The break-even point is reached when a player’s wins exactly offset what they have staked or lost, leaving them neither up nor down.
In casino use, the term covers two situations. The first is a single bet that returns only the stake — a split pot in poker, or a push in blackjack, where player and dealer tie. The second is a whole session: a player who sits down with $200, drops to $140 and then wins back the missing $60 has returned to break even. In casual speech, the phrase is also used for results that are roughly level.
Trying to claw back to break even after losses is a common trap, known as chasing, and it often leads to bigger bets than planned. For operators, the same idea applies to business metrics, such as working out when a promotion or a new market covers its costs — the casino equivalent of cracking the nut.