Whether you are a seasoned gambler or new to casino gaming, understanding the terminology is essential for a successful gaming experience. This comprehensive glossary covers essential terms and some you may encounter in various online casino games, betting strategies, and sports betting platforms.
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- 00 (Double Zero): This refers to an additional green pocket on an American roulette wheel. Both 0 and 00 on American roulette wheels increase the house edge compared to European roulette, which only has one 0.
- 243 Ways to Win: This popular payout system is used in many video slot machines.
A
- Action: The funds wagered during a gaming session. In sports betting, it’s a formal term for any kind of wager.
- Active Payline: The mechanics integrated into the design of video slots or slot machines. Nick Papas from Crypto News says that in real money slots, paylines are the symbols that must be arranged in the correct combination to win. However, winning combinations only count if they land on an active payline. To activate a payline you need to bet on it. Some slots allow you to choose how many paylines to activate while others have fixed paylines where all lines are always active.
- All-In: A poker term for having all of one’s chips at stake in a particular hand. When players go all in, they are wagering all their remaining chips.
- Ante: A bet is required of all players before any cards are dealt in a poker game. It’s essentially a small, mandatory wager that each player must make before the hand begins to ensure there’s always something in the pot to play for.
B
- Banker: Banker is an alternative term used for the house or dealer in casino games and is responsible for handling the bets, payouts, and sometimes even determining the outcome of a game.
- Bankroll: This refers to the total amount of money that either a player or casino has for gambling-related activities.
- Betting Limits: Betting limits describe the maximum and minimum amount a player can bet during a game.
C
- Card Counting: This is a technique used in blackjack to keep track of the high and low-value cards dealt. Although card counting is not illegal, it is strongly discouraged by casinos.
- Cashback: Cashback usually comes in the form of a bonus where players receive a refund after making losing bets. Online casinos typically offer a small percentage of losses back to players, which can be withdrawn or used for further play.
D
- Deal: The action of distributing cards during a card game, such as blackjack, poker, or baccarat.
- Deposit Bonus: An incentive or bonus offered that matches a percentage of the player’s first deposit up to a maximum amount.
- Deuce: A widely used term referring to the number two. In dice games, it can refer to rolling two 1’s. In poker, it can be a single card with a value of two.
E
- En Plein: This is a French term used in roulette that refers to a straight-up bet on a single number.
- Expanding Wilds: This is a specific feature in slot games where a Wild symbol expands to cover more spaces on the reel grid. The purpose of expanding Wilds is to create better opportunities for winning combinations.
F
- Face Cards: These cards refer to the Jack, Queen, and King in a standard deck of cards.
- Flat Betting: When a player bets on the same amount for each hand or game round with variation in denomination.
G
- Grind: This is a strategy of slowly accumulating small but consistent wins over a long period.
- Getting Down: This is a gambling term for making a bet.
H
- Hit: This a blackjack term requesting an additional card.
- Hole Cards: This refers to the facedown cards players receive from blackjack dealers.
- House Edge: This is a statistical advantage casinos have in each game. It is the average amount players can expect to lose compared to their original bet over an extended period of play.
I
- Insurance Bet: This is a side bet in blackjack when the dealer’s face-up card is an ace. If the dealer ends up having a natural blackjack, the insurance bet pays out 2 to 1.
- Inside Bet: In roulette, inside bets involve placing a wager on specific numbers or a small group of numbers within the interior grid of the roulette table. These bets typically have higher odds and potential payouts but lower chances of winning compared to outside bets.
J
- Jackpot: This refers to the biggest prize offered by a casino.
K
- Kicker: A poker term for a high card in the hands of a player that is not covered in winning combinations.
- KYC: Know Your Customer or KYC is a process used by casinos to verify the identity and assess the potential risks associated with their customers.
L
- Long odds: This is a sports betting term that refers to odds greater than 10:1.
M
- Multiplier: A game mechanic that multiplies payouts.
- Multiplayer: Online games where several players can play together simultaneously.
- Multi-Hand: Games such as video poker or blackjack where players can play multiple hands at once.
N
- Net Winnings: This is the total payout minus the stake.
- No Deposit Bonus: Free bonus money is offered by casinos that do not require an initial deposit.
O
- Odds: The probability or likelihood of a specific outcome in a bet or game.
P
- Paint: A slang term for face cards.
- Provably Fair: An algorithm used to prove the fairness and randomness of online casino games.
Q
- Qualifying Bet: A bet that meets the minimum requirements to be eligible for a bonus or promotion.
- Quads: Four of a kind in poker.
R
- Return to Player (RTP): A percentage of all money wagered that a game will pay back to players over time.
- Random Number Generator (RNG): Software algorithm that produces random outcomes in games to ensure fairness.
S
- Split: Dividing a pair of cards into two separate hands in blackjack.
- Stake: The amount of money wagered on a game or bet.
T
- Tilt: Playing recklessly or emotionally, usually after a loss.
U
- Underlay: Odds which are lower than they should be, favoring the house.
W
- Wagering Requirement: The number of times bonus funds must be played through before they can be withdrawn.
Conclusion
By familiarizing yourself with these terms, you’ll certainly be better equipped to understand game rules, manage your bankroll, and understand the basics of RTPs and RNGs. Understanding the lingo is your first step toward becoming an experienced player.
