Welcome to the terminology that is beneficial to understand when playing casino games! We have gathered its items from various authoritative resources and compiled this extensive glossary that covers the most (if not all) commonly used words and phrases in casino world. Some of these terms are specific to online gambling only, while others are mostly used in land-based casinos.
Have not found some related word or phrase? Just let us know in the comments below and we will add its explanation shortly!
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21
Also known as Blackjack. 21 is a card game where you to play against the dealer by reaching number 21 without exceeding it.
243 ways to win
When a video slot uses 243 ways to win, you will be asked to make a bet prior to a spin and to choose what denomination or how many coins you wish to bet. You won’t be asked to pick how many lines you want to play. Instead, each and every possible winning combination from left to right can result in a win.
A
ACS
An acronym for Automatic Card Shuffler, which is a machine used in some land-based venues to automatically shuffle one or more decks of cards.
Active Payline
A payline consists of symbols that need to line up in order for you to be rewarded with a prize. If you are betting on a specific payline, that is known as an active payline. It will only become active when you place a bet on it before you spin.
Affiliate
A specific type of marketing which is regularly utilised by online casinos.
Advantage Player
A player that has some kind of advantage over the casino. This was traditionally used for card counters in blackjack, but can also apply to online players who use bonuses to gain an advantage.
Ante
A bet that’s required in some casino games prior to the hand/round starting.
Automatic Card Shuffler
A machine used in some land based venues to automatically shuffle one or more decks of cards. Sometimes abbreviated as ACS.
B
Baccarat
Also known as Punto Bando, Baccarat is a table game that uses 6 or 8 decks of cards.
Balance
The amount you have left after making deposits and placing bets. Simply, it is the amount you have readily available for bets.
Banker
Another word for the dealer or the house. A position that is responsible for taking lost bets and paying out winnings.
Bankroll
The amount of money a player has to gamble with.
Beginner’s Luck
It’s a term used when a gambler starts winning when he gambles for the first time.
Bet
An amount of money put at risk for the chance of winning.
Bet Max
Bet Max is the maximum amount you wish to stake on a spin.
Bet Min
Bet Min is the minimum amount you wish to place on a spin.
Betting Layout
The area of a gaming table where players can place their chips to make their chosen bet(s).
Betting Limits
The minimum and maximum stakes allowed at a gaming table.
Blackjack
Also known as 21, Blackjack is a card game where you to play against the dealer by reaching number 21 without exceeding it.
Bonus
A sum of money given to a player by an online casino for meeting certain requirements. Specific bonus type – Cash Bonus, see below for description.
Bonus (feature)
A bonus feature is triggered by present symbols when they land in a certain position on a payline. Bonus rounds usually reward you with free spins.
Burn Card
A card that is taken from the top of the deck and discarded after a shuffle or before a new round of cards is dealt.
C
Cage
The area of a casino where the chips are stored. Usually includes the cashier’s desk too.
Caribbean Stud
A table game based on online poker but played at a blackjack-type table against the House.
Cascading/Collapsing Reels
Cascading reels is a casino slot feature whereby symbols which land on a winning payline will be replaced straightaway by new ones. Replacement symbols can go on to create new winning combinations which in turn will be replaced by new symbols. This will go on until there are no more winning combinations.
Casino Tournament
A casino tournament is a tournament where you play a range of slots or table games with the aim of coming at the top of the leaderboard to win a prize. The player with the highest score at the end of the tournament will either win a bonus, real money or a tournament prize.
Card Counting
Keeping track of which cards have been dealt in blackjack to have a better idea of which cards are likely to be dealt next. When done successfully, card counting can give a player an edge over the casino.
Card Shark
An expert / pro at card games. An alternative phrase for card sharp.
Card Sharp
An alternative phrase for card shark. An expert / pro at card games.
Card Washing
A card shuffling technique where a dealer will spread all the cards on the table and mix them around.
Cash Bonus
A specific type of online casino bonus. A cash bonus is one that can be withdrawn once the wagering requirements have been met.
Cashback Bonus
A refund in bonus money, or sometimes even real cash money, that you get back into your account if you have lost money while playing. Normally this kind of bonus is a percentage of your net losses. As you will have already wagered your funds, you really have nothing to lose when taking part in this kind of promotion.
Looking for Cashback Bonus? Check our Cashback Bonus section.
Cash-Out
The act of withdrawing money from an online casino.
Cashier
In a land-based casino, it’s where you exchange chips for money. In an online casino, it’s where you can deposit and withdraw funds from your account.
Cashier’s Desk
The area of a casino where players can exchange their chips for cash.
Casino Advantage
The mathematical advantage that the casino has over players. Also known as the house edge.
Casino Rewards
Many online casinos will offer rewards of some kind, typically cash, to players based on how much they play.
Chasing
Trying to recover previous losses by increasing stakes. A very bad idea.
Chip Tray
The tray used by a dealer or croupier to hold house chips.
Chips
Tokens used in casinos to represent cash; they come in various denominations.
Classic Slots
Classic slots are retro-style video slots consisting mainly of just 3 reels. Also known as ‘fruit machines’ or ‘classic vegas slots’, these were the first games to go online.
Coins
The amount you would be betting on each pay line, which in turn would give you the total you would be betting on each spin.
Craps
Craps is a dice game where players make bets on the outcome of the roll. This game is considered a table game.
Croupier
A term most commonly used in European casinos in games such as Baccarat or Craps (see description above). It’s another term for a dealer.
Coat Tail
To follow someone else’s betting patterns.
Cold Streak
An extended losing run.
Cold Table
A gaming table where all or most players are losing.
Color Up
The act of exchanging smaller-denomination chips for larger ones.
Comp
To give players free drinks/food/accommodation in exchange for their playing activity.
Comp Hustling
The act of playing specific games, or playing in a specific way, so as to maximize the value of comps relative to the amount lost at the tables or slot machines.
Comp Points
At most casinos, online and land-based, you’ll earn comp points whenever you’re playing. These can then be exchanged for chips. In land-based casinos, comp points may also be used for food, drink, or reduced rate accommodation.
Continuous Shuffling Machine
A machine used in some land based venues to automatically and continuously shuffle the cards during game play. They are typically used in blackjack to combat card counters.
Croupier
French word for a casino dealer, commonly used in other languages, too.
CSM
An acronym for Continuous Shuffling Machine. A machine used in some land based venues to automatically and continuously shuffle the cards during game play. They are typically used in blackjack to combat card counters.
Cut Card
A plastic card used to cut the deck in some card games.
D
Deal
A card that is dealt to a player during a game.
Dealer
A casino employee responsible for dealing the cards.
Deck
The standard 52 cards used in a game of online blackjack.
Deck Penetration
The term used to describe the (approximate) percentage of a deck, or decks, of cards before they are shuffled.
Deuce
Number 2 in dice.
Degenerate Gambler
Someone who gambles frequently and excessively.
Deposit
The act of adding funds to your online casino account.
Deposit Bonus
A specific type of casino bonus. A deposit bonus is one that is given for making a deposit to your online casino account.
Looking for Deposit Bonus? Check our Deposit Bonus section.
Deposit Method
The payment method used to deposit funds to your online casino account. Popular deposit methods include credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, and bank transfer.
Dice Control
A method of throwing dice that gives a player an increased likelihood of throwing, or not throwing, certain numbers. There is some debate about whether this is actually possible.
Dirty Money
The losing bets that are collected by the dealer at the end of a game.
Discard Tray
Usually found to the right of a dealer at a gaming table, this is where played or discarded cards are placed.
Double or Nothing
A stake that pays the same amount as wagered or nothing.
Draw
When a player takes additional cards in card games such as Blackjack and Baccarat.
Down Card
A card dealt unexposed – i.e. facing the table. Also known as a Face Down Card (see below).
Download Casino
A type of online casino that requires you to download software to your computer to play the games.
E
E-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance
An independent authority which approves online casinos that have proved they operate responsibly and provide a fair gaming experience. Established in 2003 and based in the United Kingdom, eCOGRA is a leading independent and internationally approved testing agency, specializing in the certification of online gaming software and systems. Find more at https://www.ecogra.org/.
eCOGRA
eCOGRA is an acronym for E-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (see above).
Edge
The advantage held in a casino game. The vast majority of time, it’s the casino that has the edge. Also, see House Edge.
Encryption
A method used by online casinos to ensure that financial transactions and private information are encoded and protected from hackers.
Even Money Bet
A bet with payout odds of 1:1, meaning the potential amount won is equal to the initial stake and the initial stake is also returned to the player. For example, a winning of 50 Eur even money bet would return a total of 100 Eur.
Expected Win Rate
The percentage of the total amount wagered at a game that you can expect to win back. For example, in a game with a 95% expected win rate you would expect to win roughly 95 Eur for every 100 Eur wagered in the long run (net losses would be 5 Eur).
Expanding Wilds
Expanding Wilds are symbols that fall onto a reel and expand to cover the reel entirely. This in turn creates a number of winning combinations, especially since they tend to touch on multiple pay lines.
Eye in the Sky
Term used for the overhead cameras in casinos that monitor the gaming tables and players.
F
Face Card
Any jack, queen or king in a deck of cards as shown in this picture:
Face Down Card
A card dealt unexposed – i.e. facing the table. Also known as a Down Card (see above).
Face Up Card
A card dealt exposed – i.e. facing upwards. Also known as an Up Card (see below).
Flash Casino
A type of online casino that allows you to play games directly from your browser using Flash technology. Flash isn’t quite dead, but its days are surely numbered. There are much better technology alternatives nowadays.
Flat Betting
A betting style where the amount you stake is the same each time.
Fold
Abandoning a hand and losing a bet in a table card game.
Free Bets
A free bet is a bet of a specified value for which a bookmaker offers to pay the stake. Many online bookmakers, including OlyBet, offer free bets to customers who open new betting accounts with them.
Free Spins
Free Spins are spins that cost you nothing. Free spins are either awarded by a casino as part of a promotion or else triggered by playing a slot game.
Looking for Free Spins? Check our Free Spin Bonuses!
G
Gambler’s Fallacy
Player’s incorrect belief that the outcome of a random event is influenced by previous events. Also known as Monte Carlo fallacy or the fallacy of the maturity of chances. Highly recommended reading on this topic in Wikipedia.
George
A slang term used by dealers to refer to a player who tips well.
Gross Winnings
The total amount returned from a winning bet, or a series of winning bets, including the initial stake(s).
We will add missing terms starting with H – Z letter shortly! Have you found what you’ve been looking for? Drop us a comment below!
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