the horse is bet across the board and wins, then the bettor collects on all three bets. We tend to use this when applied to everyone or everything in a set, as in,“I’m doing really well in school, I got all A’s across the board!” Dead Heat In the early days of English horse racing, single races were called “heats,” and if the race finished in a tie, the heat was claimed to be “dead” and didn’t count. As times and rules have changed, a dead heat will now pay both horses as winners. However, today’s use of dead heat defines any kind of tie or close race, whether it’s in politics, sports or anything else. Hit the Jackpot To‘hit the jackpot’ is an idiom we use all the time — in and out of the casino. It implies the element of luck, and used as a metaphor about playing slots. But the word ‘”jackpot” originally came from nineteenth century draw poker. Each player contributed a minimum bet (ante) before the cards were dealt. At least one player had to have a pair of jacks or better for the round to continue. If no one had the minimum hand, then the cards were collected, and the antes were held for the next pot. Two or more rounds with no jacks or better opening hand would build a nice pot. Then the players hoped to hit the “jack-pot.” Hands Down To win hands down normally is a result of a dominating victory in any arena. It has a popular and often misperceived origin story believed to originate from poker, but it’s actually born out of the early days PAGE 8 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE JUNE 2020