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Chalkboard lesson · Betting Slang

What is a cooler in gambling?

The short answer

A person whose presence brings bad luck. Similar to a mush — when a cooler shows up, the winning stops.

Watch the lesson

Chalkboard lesson explaining Cooler with a worked Cooler example.Play the Cooler video

Betting slang explained

Knowing the language is step one — knowing the true price is the edge. The Cold Line’s signal desk tracks the no-vig fair number and the closing-line value behind terms like this, before the market moves.

In plain English

The person who walks in and the run ends. Casinos once literally employed them; bettors still blame whoever showed up last.

What to remember about Cooler

The definition

A person whose presence brings bad luck. Similar to a mush — when a cooler shows up, the winning stops.

In plain English

The person who walks in and the run ends. Casinos once literally employed them; bettors still blame whoever showed up last.

Example in context

"Get him out of here, he's a cooler — we haven't hit since he walked in."

Check yourself

Term quiz

Check yourself: Cooler

0/3 answered

1.A cooler is…

2.In the film the lesson draws on, what was a cooler employed to do?

3.What actually ends a hot streak?

Keep learning

Explore the next question before you place a bet.

Put the concept to work

Explore Cooler with a concrete research workflow. Build your own number, compare sportsbook prices with a sharp reference, or use Audits to review timestamped book moves beside play-by-play.

Browse the full A–Z betting glossary or read the complete betting guide. The Cold Line also publishes a free year-round sports calendar and an odds board (Free account: delayed odds).