To those of you unfamiliar with the world of online casinos or in fact even land based casinos, some of the terminology can be a little bewildering. As such, just to help you get familiar with some of the terms used, we’ve put together a list of common words and descriptions of what these mean within the context of an online casino.
General
Bankroll: The cash balance amount that players use to play games with.Bet: The amount risked on a result for a possible return.
Bonus: An additional amount provided by the casino to wager with
Cash back: A loyalty program that the casino offers to reimburse a certain amount to the player.
Comps: Complimentary gifts given to the player or points given to the player which can be exchanged.
Deposit: To add an amount to your current cash balance maintained with the casino.
Even money: A bet that will pay the amount equal to the money that you wagered.
High Roller: A player who placed big bets and either wins or loses big.
License: A formal certificate from a jurisdiction that allows the online casino to operate under the jurisdiction rules. Good licenses are there to protect the customer and should give players confidence that they’re playing with a reputable operator.
Loyalty Programs: A type of extra incentives and rewards offered by the casino to loyal and regular players
No deposit bonus: A cash/non-cash bonus offered by the casino that players receive after registration and before the first deposit.
Operators: A company that controls and manages all functions within the online casino.
Promotions: Cash or non-cash incentives offered by the online casino to new or existing players.
Session: The time a player spends playing games at the casinos.
Sign in: To login to your casino account.
Sign Up: To register a new account in the casino.
Software clients: Companies that provide online casino games played and wagered on by players.
Stake: A single bet amount placed by a played on a casino game.
VIP club: A tier system setup by the casino for loyal players where they win special promotions and gifts.
Wagering Requirements: A stipulation attached to a bonus where players have to play through the bonus amount X number of times in order to claim it as cash.
Welcome bonus: A bonus amount offered by the casino for the first deposit.
Withdrawal: To draw out cash from the cash balance maintained by the player.
Slots
Bankroll: The cash balance amount that players use to play games with.1024 ways: A slot game with 5 reels and 4 rows where identical symbols on adjacent reels pay.
243 ways: A slot game with 5 reels and 3 rows where identical symbols on adjacent reels pay.
3D pokie: A type of slot game that displays 3D images and animations as graphics.
Bet levels: No. of coins of a set value.
Bet max: Play with the maximum number of coins possible.
Bonus features: Special pays that slot games offer apart from regular symbol payouts.
Bonus games: A game within a slot game which is triggered by bonus symbols and takes you to a second screen and win bonus credits.
Branded games: Slot games that follow a popular, globally recognised theme, storyline or characters whose rights are owned by a third party.
Classic pokie: A traditional pub-style 3 reel pokie that uses old-skool slot symbols.
Coin values: The denomination of a single coin in a slot game.
Credits: The cash balance that is immediately available for a stake.
Free spins: A bonus feature in a slot game that offers free spins for the initially placed bet.
Gamble feature: A bonus feature that allows players to gamble their recent win to double or in some cases quadruple their recent win amount.
Jackpot: The biggest single payout available in a particular slot game.
Multipliers: A bonus that multiplies a win amount to reward your final pay.
Paylines: A pattern that runs through the reels on which symbols must land for a payout.
Payout: The coins or credits players win after a winning combination is spun.
Paytable: A table that shows the payouts for each symbol and displays information about the slot game.
Progressive: A jackpot that increases in amount as players wager on the selected game.
Reels: The columns on the game where symbols spin.
Scatter symbols: Symbols that do not need to land on a specific payline or a pattern for a payout.
Spin: To trigger the reels to spin and stop at a random position.
Symbols: The icons on the reels that are need to arrange on specific positions in order to pay.
Theme: The genre that the slot game displays through the title, graphics and sound effects.
Video pokie: A slot game that has 5 reels and displays regular 2D graphics.
Wild symbols: A symbol that is able to substitute itself for any other symbol to create a winning combination.
Blackjack
Ante bet: The initial chip that players stake before the cards are dealt.Blackjack: An initial two card combination of an Ace and a Ten, Jack, Queen or King which leads to an automatic win.
Bust: A situation when the player’s card total goes over 21 and he automatically forfeits the hand.
Chips: Tokens that are used to place bets on a blackjack table.
Dealer: The virtual person who represents the house and deals the cards.
Double Down: Placing a bet equal to the original stake for an additional card.
Face Cards: The Jack, Queen or King card which have a value of 10 in Blackjack.
Face Value: The original value of the card.
Hit: To force the dealer to deal an additional card.
Insurance: A bet that the player has the option to place in case of the dealer having an Ace as an Up Card. Insurance wins pay 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack.
Push: A situation where the dealer and the player have the same card total and all bets are reimbursed.
Shoe: A device in which cards are shuffled and dealt.
Split: An action that creates two independent hands from a single 2 identical card hand.
Stand: A command to end your turn and trigger the dealer’s turn.
Surrender: To forfeit your hand and subsequently forfeit half your ante bet.
Up Card: The dealer’s card that is faced up and can be seen by the player.
Other Casino Terms
American Roulette: A Roulette game with a total of 38 numbers (00, 0-36) on the roulette wheel.Column bets: To bet that the ball will land on one of the numbers within one of the three sets of columns on the roulette table.
Discard: To reject cards from the first five hand poker combination and draw new ones.
Draw: To replace the held cards in a video poker hand with new cards.
European Roulette: A Roulette game with a total 37 numbers, (0-36) on the roulette wheel.
Even/Odds: A bet type in roulette where players bet on whether the ball lands on an even or odd number. Payout 1:1.
French Roulette: A game of Roulette in which there are 37 numbers on the wheel and which consist of extra bets rather than just inside and outside bets.
Inside bets: The betting area on the Roulette table that is covered by numbers.
Joker card: A wild card in video poker that is able to replace for any other card.
Outside bets: The betting area on the Roulette that surrounds the numbers that include categoies.
Red/Black: A common bet type in roulette where players place bets on whether the ball lands on a red number or black number.
Roulette Table: The table on which players place their bets on a Roulette game.
Roulette Wheel: The wheel on which the croupier drops the ball after all bets are placed on the Roulette table.
Row bets: To bet that the ball will land on one of the numbers falling within one of three sets of rows on the roulette table.