What does fade mean in Gambling?

To fade means to bet against, particularly when referring to betting against a person. The term is most widely used in the online sports betting context and in that case usually indicates wagering against a particularly unsuccessful bettor. However, the term may also apply to betting against the caster in open dice games, such as Craps, since playing outside a casino setting requires one of the players to bet against (or fade) every wager you make.

Usage Example

1. “Since Jerry was a terrible gambler and lost plenty of money every soccer season, his friends began fading every single bet he made.”

2. If you shout “somebody fade me,” you’re asking for someone to put up some money against the bet you made.

Trivia

The term has actually been used to name a fairly recent variant of Craps. The Fading Craps, also known as Die Rich Craps, Open Craps, or Money Craps is a game in which the players bet against the book, which in return keeps a percentage (usually between 5% and 7%) of the total amount of money wagered.

In this version of Craps, the table consist of numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10), as well as the Lose Line and Win Line. The game has become infamous for its popularity among high rollers and is often considered illegal in both online and offline gambling circuits.