The Big Casino video was shot at the Las Vegas Neon Museum Boneyard in a single day (with a return for pickups at night), featuring the band playing among the yard's old billboards and casino neon signs. While the band plays during parts of the verses Jim Adkins is seen walking around parts of the yard dragging his guitar with him. Gambling (also known as betting) is the wagering of money or something of value (referred to as 'the stakes') on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the primary intent of winning money or material goods.

A whale, also referred to as high roller, is a player who wagers massive amounts of money. The term isn’t specific to a single game – whether the gambler in question is playing Slots, Poker, Roulette, or Blackjack, he or she can still be considered a whale as long as the bets are sufficiently large. In brick and mortar casinos, whales are often treated to special comps, which may include free drinks, private jet transfers, limousine use, or access to the gambling establishment’s best suites.

Even though whales never account for a large part of the casino’s revenue, high rollers may expect rebates on betting turnover and losses. Please note that the definition of a whale varies from casino to casino. Receiving a high-roller treatment in a land-based gambling house might require you to bring at least $50,000 or $100,000 to the games, but online casino sites generally have lower betting limits, which means that players who deposit $5,000 or even less might be considered whales.

Usage Example

Big casino definition

“Look, that whale just bet $50,000 on 24 in Roulette… and he actually won! I sure wish I was in his shoes.”

Trivia

The origins of the term “whale” can be traced back to the competitive gambling community – specifically, the poker scene. Poker regulars tend to put players into sea life-inspired categories, depending on their skill level. Weak players are considered “fish,” while the professionals who hunt them are often referred to as “sharks.” The same pattern can be applied to the amount of money that players bet. Consequently, recreational players may be considered “fish,” while gamblers who play the highest stakes are named after the largest creatures in the casino sea.

If you've ever played poker, you know that each hand has a name, such as a flush, for five cards of the same suit. A royal flush is the best hand in regular poker: making a straight-flush with the royal family (Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten) of one suit. Those names have been around for centuries.

Texas Hold'em hasn't been around that long, although it sometimes seems those old Texas Boys like Salior Roberts, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim and the like had been playing the game for centuries, the way they dominated the early years of the WSOP! And, they seemed to have a particular way of talking, which included plenty of colorful names for the individual two-card Hold'em starting hands.

Over the years, some of the names like Broderick Crawford, for 10-4, have come and gone out of fashion. When it was first used, Broderick Crawford was the star of a TV show called Highway Patrol, and, you guessed it, he used a CB-like transmitter to talk to the other officers and headquarters. At the end of a transmission, he said '10-4.'

A number of other hands got their names from 1960's TV shows, like 77 (77 Sunset Strip) and 99 (Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldman in Get Smart). Another one, 95, is called Dolly Parton. Not because of her bust size, but because of the Movie 9 to 5 and the hit song she sang Workin' 9 to 5.Jus to help you out, the hands 29 and 38 do have to do with the moniker's bust size, but that's another preoccupation with poker players: women and sex, so there are several references (like bitches) that you'll probably hear, and be able to figure out for yourself.

As for other names, who knows. Where did 'old blocky' come from with regard to 6-3? Was that a fellow player called Blocky who won a big pot with the hand? How about 'Big Slick' for A-K? Some people say that you've got to be real slick to win with Ace-King, and others say the name comes from the 'A' looking like an oil derrick, and oil is slick and the hand comes with a King. Well, your guess is as good as ours. Enjoy!

Big Casino Definition Dictionary

AA: Pocket Rockets; Bullets; American Airlines
KK: Cowboys; King Kong
QQ: Ladies, Whores, Siegfried & Roy
JJ: Fishhooks; hooks
TT: Dimes
99: German Virgin; Barbara Feldon (Get Smart Agent 99)
88: Snowmen; Dog Balls; Piano Keys
77: Sunset Strip
66: Route 66
55: Speed Limit
44: Magnum; Sailboats
33: Crabs
22: Ducks

Big Casino Definition

AK: Big Slick; Santa Barbara
AQ: Big Chick; Walking Back to Houston
AJ: Ajax
A8: Dead Man’s hand
KQ suited Marriage
KQ offsuit Mixed Marriage
KJ: Kojak
K9: Fido Canine What a Dog
K3: Commander Crab; King Crab
QJ: Maverick
QT: Quint; Varkony
Q7:Computer hand
Q3: Gay Waiter; San Francisco Busboy (queen with a tray)
J5: Motown; Jackson Five
J4: Flat ties (what’s a jack for?)
T5: Woolworth's; Five and Dime
T4: Broderick Crawford; Convoy; Good Buddy
T2: Texas Dolly
98: Oldsmobile
69: Big Lick; Dinner for Two
95: Dolly Parton
92: Montana Banana
76: Union Oil
57: Heinz
45: Jessie James; Jane Russell
39: Jack Benny
38: Raquel Welch
29: Twiggy

Big Casino Definition Games

Until next time, remember:
'Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever.'