Casino Terminology & Gambling Glossary
A Must-Know for New Gamblers!
Like every other hobby, discipline, or field, there are some terminologies you need to understand if you want to become a pro, the online gambling industry is no different. If you’re new to online gambling, you need to get acquainted with these terminologies before getting started with casino gambling – both online and offline.
While some of these terminologies are specific to land-based casinos, some others are used at online casinos. If you don’t know where to get started, you don’t need to panic – we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the terminologies you need to get started with casino gambling. Also, we have divided it into sections for easy understanding. Let’s get started!
A
Aggregate Limit
This is the total amount a casino will payout for any game.
Active Paylines
Players will come across this more often when playing slot machines. A payline is a combination of symbols that is required to land a win, and in some cases, it can be referred to as a winning or betting line. This payline will online be active when you set your wager on it. In some slot games, you will be required to choose how many paylines should be active. Paylines are fixed in some other slots.
Ante
Players will hear this terminology when playing card games. This is a compulsory bet that you will be required to place before you can be dealt your cards.
Advantage Players
This refers to players who have an edge over the casino. It is mostly used for card counters in Blackjack, but can also be used for online gamblers who use bonuses to gain an edge over the casino.
All or Nothing
This terminology is mostly used in Keno games. This is used to refer to a winning keno ticket that matches all the numbers drawn or does not match any number at all.
B
Bankroll:
This is the total amount of money that a player has for gambling activities.
Balance:
This is the total amount of money left after making deposits and placing bets.
Bonus
This is a freebie given to a player by an online casino for fulfilling certain requirements.
Betting Limits
This is the highest amount of money you can bet on a particular game. It’s usually determined by the casino and it differs for different casinos and games.
C
Cascading/Collapsing Reels
Collapsing reels is a slot feature where winning symbols are replaced by new ones. This can continue until there are no more winning symbols on the slot reels.
CashBack
This is a sum of money given to a player as a refund of an amount of money spent while playing at an online casino.
Casino Advantage
This is the advantage that a casino has over the player in any particular game. It is also known as casino edge or house edge.
Chase
This is the term used when a player loses their money and tries to win it back.
Chips
This is used by casinos to represent money when gambling. It’s a round disc that comes in several colors and denominations.
Croupier
This is the term used in games like craps and baccarat, mostly in European casinos. It is another term for a dealer.
D
D’Alembert System
This is a type of betting strategy that adds a certain bet amount after a loss, and deducts a certain bet amount after winning.
Deal
This is the card dealt to a player during a game.
Dealer
A casino representative that supervises a table game.
Deposit
When a player funds their casino account, they are making a deposit.
Dirty Money
This is the term used for the money lost in bets and collected by the dealer.
Double or Nothing
This is a term used for bets that pay even-money or the original bet.
Deck
This is the standard 52 decks of cards used in online blackjack.
E
Eighty-Six or 86
This is the term used when a player is banned from a casino.
Expanding Wilds
Players will come across this term when playing slot machines. It is used to describe symbols that land on the reels and expand to cover all the reels. This helps players to create additional winning combinations.
Eyes in the Sky
This term is used for the surveillance system at a casino.
F
Face Cards
This refers to the King, Queen, and Jack of any suit.
Fold
This is when a player abandons a hand and loses when playing a table game.
Flat Betting
This is a betting strategy that places the same bet amount each time.
Flash Casino
This is a kind of casino that lets players gamble from their web browsers via flash technology.
Foreign
This refers to chips from another casino.
Free Spins
This is a type of bonus or freebie given to players by an online casino as part of a promotion, or as part of an in-game bonus. Free Spins allow you to spin a slot’s reels without having to risk your money.
G
Gambler’s Fallacy
This is a term that describes the belief that the result of an event is influenced by previous events.
H
High Roller
This refers to players that bet high amounts in the casino.
Honeymoon Period
This casino terminology is used for a player who won on their first time playing at a casino. Another term for this is beginner’s luck.
I
Inside Bets
This is a type of bet that players will come across in roulette. It describes the bet placed on the numbers on the roulette table.
Instant Casino
This is a type of online casino that doesn’t require you to download any software to access their games.
J
Jackpot
This is the largest win you can get in a game – very common in poker and slot games.
Junket
A VIP casino trip sponsored by the casino for high rollers.
M
Mobile Games
This refers to casino games that are designed to be played on mobile devices – tablets or smartphones. Players can access these type of games directly from their browser or by downloading an application from mobile friendly casinos.
Min Bet
This is the minimum amount a player can bet per spin.
Max Bet
This is the maximum amount a player can bet per spin.
Multiplayer Casino
A casino that lets players play against other players in online games.
Multiplier
Players will come across this term when playing slot machines. It describes symbols that can multiply your winnings.
N
No Deposit Bonus Codes
These are promotional codes that casinos give out for free to allow you to try their casino games without having to put up any of your own money at first. No deposit bonus codes are a great way to play casino games for free.
O
Odds
This term refers to the possibility of winning in a game.
Outside Bets
This is another type of bet that you will come across in roulette. These are bets placed on an additional section (excluding numbers) of the roulette table.
P
Payoff
This is the money received by a casino player after winning.
Payout Percentage
Also known as the Return to Player percentage. This is the average amount of money that a particular casino game will return to the player out of all the wagered money in the long run.
Payout Table
This is a table that shows you all the payouts on each bet in a table game. In the case of slot machines, it is used to display the amount each slot symbol can payout.
Penetration
Players will come across this term when playing card games like blackjack. It is the percentage of decks that’s dealt before the card is reshuffled. If you want to be a card counter, you’ll need to get familiar with this term.
Phantom Bonus
This is a type of bonus awarded by an online casino that is removed from the player’s account at the point of withdrawal.
Progressive Jackpot
This is a kind of jackpot that increases over time, depending on the number of players playing the slot.
Push
Players will come across this term when playing blackjack games. This is a tied result where neither the player nor the casino wins. In this case, the player will receive their initial bet.
R
Random Number Generator (RNG):
This is the software used by online casinos to generate the result of their games. When choosing an online casino to play with, ensure that the casino is RNG certified.
Reload Bonus
This is the type of online casino bonus given to regular or existing players at an online casino for making a new deposit.
S
Sign-up / Welcome Bonus
This is the bonus offer given to players that are just joining an online casino. Also referred to as a welcome bonus.
Stake
This is the amount of money placed on the outcome of a casino game.
T
Tournament
This is a tournament hosted by a casino or the gambling industry. This can be online or offline.
V
VIP
A high-roller at an online casino that receives special treatment, and exclusive bonuses.
W
Wager
This is the bet placed on any casino game.
Wagering Requirement
This is the number of times you need to wager a casino bonus given at an online casino before you can be eligible to claim the winnings accumulated from the bonus. See our detailed explanation of casino bonus requirements here.
Wild Symbols
Players will come across the wild symbol when playing slot machines games. The wild can be used to replace other symbols to form winning combinations except the scatter.
Whale
A high-roller player that plays for high stakes.
Withdrawal
When a casino player cashes out their winnings at online casinos.
