Episode 102 If You're Gonna Start Gambling, Here's The English Vocabulary You Need To Know 🤑

Continuing with our Witches Abroad analysis, this time we're focusing on the gambling vocabulary used in the episode.  Disclaimer: I don't gamble or play cards! Do your own research first if you want to use your English to gamble! May the odds be ever in your favour. Vocabulary (Additional Vocabulary in YouTube Description) Card sharpers - people who cheat at cards to win money, often cheating at cards is their main source of income and they have very ingenious ways of cheating Shaken down - a shake down is when someone takes your money, usually forcefully. In this case Granny is planning to take as much money as she can from these men so she's going to shake them down. Beginners luck - a term used when you're really good at something the first time you try and do it. This can be applied to any skill, game or situation that usually takes practise to get good at. A sporting chance - 'to be a good sport' means to play fairly and to go along with the fun. If you give someone 'a sporting chance' then you're giving them a fair chance. If you ask someone to 'be sporting' then you're asking them to give you a fair chance. Stake - this means a part in the game. We also 'raise the stakes' which means making the game more exciting by increasing the chances of failure (or success) or increasing the amount of money available to win (or lose). dealing - we 'deal the cards' or give out the cards. The person who deals the cards is the 'dealer'. Sleeve device - this is a common contraption that card sharps (or sharks) use to hide cards up their sleeve. Merest fraction - the smallest amount Protrude - to show or point out/jut out Dealt cards off the bottom of the deck - a common way of cheating Little marks on the back - another common way of cheating, 'using a marked deck' or playing with 'marked cards' means someone has already marked on the back of the cards so someone is cheating. Thinking he’d worked out her play - her 'play' is her strategy or plan, he thinks he's guessed her plan or way of playing...he hasn't. Called her out - if we call someone out then we ask them to show themselves or show their truth. It usually means we don't trust them and we're asking them to show that they can be trusted in front of others. In this case it means he asked Granny to show her hand of cards. Run a decent flush - 'decent' means 'pretty good' and 'flush' means a run of cards from a particular family or suit. So here he had a pretty good group of cards. Teeth tappers, eyebrow raisers, the ear rubbers - these are all 'tells' or ways that people accidentally show when they are nervous or excited. Later we hear: 'Mr Frank drummed his fingers on the table, realised to his horror that he was doing it, and bought three new cards to cover his confusion.' - here he is showing his own tell (drumming his fingers) and then realises what he's doing and is really shocked by his own behaviour. $12 ahead - she is winning by $12 Down one dollar - she is losing by $1 Folded - when we decide to leave the game. We leave all the money we have already bet but we aren't going to play anymore. What were the odds - a common phrase directly related to betting and gambling. 'The odds' means 'the chances' of something happening. We can find out the odds on a horse winning, or even someone getting married. Raising - We usually hear 'I'll see you and I'll raise you', this means: I will meet your bet and I will increase my bet even more. If we just 'raise' then it means we will bet more than them. Pull the pot - 'the pot' is the money that has been gambled so far. It is rarely an actual pot, but usually a pile of money (or chips if you're playing in a casino) on the table. Nine card run - 'a run' in cards is a selection of cards that goes right through a suit so ace of clubs, the king, queen, jack, 10-2. You might not have a whole run, but in this case Granny has a nine-card run, which suggests she has all the cards in this sort of deck of cards.