Complete glossary of casino terms

Being new to anything is a challenge. Especially when there are so many new things you need to learn. Online casino gaming activity can be slightly easier if you're already familiar with the terms and phrases used on a regular basis. However, it might be a bit more challenging when you've got no clue what half of the words refer to.

This guide covers all the most important terms and vocabulary you may need to learn as an online casino player.

Casino Glossary 2024

A

ABC Player – Refers to when you're playing with a predictable style often used in Poker.

All-in – When you wager the remainder of your chips.

B

Bankroll – Funds you have available for online betting activities.

Bet – The wagers you make during the game rounds.

Bones – Casino term for dice.

Bonus – Bonuses are offers awarded to new and regular players, which give you more funds to play without spending more.

C

Cash-out – This is when you withdraw your winnings/funds from your bankroll balance.

Cashback – A percentage of your losses paid back into your account after a certain period.

Cashier – The section of the casino where you can deposit or withdraw funds.

Cold Streak – When you seem stuck on losses instead of a balance of losses and wins.

Comp Points – Also referred to as reward points. It's part of the casino's loyalty or VIP program and can be used to claim prizes or cash later on.

D

Dealer – The host that runs/guides the live dealer games.

Deposit Bonus – A Deposit Bonus is a reward you receive upon making a deposit. It can be cash or free spins.

Drop Percentage – The cash percentage the casino wins from a player's portion because of the house edge.

E

eCOGRA – An independent agency that audits online casinos to ensure they run fair game operations with random outcomes.

Edge – When you have an advantage over your opponent.

Eighty Sixed (86'd) – When you're banned from the casino for foul play.

Encryption – A security measure used for casino software and online transactions featuring complex codes that hide sensitive data.

F

Figure – The total owed to/by the bookmaker.

Fixed Odds – Common in sportsbooks. It refers to odds being predetermined.

Flash Casino – An online casino that enables you to play your favourite casino games instantly via your browser with no download required.

Flat Betting – When players bet the same stake size for every game round.

Free Odds – This is another common term for odds bets/true odds. It refers to the fact that the casino doesn't have any advantage over players in that particular bet.

G

Gambler's Fallacy – A common misperception players believe, which states that the previous game results will influence the next round of outcomes.

Grinding – This is when you play a larger group of smaller-staked poker games over a couple of hours to bring in a steady profit.

H

Hand – The cards you are holding and using to create the best possible outcome.

High Roller – A player that plays high-stakes games and makes large wagers.

Hot Streak – When you're suddenly on a roll, getting one win after the other.

House Edge – The House Edge refers to how likely it is that a casino will win as per the RTP or provided odds.

I

Instant Win – These are quick-paced games that include Bingo, Lottery Tickets and Scratch Cards.

J

Jackpot – This is the prize pool/maximum payout a slot or casino game has to offer.

Junket – This is the next level of fancy, referring to a group of high rollers specially flown in by a casino.

L

Limit – The fixed limits set on your betting size for every round.

Live Dealer Games – Live Dealer Games are casino games hosted from a live studio with real dealers accessible on desktop and tablet devices.

Lock – Someone who gets an easy win.

Longshot – Someone who is unlikely to win.

M

Max Bet – This is the maximum bet you can place on a game when you've claimed a bonus.

Max Win – When you have a bonus active, the max win refers to how much you can win while playing a specific game.

N

Nickel – Refers to bets with a size of $500 or more.

No Limit – This refers to games or wagering options with no limit on the minimum/ maximum or both.

No-Deposit Bonus - This is a special type of bonus where you don't have to make a deposit to claim it. The No-Deposit Bonus often comes with very little use restriction, but there are wagering requirements to be met before any withdrawals are made.

Nosebleed – A specific casino term that refers to stakes that are way too high.

NP – This is casino jargon, which has two meanings. It's either Nice Play or No Problem.

O

Odds – This is the ratio of the possible profit or possible net loss.

Off the Board – This refers to games on which there are no betting actions taking place at the current moment.

Online Casino - This is a platform available via your desktop or mobile browser where you can access games you'd normally play in land-based casinos.

P

Parlay - Like Press a Bet, it refers to when you're taking winnings from a previous roll to the current bet. It involves betting on two or more games with the intent of putting the winnings back onto the next wager.

Paytable – This refers to the table that displays the different payout options based on winning symbols or game hands.

Payline – Paylines refer to the lines of symbols on a reel that can award a payout once winning symbols land on them. You can get anything from three to over 100 paylines and payouts can be in vertical, horizontal or zigzag lines.

Payoff – The winning funds you receive from a win is the Payoff.

Payout Percentage – The payout percentage is the theoretical amount which can be paid out to players. The payout percentage is often less than 100%, and it does not focus on 1 player's game activity but all gaming activity on the slot in question.

Playthrough Requirement – The playthrough requirement is a term that is often used in casinos, especially when dealing with special bonuses, promotions, and rewards. All casinos have a general playthrough requirement that tells you how much you need to wager before you qualify for a withdrawal on your winnings.

Pot Limit - The pot limit is when a game has a fixed bet size for every round that is the same size as the current pot.

Press – To Press is to wager a larger amount than you normally would.

Press a Bet – Refers to when you are adding winnings from a previous bet to your current bet.

Progressive Jackpot – This is a prize pool that keeps growing. It has a seed amount to get started, and then with every bet made on the qualifying games, the prize pot only continues to grow.

Prize Pool – In casino terms, this is the total money pot up for grabs in certain casino promotions, missions and tournaments. It can include bonuses, cash prizes or even free spins.

Q

Quick Pick – A term common with lottery tickets, Bingo, and Sports. It is also referred to as a Lucky Dip. With Quick Pick, the numbers on the Lottery/Bingo card are automatically selected by the computer instead of you as a player.

R

Rail – This is when you are observing a game instead of taking part in it.

Random Number Generator – A slot term that refers to a special mathematical algorithm set that ensures every game round is random and fair. Also known as RNG.

Re-Bet – A bet option that enables you to make the same wager as the previous round in order to speed up the playing process. It allows you to bet the same amount and on the same spots as the previous game round.

Reload Bonus – A reload bonus is where you get awarded bonus funds for making subsequent deposits.

Return – This refers to a player's total winnings on a bet.

Roll – Another term for bankroll/wad refers to the funds you have available for betting activities.

S

Scared Money – This refers to the bankroll you can't afford to lose or a stake limit that is too high for a player with a certain bankroll.

Shill – This is a player who gets paid by the casino in order to make up the numbers at any of the underrepresented tables or tournaments.

Slot Machine – This is something you quickly pick up. Slot machines generally make up the majority of the game library. The machines come with there or more reels, different features and payout possibilities.

Stakes - Every casino game has stake limits, which allow you to participate in the betting action by choosing anything from the minimum to the maximum betting limits.

Sticky Bonus – This is a special type of bonus you cannot cash out. This type of bonus can be used to boost your bankroll and allow you to play more and at higher stakes without going deeper into your own pocket.

T

Tank – This term refers to taking the time out to think a decision through before taking action.

Tapped Out – When you've reached the point where you're out of funds and moves. When you're completely depleted, you're 'Tapped Out'.

Teaser – When a bet is made on two or more teams, the line on each team is adjusted in your favour. In many ways, it's like a parlay, where all selections must be correct in order for you to win.

Tells – Revealing signs that give away your hand or your next move to your players. Tells are often checked for at Blackjack or Poker tables.

Tilt – Describes the moment a player hits a losing streak. So, player A is on a hot streak, but player B hits a tilt.

Tournament – This refers to a competition or friendly rivalry between casino players. Where you play slots or table games to gather points and climb the ranks for a chance to win a prize.

U

UTG – This is casino jargon, which is short for 'Under the Gun'. The latter is a poker term that refers to the position sitting to the left of the blinds where players act first before the flop and again immediately after the blinds on all other streets.

V

Variance – This refers to the risk and reward ratio of a game. Basically, it indicates how often a game is likely to provide a payout.

Virtual Casino Games - These are online casino games operated via a computer. They use Random Number Generators to determine a random and fair outcome.

W

Wad – Like Bankroll, this refers to the amount of funds you have available for betting on casino games or sports.

Wager – This refers to you making a bet/wager. In most cases, we refer to sports betting as wagering. The term is correct for both casino and sports betting action.

Wagering Requirements – This refers to the amount of time you are expected to play through your deposit and bonus before you're allowed to withdraw funds from your account successfully. The wagering requirements will be clearly stated in the bonus terms.

Y

YHS – If you're in a friendly match with people you know or competing against and they have a bad hand, you can just say YHS, which is short for 'Your hand sucks'.

Start playing

Now that you've brushed up your online casino glossary, you're ready to hit the virtual casino streets. If you're not sure where to start, you can read more details about online casinos here at CasinoWow!