Games & Cards Idioms

Bets were placed on horse and foot races, on shooting contests, wrestling matches and log-rolling, as well as on other competitions. As new settlers moved further west towards and beyond the Rocky Mountains, the games and the gambling went with them. Every western town had its saloon. Here the miners and cowboys played cards, gambled and drank alcoholic beverages after hard weeks or months in the mines and on the range. Today there are numerous casinos for gambling, state organized lotteries and church bingo games, as well as private and individual games.

As a result of this American indulgence in betting and card playing, American English is permeated with idioms derived from these activities:

"You bet I will." and "You can count on it." means I will definitely do the job, that you can bet money on it and not lose your money. That's a "good deal" means not only that I got a good hand in cards, but a good transaction in a personal or business matter. If something bad happens, it's a "bad deal". Many of the terms have entered the conduct of international relations, so that a Russian government official, the head of a Mediterranean nation, a far Eastern nation will each use the term "lay our, your or their cards on the table" when talking about negotiating terms.