Online Gambling Glossary: The Ultimate Guide to Gambling Terms and Phrases

Most online gambling games are simple, but terms and phrases used to define and describe them are not. With so much slang in the gambling industry, it can be intimidating and confusing for new players to understand them and play the games. In this guide, we are going to discuss the most common and important phrases you need to know when stepping into the online gambling world.

Ante

An ante is a bet made by a player before cards are dealt

Baccarat

Baccarat is a card game that puts players against the dealer. It involves comparing cards played between the “banker” and “player”.  The goal of the game is to get the highest number and avoid the lower numbers.

Bankroll

The bankroll is the money that a punter has set aside specifically for gambling. A casual gambler won’t need a dedicate bankroll but a professional gambler is usually careful and will only gamble with money that he/she has specifically set aside for this purpose.

Blackjack

Blackjack is a table game where players try to beat the dealer by getting a hand closer to 21 points without exceeding

Bet

A bet is an instance of staking money on an event or casino game. Several bets may be placed in a single game.

Betting limit

Betting limit is the limit that has been set by the casino on the amount a gambler may bet. You will often see a minimum and maximum bet for each game in a casino.

Bonus

A bonus is an offer or incentive often extended by online casinos to players for signing up and/or making the first deposit. Matching bonuses are the most common, which means the size of the bonus depends on the amount of deposit made.

Croupier

Croupier is a term used can the employee of a casino who is in charge of roulette and other high stake tables

Casino edge

The casino edge is the advantage that the house/casino has over gamblers

Crap

Crap is slang used during Craps for a 2, 3 or 12

Dealer

The dealer an employee of the casino that is responsible for dealing cards to players and controlling the general flow of the game. Games like baccarat, blackjack, and poker may require dealers.

Double Down

When the amount you are betting on is doubled on the hand or turn in a casino game

Expected value

This term refers to the return a player should expect on average in the long run on a certain bet. The value can be positive or negative, basically depending on whether or not the bet is profitable

eCOGRA

eCOGRA is a London-based organization that has been approved to monitor online casinos and provide them with seals of approval after ensuring that it is fair. It was established originally by Microgaming.

Jackpot

Jackpot is the large payout on a slot machine or any other game. The word jackpot is mainly used for a special prize, which could be a progressive prize.

Fixed odds

A game with a fixed odd is one in which the chances of winning and payouts are fixed. Examples of fixed odds games are a scratch-off card and simulated horse games. In a more broad explanation, this term applies to most slot machines and table games, although it is mostly used for “specialty” games. But it doesn’t apply to sports betting and games like poker where odds and probability of the various events are not known.

Gambling

Wagering money on an event whose outcome is uncertain

Gamstop

The term that means the ability to block your gambling account. To bypass the system, you need to choose bookies not on gamstop what allows you to make deposits and withdraw money again.

House edge

This refers to the advantage that the casino has over the people who bet on their website or casino. It is usually expressed as a percentage. For instance, with a house edge of 3%, it means the player should expect to lose 3% of the amount of money they stake in the long run.

Optimal strategy

A set of plays that will make the player get the best returns from a casino game. Optimal strategy is mostly used in video poker and blackjack, although it can also apply to many games where gamblers are required to make strategic decisions.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

An RNG is a device that generates a random, unpredictable sequence of numbers. This can be done on several stages involving algorithms in the RNG device and other factors like mouse movements, temperature, air pressure and anything else that is unpredictable. Although there are many uses of RNGs, in this case, they are mainly used to determine the results of online casino games where cards must be dealt, deice need to be rolled or another random event must occur

Roulette

Roulette is a game that is played with a wheel and ball where the ball can fall into one of the pockets. Players can place a number of bets that try to predict the pockets the ball may fall into. This game has two variations: American Roulette and European Roulette. But the latter has better odds than the former.

Video Poker

A video poker is a machine game that is based on a 5-card draw poker. Players can discard and replace the cards from their hand and are paid if they are lucky to make the minimum hand required to win. Some of the most common video poker games include Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better.

Wagering requirement

This refers to the condition that an online casino has put in place for its bonus offer. Players must stake a certain amount before they can claim the bonus. This prevents the player from claiming the bonus or cashing out immediately.