W - Glossary of Terms

Warp. If the dealer bends the cards while checking under 10s and shuffles gently, the cards might take on warps that make them readable while face down. For more information on using warps, see Basic Blackjack.

Wash. To mix a deck of cards by placing them face down on the table and mixing them by using a washing motion. This is commonly done whenever new decks of cards are brought to a table.

Whale. This is casino-speak for a high-roller of the biggest sort.

Win (noun). 1. The money that the casino player wins at the casino. It is expressed in dollar terms. The figure is also used to calculate his Win Rate (usually per unit of time, e.g. Hourly Win Rate), the Variance of his plays so far, and other data. 2. The money that the casino wins from the casino player. It is the amount of chips that the player has lost at the table and will remain at the table, in the dealer's rack. The casino measures Win per units of time, by taking inventory of the chips in the dealer's rack within regular time intervals. The figure is used by the casino to calculate its Hold Percentage, its Win Percentage, and other data.

Win percentage. A measure of casino earnings over a specific period of time, in percentage terms. It is the ratio of Win over Handle, where Win is the amount of money won by the casino over a period of time and Handle is the sum of all wagers made by the players during the same period of time. [See Drop. See Handle. See Hold percentage.]

Win rate. The speed at which one is expected to win, commonly expressed as a percentage (in which case it is identical to the theoretical player's advantage), or in dollars per hour or per a specified number of hands. Distinction must always be made between theoretical Win Rate (which is derived through calculation) and actual win Rate, which is obtained from the data of actual play. From the casino's perspective, Win Rate can mean, depending upon the context, the theoretical House Edge, which is expressed in percentage terms, or it can mean the amount of dollars that the house expects (theoretical WR) or actually wins (actual WR) per unit of time.

Wong, Wonging, Wonger. To back count the cards dealt at a particular table and to then join play only when the count indicates the game has swung to the player's advantage, and then to leave when the count indicates the game has turned unfavorable. The term has been expanded to include playing in any favorable situation in a number of different games. It is named after blackjack author and BJ21.com proprietor Stanford Wong, who popularized this method of play.

WWW. The acronym for Bally's Wild Wild West casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

W/L. An abbreviation for win/loss.