Casino Terms Starting With A
Ace
Ace is the playing card marked with an A. It is often the strongest card in card games like Blackjack. The value of an Ace in Blackjack is 1 or 11. There are four aces in a full deck of cards.
Action
Action refers to the magnitude of casino play. It is the amount of money that a player bets across the whole gaming session. Live dealer agents also hint the player to make a move depending on the bankroll of the gambler.
Advantage Gambling
Also known as advantage play. It is about totally legal methods to get an advantage while gambling. It is not akin to cheating.
American Roulette
The American Roulette wheel features 38 pockets for the Roulette ball to rest in. Those are black and red numbers from 1 to 36. There are also two extra green pockets for a single 0 (0) and a double 0 (00). European Roulette has only one green pocket for 0.
Auto-Play
If you set a slot machine game to auto play option in online gambling, then the spins are reeled automatically. Players can control the number of spins, bet value and whether the function should stop if bonus spins are won or if there is a certain jackpot win.
B
Baccarat
Popular card game. It is a card game played between two hands, the “player” and the “banker or the dealer.” It has three possible outcomes: player (player has the higher score), banker, and tie.
Bad Beat
Poker lingo. The term is used when a player appears to have strong cards but ends up losing.
Bankroll
The amount of money that a gambler has earmarked for gambling. More important for professional gamblers. A sort of responsible gambling feature at physical casinos!
Bolita
Bolita is Spanish for Little Ball. In the most basic form of Bolita game, 100 small numbered balls are put into a bag. The balls are mixed bets are taken on which number will be drawn. It is a form of lottery. It is particularly popular in Florida and Cuba. In May 2024, Florida cops busted illegal Bolita operations at four places and it was widely covered in news.
Bookie
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets. It is usually on sporting and other events at specified odds. It is not hard to guess that an online ‘sportsbook’ or racebook is inspired by this term. Sports betting sites are the online bookies these days.
Beginners’ Luck
The term is used to describe the initial luck for a new bettor. Rest assured that you will eventually run out of it, as the house will always have an edge in the games.
Bet
Wager made on a game such as a slot machine or a sports market. Bet value refers to the value of the wager.
Bonus
Special offers and promotions are offered by gambling companies to new and existing players. For example, almost all gambling sites reviewed by BonusFinder experts provide gambling bonuses for new registrations.
C
Casino
A gambling facility. Often built with hotels and resorts. The word is of Italian origins: casa is a house. An online casino is a duly licensed website hosting the games on the internet. Ditto for an online casino app available for Android or iphones.
Chase
Do not chase your losses. Let it go. You chase if you lose and lose, and yet continue to bet and bet in the hope of winning. You are hoping against hope! Gamble responsibly.
Chips
In a brick-and-mortar casino, chips are those round, colored discs equivalent to money. You need to possess some chips when you sit at the casino table. Do not gamble when the chips are down!
Comps
Comps are complimentary items and services that casinos hand out to high rollers. VIP players are usually offered comps such as hotel reservation, lounge access, free drinks, valet parking, limo rides, card rewards, etc. Online casinos offer loyalty bonuses in the same fashion.
D
Deal
Let the card distribution begin (Poker)!
Dealer
A Live Dealer is a casino employee who distributes the cards and conducts a table game such as Blackjack or Baccarat. Live dealers are also available at online casinos and hosting many new-age games like live Bingo and Lightning Roulette.
Deposit
You deposit a minimum amount or some amount when you join an online casino site. You cannot play real money games without a deposit, unless you have claimed a no-deposit bonus or free spins offer. You will hear the term minimum deposit often when you opt-in to a mobile casino’s bonus.
Deposit Bonus
You make a deposit to the online casino and the casino will give you a first deposit bonus. Often a deposit bonus is 100% matched up to $1,000 at real money online casino site. There is often a wagering requirement and a minimum low deposit (such as $10). Read the terms carefully.
E
Edge
Edge or House Edge refers to the in-built advantage that the casino enjoys. The lower the house edge the higher the return to player. Table games like Blackjack and Baccarat offer low house edge. Table games and low house edge also means that games with low edge contribute less to the bonus wagering requirement because there is a higher probability of winning.
Event Wagering
Event wagering is the official jargon for sports betting used in legal rules of some states such as Arizona. An “Event Wagering Platform” refers to an internet interface to a “single event wagering system, which is designed to accept mobile event wagers through a website and/or a mobile application.”
Exclusives
Many online casino apps and sites, including DraftKings, have started using the ‘exclusive’ tab in online casino lobby to list the games that are exclusive to the site. It can also host casino-branded games like slots, Blackjack, Sic Bo, Gold Roll, etc. Some sweepstake sites call such games ‘originals’ when they claim to pioneer them.
F-H
Free Spins
A casino gambling site may offer certain number of free spins as a welcome bonus or a loyalty bonus. You get to spin the reels for free depending on terms of the offer.
Gamble
You gamble when you wager on a game of chance. Slots, tables, card games, scratch cards, sports betting, poker, horse racing are different gambling options.
Handicap
In sports betting, a “handicap” is used to level the playing field between two unmatched competitors for a balanced betting odds.
Handle
In sports betting lingo, the handle is the total amount of money wagered on a game or an event. You will hear terms like NFL handle, Michigan online betting handle, and so on.
High Roller
You are a high roller if you spend and wager a lot of money at a casino. You may be treated with VIP perks if you are a High Roller. People also search for High Roller casinos and sites like BetMGM or DraftKings Casino will have multiple rewards programs for loyal VIP players.
Hit
You say ‘hit’ to the dealer if you want another card in a blackjack game. A slot hit could mean you landed the winnings combination on the reels.
House
The house refers to the gambling operator. It can be a physical casino site, a tribal casino, or a mobile gambling site.
House Edge
See Edge above.
I-J
Instant Win
Instant win games provide the outcome quickly. A scratch card game is an instant win game. So are Slingo, Crash gaming, and Plinko gambling games.
Instant Withdrawal
An instant withdrawal casino lets you withdraw money and winnings from the player account within minutes or hours. Of course, there is a payment approval process at licensed casinos which can take some time even at best paying casinos. That however, has not dimmed the enthusiasm of smartphone users who search instant cashout casinos.
Jackpot
It refers to the biggest prize in a casino game. Online casinos host different jackpots in different game categories. Usually slot machines are associated with jackpots but you will find other games with jackpots. Jackpot leaderboards are also very common. Some games have progressive jackpots where every wager contributes to the winning pool.
Joker
The Joker card is the wild card or substitute card in card games. The role and value of the Joker card depends on the game.
K- N
Keno
Keno is a lottery-like gambling game which is also available at mobile casino sites. Players bet by choosing numbers from 1 through (usually) 80. Then usually 20 numbers are drawn at random in the same way as Bingo or a lottery with a random number generator (RNG).
Lottery Courier
Lottery courier services are third party companies that enable users to buy digital lottery tickets online. Lottery Couriers like Jackpocket make possible purchase of lottery ticket orders online representing licensed state lottery retailers. Lottery Courier app Jackpocket was in news recently when it was acquired by DraftKings. Lottery couriers are regulated in two US states – New Jersey and New York. Jackpocket and Lotto.com are registered in New Jersey; Jackpocket, Lotto.com and Jackpot are licensed in New York. Lottery couriers operate unregulated in about seventeen states and the District of Columbia.
Customers buy lottery tickets like Powerball and MegaMillions online on apps like Jackpot. The latter gets a courier fee of 7-10 percent.
Lucky Block Casino
Lucky Block is a Bitcoin crypto casino also available as a Telegram casino. It is not licensed for US players. It is licensed in Curacao and their no deposit bonus is not meant for American players in different states.
Mega Millions
Mega Millions refers to the US multi-jurisdictional lottery games. It begain in 1996 as The Big Game. The first draw took place on September 6, 1996 in six states including Michigan and Virginia.
No Deposit Bonus
You do not require to make a deposit at an online casino if you get a free welcome bonus no deposit or in other states. You may get 50 free spins or $25 on the House (BetMGM) when you register and verify your account.
No Wagering Required
A legal casino promotion which requires no wagering would let the player withdraw their money after winning. No wagering or playthrough requirement means that the bonus amount can be withdrawn after a 1x play.
O-P
Odds
Odds gives the probability or likelihood of an outcome. Bettors are always looking for better betting odds.
Offshore Casinos
Offshore gambling sites are not located and licensed in the US for iGaming or betting. These are also blacklisted casinos which cater to online searchers. Offshore sites may be licensed in Malta or Curacao and not in any US state. Keep them at an arm’s length!
Online Casino
An online casino such as FanDuel, DraftKings, Golden Nugget and BetMGM hosts a casino site and app for players. You get to play all kinds of casino games, including but not limited to, slots, tables, video poker, craps, and keno.
Oscar Odds
oscar odds or oscar betting odds refer to the Academy awards odds awards offered by a gambling site. The state of Michigan, for example, lets wagering sites offer odds for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best adapted screenplay, Best animated feature, Best animated short, Best cinematography, Best costume design, Best Director, Best sound, Best supporting actor, Best supporting actress and other categories. The state is also considering Grammy awards betting.
Parlay
A Parlay, combo bet, or multi is a single bet that combines together two or more individual bets in sports betting.
Payout
Payout indicates how much a player could win in a game. Common phrases include Blackjack payout, slot payout, and Baccarat payout. The payout percentage, is the amount of money a casino pays out relative to the player spending.
Penny Slots
Penny Slots are video slot machines which let you gamble with just pennies. You can even find possible bets in denominations of $0.05 to $0.10 per spin at some slots.
Playthrough requirement
Also turnover requirement. It refers to the requirement to play the bonus sum before it can be cashed out. It can be 1x or 35x. Read the sign up bonus terms for details. Also see ‘no wagering required’, above.
Pokies
Pokies is the term for slot machines in Australia and New Zealand.
Powerball
It is a very popular American lottery game operational in 45 US states. It was launched in 1992.
Progressive Slots
Slot machines with in-built progrssive jackpots.
Q-R
Quarter Slots
Quarter slots are video slot machine terminals where you can wager $0.25. There are also penny slots, dime slots, nickel, dollar, and high-roller slots.
Rake
A rake is a commission taken by the casino that conducts a poker game. A typical poker rake is up to max 10% on the total pot of each hand. These days, some sweepstakes casinos use the term ‘rakeback’ for certain cashbacks given to players.
Responsible Gambling
Casino regulations ensure that all gambling operators provide responsible gambling measures to preven problem gambling. One can set deposit limits, wagering limits, close account, take time out, or put onself in the self-exclusion list.
RNG (Random Number Generator)
A random number generator (RNG) software is used to power slots and other games of chances. RNG functionality is also laboratory-tested at legal casinos by gambling authorites such as the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB).
Reload Bonus
Reload bonuses offer deposit-linked bonuses to players. To reload your account with cash, you get an offer incentivizing it. There can be serial reload bonuses.
Rollover requirement
See playthrough requirement.
S-T
Scatter Symbol
A scatter is a slot pay combination based on occurrences of a designated symbol landing anywhere on the reels. A scatter slot usually requires a minimum of three symbols to land. Players may get increased prizes or jackpots depending on the rules of the game.
Scratch-Off
Scratch cards are part of games of chances. You scratch the card and reveal specific symbols.
Sweeps Casino (Social Casino)
A sweepstakes casino lets players play casino-style games with free virtual currencies. Check out our guide on sweepstakes vs real money casinos in the US.
Social casino is another popular term for sweeps sites offering social slots.
Texas Hold’em
It is among the most popular poker games. Poker players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by the players themselves called the pot. Texas Hold’em is also very common at online casinos.
Turnover Requirement
See playthrough requirement.
U-Z
Video Poker
A type of poker game played online or on computerized video terminals. Most poular versions are Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, Let it Ride, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Poker Ten Play, Jokers Wild, and Bonus Poker.
Vig
Vig is the amount that a sporsbook takes from a player’s bet. This ensures that the house has the profit whatever the outcome. Synonyms include juice, cut, and take.
Volatility
In the context of online slot machines, volatility, or variance, is the frequency with which the games spew winning combinations. A high volatiliy slot will produce big but rare wins. A low volatlity slot will produce many small wins. Onlien casinos often let players filter slots according to low, medium, or high volatlity (1-5).
Wagering Requirement
See playthrough requirement.
Welcome Bonus
Almost all real money online casinos offer some kind of welcome bonus to new players. It can be free spins, no deposit promotion, or a bonus bet.
Are there more terms that you should know about? Yes, we constantly keep updating this indicative list and you should revisit the page to refresh your knowledge. We also recommned checking out this page: Do you know these gambling sayings?
