Glossary - Online Casino School - Onlinecasinoreports.com

A-Game

When a player is at the top of his game with skill, he is said to "have his A-game." Can be used as a noun or adjective.

ABC

Someone who plays by the exact rules laid out in the game, never switches their style, and plays with the most widely accepted strategies and techniques. Alternatively, it can also be a sequence of the lowest numbered cards in a lowball game of poker.

Accept a Double

When a player raises the stakes in Backgammon to twice the current stakes, before the opponent rolls the dice, the opponent may accept a Double, or alternatively Refuse a Double.

Accumulator

A multiple bet in which the punter makes simultaneous selections on two or more games. All the selections made must win for you to win the accumulator. Also, Parlay.

Ace

A rolled die in Backgammon that shows the number 1.

Ace Hand

A poker hand that has no pairs can still win the game, depending on the high card it holds. An Ace Hand, which is a hand with no pairs and an Ace, beats all other hands with no high cards.

Ace in the Hole

In poker, an ace in the hole is a card that the player is not required to show. Otherwise, it is a common saying that alludes to a secret trick or advantage someone may have over another person.

"Everyone thought I was going to lose the hand, but I knew in the back of my head I had an ace in the hole, and I took it all in the end."

Ace-high Straight Flush

A royal flush poker hand, which is the highest straight flush a poker player can achieve. Card order is A,K,Q,J,10.

Ace-Point

The traditional name for the one-point on the Backgammon board, the deepest point in a player's home board, from which the entire board must be crossed to be borne off.

Ace-to-Five Lowball

A move where poker players try to make the weakest hand they can rather than the strongest. Ace is considered the low card, straights and flushes don't count. Best possible hand is 5,4,3,2,A in any suit.

Ace-to-Six Lowball

Similar to the Ace-to-Five lowball, this is a move where poker players try to make the weakest they can rather than the strongest. Ace is low, straights and flushes are high. Best possible hand is 6,4,3,2,A with no flush.

Act

Also known as a "false tell," this is a move designed in hopes of making your opponent think they have an accurate reading of your hand. A move designed to deceive, in your favor.

Action

A valid bet or wager of any kind.

A baseball bet becomes action only once it reaches 4½ innings of play.

Action Play

A strategy employed in Backgammon that tries to provoke as many exchanges of hits as possible.

Active Player

In the game of poker, a player still in the game at a late stage after given the opportunity to fold, is referred to as an active player.

Add On

In tournaments, this is an opportunity to purchase additional chips at a specific time during the game. It is open to all players, unlike a re-buy.

Admission

Bingo sites, like bingo halls, usually require a minimum purchase of cards - possibly between three and six - to be eligible to participate in the game.

Advertising

To discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard another card of the same rank or in suit and sequence with it. Also known as Baiting, Chumming, Fishing.

Aggressive

A way of playing; consistently betting, raising, and increasing the bet whenever the opportunity strikes. Also, this is a term used to describe a large and potentially risky move.

All Bet – All (Color) Bet

A bet offered by some casinos and poker rooms where the players may place a wager on if the dealers cards will be all the same colors. Example: all diamonds and hearts would be a 'red' bet versus an all spades and clubs be a 'black' bet.

All-In

With all-in betting there are no refunds given for scratched or withdrawn competitors or teams in an event where a bet is placed. Should an event be canceled then the amount bet will be refunded.

All-in Disconnection Protection

Used in online poker rooms, a player is considered all-in if they happen to lose their internet connection to the room. The player is still eligible for the the pot up until the moment the disconnection happened. The player's chips are placed in a side pot and not wagered while they are disconnected.

Anchor

Building and leaving behind in the opponent's end of the Backgammon board a point occupied by two or more of your checkers.

Angle

A play which is sitting on the fence between legal and illegal.

Can be asked in a form of a question: What angle are you playing at?

Angle Shooter

Describing a player who intentionally uses plays and techniques that teeter on the fence within and just outside of the rules on a consistent basis.

Ante

Some card games, such as poker, require an initial bet or token wager before the cards are dealt, called an ante, from the Latin word for "before".

Ante Post

Bets placed in advance predicting the outcome of a future event, risking losing their bet if their selection pulls out or is canceled.

Any Craps

A bet covering the losing dice rolls of 2, 3 and 12 in Craps.

Any Seven

A bet covering the dice roll of 7 in Craps.

Aquarium

A poker room, game, or table where almost or all of the players are inexperienced or new. It is said to contain "a lot of fish."

Artist

A cheater who will hide cards for later hands or achieves an advantage due to arranging their cards by sleight of hand.

Ask

Also known as an offer, it is the price at which a trader will buy a currency or a seller is willing to sell.

Auto-Post

Used online, this is an option to contribute your ante, blinds and any other wager before the cards are dealt, automatically. This saves time, rather than doing it manually each time – it is a pre-selected option.

Automatic Bet

When a given player is at his/her highest advantage, this is the wager placed. A failure to place such a bet can reveal a weak hand to the other players.

Automatic Bluff

Used with a weak hand where the player is expected to be in the advantage. It is an aggressive wager designed to make other players fold. A failure to place the bet will reveal the weak hand.

Baccarat

Pronounced bah-kuh-rah, a gambling card game, the goal of which is to win by holding two or three cards totaling closest to nine in total.

Back Game

A strategy employed in Backgammon by a player who behind, but has an anchor or two in the opponent's home board, waiting them out until able to get a late hit.

Back Into

Completing a hand by using both of the final two cards that have been dealt.

Alternatively, this is a winning hand even though the player may have had horrible cards, and all of the other players have even worse hands.

Back Line

Betting against the dice in Craps, the same as Don't Pass Line.

Back Man

The a player's rearmost checker in Backgammon, a runner.

Backdoor

Used as an adjective, this is a move which is completed by using both of the final two cards the dealer gives, even if the player has more likely chances to improve his hand.

Backraise

Similar to a check-raise. The player will make the minimum contribution to the pot on the first action, while checking to see that no bet is ahead of him. If there is a bet, he will call it and increase the required wager in the second action.

Bad Beat

A situation where a hand with few outs or a negative expected value stayed in the pot and then won.

Could also be called an unlucky win if a strong hand is beaten by another hand that was only stronger because of the final card that was dealt.

Bag

English high-rollers are familiar with this term, the UK slang for 'thousand'.

Bamboos

One of three suits in Mahjong, also known as bams or sticks.

Banker

The dealer in card games is called the Banker, as he is the keeper of the bank.

In sports Betting, a Banker is the team/horse highly expected to win.

Bankroll

The money that is set aside for playing poker. Also used to describe sponsoring a player by providing funds to enter or play a tournament, usually in exchange for a pre-arranged percentage of winnings made.

Base Currency

The currency used as the base to quote a pair.

In the case of a pair described as EURUSD, the EUR is the base currency; in the USDGBP, the USD is the base.

Base Deal

A form of cheating; certain strong or weak cards are dealt to a chosen player from the bottom of the deck.

Baseball

A variation on the game of 7-card stud where three's and nine's are wild. If dealt a three face up, the player is required to either fold or double the pot. If dealt a four face up, the player is dealt another card.

Basic Strategy

Every game either has a winning strategy or is believed to have one… Basic Strategy is the statistically correct way to play Blackjack.

Bear Market

A market in which prices decline sharply in times of widespread pessimism. Opposite of Bull Market.

Bear Off

The final stage of the Backgammon game, when the player removes checkers from the board according to the rolls of the dice, commencing once all checkers have been brought into the home board.

Beat the Board

A term that can be used in both community and stud games. In community card games, this move is to make your hand of higher rank than the hand of the community cards, especially if they are in a straight or flush. In stud games, this move is to make your hand stronger than the hand of your opponents exposed cards.

Bet

Another word in casino lingo for wager or a gamble

Bet the Pot

Some games, mainly poker variants, have a maximum betting limit of Betting the Pot, which is betting the amount that is in the pot at the moment. At times the pot amount that is equaled is calculated as the amount of money in the pot, plus the amount you would bet if the player was to raise it again, in case the pot was raised by the previous player.

Betting Limits

Different casino games have minimum and maximum betting limits, amounts required to place or that cannot be exceeded.

Entering a game after examining the minimum and maximum betting limits will save the player the inconvenience or potential loss that is involved in getting into a game with too little at stake, or too much.

Bettor

Someone who places or has a bet in US English. A Punter in the UK.

Bid

The price at which a trader will sell a currency.

Big Blind

Blind bets in poker, the forced bets pre-flop, are not all equal. While the person in the first position in the game places a Small Blind, a lesser amount, the player in the second position is forced a Big Blind, larger in size.

Bingo Card

The card used in bingo, arranged in five columns of five numbers each by five rows, creating a total of 24 numbered spaces and one blank space. The numbers on the bingo card are random. The five columns, like the five letters that form the word bingo, are in the following order: the numbers in the B column are between 1 and 15, in the I column between 16 and 30, in the N column between 31 and 45 (including the blank space), in the G column between 46 and 60, and in the O column between 61 and 75.

Blackjack

Also known as Twenty One, the object of playing Blackjack is to form a hand of cards that counts as close as possible to 21, ideally exactly that sum, beating the dealer's hand.

Alternatively, a winning hand of 21 formed with only two cards is called Blackjack.

Blackout

Like Coverall, covering the entire bingo card to win. This is usually reached only after calling most of the 75 bingo numbers, usually as many as 50 to 60.

Blind Bet

A bet made in poker in which the player does not see any of the cards in his or her hand. It is also called a forced bet, taking place before cards are revealed, like an ante.

Blind bets are not all equal. The person in the first position in the game places a Small Blind, whereas the player in the second position is forced a Big Blind.

Block

To withhold a card that would extend a meld for an opponent.

Block

A point on the Backgammon board occupied by two or more checkers, which hinders the opponent's progress.

Blockade

A series of blocks on the Backgammon board that seriously hinder the opponent's progress, ideally in consecutive points, with the ideal blockade being the prime.

Bonus Poker

The Video Poker game Jacks or Better is an example of a Bonus Poker game. The game is played just like Video Poker, only with a bonus - a higher payout - for a hand of Four of a Kind. The bonuses differ depending on the specific version and the ranking of the Four of a Kind.

Bonus Tiles

Flower or Season tile in Mahjong.

Bookmaker

Person who is licensed to accept bets on the result of an event based. A Sportsbook in US English.

Break

Same as Bust. Exceeding 21 in Blackjack, automatically losing the game and the pot.

Broker

Brokers are agents who handle investors' orders to buy and sell currency. Profit can be made by charging commission or through the spread as is the case in Foreign Exchange.

Bug

In card games that are played with a joker, most famously Joker Poker, the joker card is also called a bug.

Bull Market

A market characterized by rising prices. Opposite of Bear Market.

Bump

Hitting an opponent's checker in Backgammon is called a bump.

Bump

A betting term in Poker, meaning to raise, i.e. betting a sum higher than the previous bet that requires all players to match or raise it even more, or else forfeit the pot.

Bust

Exceeding 21 in Blackjack is a bust, eliminating the player from the game. This is a losing hand in any case, even if the dealer busts as well.

Buy-In

Poker tables start from certain sums, called Buy-ins, that are minimum amounts for the game's bets.

Also, the purchase of bingo card, according to the admission minimum, is referred to as a buy-in.

Call

A nonzero bet equal to the preceding bet that keeps the player in the race for the pot in a poker game.

Canasta

A meld of seven cards of the same rank. A "mixed canasta" is a meld containing one to three wild cards. A "natural canasta" is a meld containing no wild card.

Candlesticks

A not-so favorable situation in Backgammon in which the player's checkers are piled high on a few points.

Card Counting

As Blackjack is played from a limited number of cards, a deck, two decks or even more, by keeping track of the cards that have already been played the player puts himself in better position to know when the remaining cards give him an advantage. The player may then make larger bets, choose to double down, or other actions, based on the situation.

Card counting may not necessarily assure winning, but it can bring the house advantage to a minimum, especially when playing with a single deck. While legal, card counting may be grounds to have the player removed from a casino table. This is not a concern when playing online.

Cash a Game

Offering a double in backgammon, believing it will be refused, thus claiming the game and collecting the current value of the cube.

Cash Game

A regular poker game, unlike a tournament, in which players play for money and can cash out at any point. Also known as Ring Game.

Casino Advantage

The casino's statistical edge over the players in a game. Varies from game to game.

Characters

One of the three suits in Mahjong, also known as cracks.

Check

A betting option in poker. To stay in the game of poker without placing a bet. A bet of zero, which keeps the player in the game.

Chemin de fer

A French casino card game from which Baccarat originated. Still played today as a variation of Baccarat.

Chips

Chips are coins of different colors and different denominations used at casinos. As a player at the online casino, you will encounter virtual chips instead.

A Token is the term for a casino chip used at the slot machines specifically.

Chouette

A French word, pronounced shoo-ETT, it is the name of a Backgammon variant, a social setting, for three or more players. In Chouette, a single player plays on a single board against a team made of all the other players.

Circles

One of the three suits in Mahjong, also known as coins or dots.

Close Out

Making all six of home board points in Backgammon while the opponent has one or more checkers on the bar shuts the opponent off from entering back onto the board and into the game.

Closing Line

The final list of point spreads offered before game time.

Cold

Gamblers win some and lose some. An unsuccessful session or a bad day at the casino is called a Cold.

Combination Bet

Selecting any number of teams/horses to finish first and second in either order.

Come Bet

A bet placed on the Come Line in Craps.

Come Line

The place on the craps table where the Come Bet is placed.

Come Out Roll

The initial or first roll of the dice in Craps before a point has been established. Can be won if a 7 or 11 come out. Otherwise, the sum becomes the shooter's point.

Community Card Poker

This game includes a combination of personally dealt cards and shared cards, dealt face up, for all participating players to use in forming their hand. Famous variants of this game include Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em.

Community Cards

Hold'em and Omaha Poker versions have shared community cards. The cards, placed face up in the middle of the table, are visible to and shared by all active players in the game.

Complete Hand

If all cards in your Poker hand form one strong combination - a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind or straight flush - it is called a complete hand.

Comps

From the word 'Complimentary', these are gifts that the casino offers its members. Although online casinos do not offer discounted hospitality costs and flights like regular casinos do, they have unique comps of their own.

Convertible Currency

Easily convertible currency that can be freely exchanged for other currencies (or gold) without special authorization from a central bank.

Cover

To bet the spread by the required number of points.

Coverall

Like Blackout, covering the entire bingo card to win. This is usually reached only after calling most of the 75 bingo numbers, usually as many as 50 to 60.

Craps Out

A Come Out Roll of 2, 3 or 12 in Craps.

Croupier

The Dealer is called Croupier in Baccarat and Roulette games.

Deadwood

single cards discarded in Gin Rummy

Deal

Giving out cards during a card game.

Dealer

The term used for a casino employee who deals. Also called a Banker and a Croupier. Online casinos have a virtual Dealer, except for Live Games in which the dealer is a real person carried over video camera technology.

Deuce

A basic term in video poker and other games, deuces are the two denomination cards in the deck.

Discard

A rejected tile in Mahjong, or card in Rummy, which may be claimed by another player.

Don't Come Bet

In Craps, the same as a Don't Pass Bet, stating the dice will not pass (betting against the dice), except that the Don't Come Bet is placed after the initial Come Out Roll, not before.

Don't Come Line

In Craps, the area of the table where a Don't Come Bet is placed, stating the dice will not pass.

Don't Pass Bet

The alternative bet to the pass line bet in Craps, placed before the come out roll, stating the dice will not pass. In other words, it is betting against the dice.

Double

Using the doubling cube, a player can offer the opponent to double the stakes of the game of Backgammon in the course of playing. The offer must be made just before the player rolls the dice. The player then faces two options, either refuse the double, which means the game ends with a loss at the existing, re-doubling stakes, or accepting the double, continuing at double the previous stakes. Once a double has been offers and accepted, the acceptor becomes the owner of the doubling cube, thus the one who can make the next doubling offer.

Double Down

A betting option in Blackjack allowing the player to receive one card, and only one card, to try to beat the dealer. The potential winning is greater in this bet. Would the player's hand beat the dealer's, the player would receive double the original wager placed.

Double or Nothing

An even-money bet, a bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered.

Double Up

A gambling tactic according to which the player doubles the bet following a loss. The idea is based on an expectation that probability for a win is greater at this point. This will allow the player to win back his or her money. It is also known as the Martingale System.

Doubling Cube

A doubling cube is a regular shape cube in Backgammon with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64. Early in the game, the cube lies in the middle. The first player to claim it, will use it to double the stakes of the game. Accepting the offer doubles the stakes from the current value, and passes control of the cube to the opponent offered the double. Rejecting the doubling offer ends the game, with the player offered the double losing at the current, pre-doubling stakes.

Down card

A card dealt facing down and remains face down.

Draw

When a player is missing one card to complete or improve a hand, the player is said to be on a draw. If one has a 9, 10, J, Q and a 5, the player will try to draw an 8 or a K. The draw is a tactic often used in poker games.

Draw Poker

A classic version of poker, with five cards dealt face down to players who have placed ante bets. After one round of bets, players may hold all original cards in the hand or discard 1 to 4 cards and have them replaced by cards from the deck. Then another round of bets takes place until the remaining players compare their hands for the highest ranking combination.

Edge

To have an advantage over an opponent is to have an edge. The online casino itself may have an edge against the player, as in the game of roulette, with the '0' and '00' slots on the wheel.

Even Money

A 1:1 odds bet. A $1 stake would return $2 dividend ($1 win plus $1 staked).

Even Money Bet

As the name implies, this is a bet with 1:1 odds. Winning such a bet means the player gets back the same amount that was wagered, on top of the original wager.

Expected Value

Measured either in positive or negative value, it is the statistical percentage a player can expect to win or lose from a bet. The expected value, mathematically calculated, in American Roulette is -5.26%. The meaning is that every dollar bet is expected to lose 5.26%.

Face

The term referring to a particular bingo sheet - all 24 numbers plus the free space in the center of the N column.

Face Cards

The King, Queen and Jack in a suit of cards.

Fifth Street

In 7 card stud poker, the third round of betting in which players have five cards, is called Fifth Street.

Fill

To draw a card in poker that makes a five card hand.

Fixed Odds

The punter's dividend is fixed at the odds when the bet is placed, no matter how much the odds fluctuate later on.

Flat Betting

A system of betting in which the same amount is always wagered, no raising or lowering to speak of.

Flat Top

A slot machine with a fixed jackpot amount, unlike progressive jackpots, the prize of which constantly changes.

Flop

The three cards dealt face up in the first stage of a poker game, namely in Texas Hold`em, are called the flop.

Fold

To surrender the hand in poker as well as any claim for the pot.

Forcing

Discarding a card in Rummy that the next player, under the rules, must take up.

Four Corners

Bingo patterns vary, this one requiring the bingo player to cover the four corner numbers of the card.

Four of a Kind

The second highest value poker hand, includes four cards of the same rank. This hand ranks by the value of the four cards (JJJJ2 beats a 55558).

Free Space

In the center of the bingo card there is an empty space with no number assigned to it. The free space functions in the player's advantage, much like a Joker, as it counts towards the winning pattern.

Full House

A valuable poker hand that involves all five cards, with three cards of one rank and two of another. The three cards determine the hand's rank (99988 beats a 555AA).

Gammon

A Backgammon game that ends before one of the players borne off any checkers is a gammon, resulting in a win double the value of the doubling cube.

Go Gin

Lay down a gin hand; go rummy.

Going Mahjong

Declaring a hand worth eight points or more. Also known as Going Out.

Gross Winnings

Always a nice thing to be able to count, the gross winnings are the total payout from the gambling session, which takes into calculation also the player's stake.

Hand

Five cards held in your hand at one time in a poker game, before or after a mid-game deal, is called a hand.

Handicap

Spread.

High Card

In case no other hands are formed at the poker game, the highest value card in the hand is the high card, and the player with the highest High Card wins the pot.

Hit

Asking to be dealt another card in Blackjack, Poker or other card games.

Hole Card

The card the dealer receives face down in Blackjack, or the term for any card dealt face down.

House Edge

A statistical calculation of the expected player loss relative to the initial amount bet. The House edge is the casino's inbuilt advantage.

As such, it is a good measure to base player expectations over time, but falls short of being a precise forecast. A 0.5% House Edge in Blackjack, for example, means the player should expect to lose $0.5 for every $100 bet. The calculation does not, however, take in additional money bet (doubling, raising) or ties.

Inside Bet

Bets in Roulette divide into two categories: inside bets and outside bets. The terms refer to the location on the wheel, as explained in the following.

The various inside bets include:Straight: betting on a single number. The player places the chip (or chips) directly on the number.Split: betting on two adjoining numbers, by placing the chips on the separating line between the two numbers.Street: betting on three numbers, located along the same horizontal line. This is done by placing chips on the edge of the line, depending on the table layout.Corner: also known as a square bet, the player bets on four numbers.Sixline: also known as sixaine, the player bets on two adjoining streets, a total of six numbers, with the chips placed at the corresponding intersection.

Insurance

This is a good bet only if card counting is in place. Otherwise, the house edge is too great to consider the insurance option. Insurance is the case in which the player puts aside a sum, up to half the original bet, betting on the dealer receiving a natural 21. This is done before the dealer checks the hole card, only in case the face up card revealed to all is an Ace. Insurance pays the player 2:1, thus winning the same amount as the Blackjack wager.

Jacks or Better

The most common variation of Video Poker, Jacks or Better starts paying off for a pair of jacks. Playing with perfect strategy can yield a return of 99.54%.

Joker

The Joker is a special card found in card decks. As the 53rd card in the deck, it is usually a Wild Card, representing any card in its stead. There are usually two Jokers in a deck of cards, though they are not used in many games.

Some variants of poker allow the Joker to function in any capacity. It becomes a powerful factor in the game, assuring a pair, promoting a pair into a three of a kind, two pairs into a full house, and so on. Other poker variants may restrict the use of the Joker to function only as an ace, complete a flush or straight, not more.

Kamikaze Play

A somewhat wild, back-game Backgammon strategy in which the player breaks points in the home board with the intention of having the checkers re-circulated.

Kicker

In case no straight or flush hand seems to form, the poker player may choose to hold on to an odd high card, perhaps an Ace or a King, for a possible advantage in the end of the game.

Kill a Checker

Moving a Backgammon checker deep into the home board where it cannot serve any useful purpose until borne off.

Knave

Any jack in cards.

Knocking

player lays down his groups of cards on the table and discards his final card in Gin Rummy.

Laying the Odds

Together with Taking the Odds, the two are the main forms of gambling. Laying the Odds means placing a wager on a likely winning outcome (mainly in sports betting, but not only) in spite of a payoff less than the amount wagered.

Lines

Odds offered to the punter.

Live Dealer

Developed in 2003, Live Dealer gaming allows online gamblers to play in a real-world casino environment. Gamblers use videostreaming (webcams and broadband connections) and face live dealers on the screen with whom they can interact and engage.

Load up

Playing the maximum number of chips allowed on a given spin at the slot machine or video poker.

Lobby

A portal at the online casino site from which the player can access any game or any section on the site, such as the latest news, promotions and other.

Long Odds

Generally greater than 10:1.

Low Poker

Also called lowball, a game of poker in which the lowest hand wins the pot. It is the opposite of High Poker.

Lowball

Also called low poker, a game of poker in which the lowest hand wins the pot.

Martingale System

Originally referring to betting strategies from 18th century France, today it means mainly the betting technique that calls for the player to double up after a loss as a way to recover the loss in the next turn, mainly in Roulette but used in all gambling games.

Match Play

Card game tournaments, and sometimes other competition systems, count points, with each game won worth a point or two, and the winner of the competition the first to reach a certain number of points.

Maximum Bet

Online casinos may limit the maximum amount a player is allowed to make, called the maximum bet. Alternatively, the term refers to the option at slot machines that bets the maximum number of coins.

Meld

A set in Mahjong.

Meld

Place matched sets on the table; lay off; a matched set.

Meld

groups of sequential cards of the same suit or number in Gin Rummy.

Mini-Baccarat

A game with similar rules to Baccarat, only with fewer players and dealers. Mini-Baccarat is not as popular at online casinos.

Minimum Buy-in

Besides the buy-in, the purchase of bingo cards to be eligible to play, the minimum buy-in is the lowest wage to spend to be eligible for prizes.

Money Ball

Before the bingo game begins, the money ball is drawn. If the player hits bingo on that number at the end of the game, the jackpot won is doubled.

Multi-Player Casino

Online casinos may offer multi-player games, which mean playing Blackjack, Baccarat, Poker and other games against others, not only against the casino.

Multiple Winners

If two or more players hit bingo simultaneously on the same number, the cash prize is divided among them.

Natural

Another term for a win in Craps, a 7 or 11 rolled on the initial, come out roll.

Also a two card hand in Blackjack that equals 21.

Noncontact Game

A stage in a Backgammon game where all checkers have passed the opponent's checkers, so that no further hits are possible.

Odds

In online gambling, odds stand for the amount a bet pays off, not the statistical chance that a player will win. For example, 2 to 1, 10 to 1, and so on.

In sports betting, Odds are the sportsbook's or bookmaker's view of the chance of a competitor winning (adjusted to include a profit).

Offer

The price, or rate, that a willing seller is prepared to sell at. See also Ask.

One-Roll Bet

A bet in a game of Craps that wins or loses depending on a single roll of the dice.

Outside Bet

Bets in Roulette divide into two categories: inside bets and outside bets. The terms refer to the location on the wheel, as explained in the following.

Outside bets include:Even money bets: betting on (almost) half the options, a total of 18 numbers. Special boxes that represent the various options (black, red, low, high, even or odd) are available on the table.Group Bets: betting on groups of 12 numbers, the first dozen, middle dozen or third group of 12 numbers.Column: betting on 12 numbers as well, only these numbers are on one of the three vertical lines.

Over/Under

A bet on whether the total points or goals scored by the two teams will be over or under a specified number.

Own the Cube

By accepting the doubling cube in Backgammon, the player becomes the owner of the cube, and the only one who can offer a double next.

Parlay

See Accumulator.

Pass

When it comes to a player's turn, the player may pass, meaning fold and not place a bet.

Pass Line Bet

A bet in Craps placed before the come out roll, stating the dice will win or pass.

Pat

A hand the needs no additional cards in Draw Poker is a Pat, as is a Blackjack hand that is worth 17 or higher, not exceeding 21.

Pattern

Usually, to win at bingo, a straight line must be covered. Other standard patterns include horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Some bingo games may feature a four corners pattern, a coverall or others.

Payline

A straight or zig-zagged line on a slot machine where symbols must line up for a win. Slot machines usually have up to 9 paylines, though video slot machines may have many more.

Payout Percentage

The percent of each dollar bet at the online casino that is returned to the players. This proportion, for example a 97.2% payout percentage, means that this percent of the total money bet at the casino is paid out to winners.

Online casinos can keep the payout percentage higher than land based casinos, namely for their low maintenance expenses. Thus the online casino from the previous example keeps only 2.8% of the total bets. (That is also the House edge at the casino.) Ensuring this is the case, verification certificates are posted on the site for players to view.

Place

Finish in the top three, top four and sometimes also top five in a competition or event. A Place bet will win if the selection you bet on is among those placed.

Different sportsbooks have different Place terms and should be checked closely.

Pocket Cards

The cards dealt face-down in poker.

Point

Any total on the first roll in craps that is not a win or a lose, i.e. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10.

Poker

A popular type of card game in which two or more players gamble on the value of the card combination they hold (their "hand") by placing bets into a central pot. The player with the highest hand value or the only player remaining wins the pot.

Poker, and online poker as well, have many variations, similar in basic rules, hand value hierarchy, etc.

Pontoon

The English variation of Blackjack is called Pontoon. Pontoon is also played in Australia, where the rules are like the American variant called Spanish 21.

Pot

The amount of money that accumulates in a poker game, which goes to the winner, is the pot.

Pot Odds

A term used in poker, including in Texas Hold ‘em, which represents the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a call about to be made. For instance, if the pot is $100 and the call about to be made $10, then the pot odds are 100:10.

Prime

A player can block the progress of the opponent in Backgammon by building six consecutive made points.

Other primes can be 4-prime or 5-prime, for example, which can be passed by the opponent but with considerable difficulty and risk.

Progression Betting

A betting strategy that determines the size of the bet each time according to an already calculated formula.

Progressive Jackpot

By linking together machines, online casinos are able to form a large jackpot (the highest payoff), one that grows progressively with every game played. Progressive jackpots can be found for slot machines or video poker, typically, but also for other casino games, including poker, blackjack, roulette and others too. The constantly changing progressive jackpot meter is usually showcased on the front page of the casino.

Only players who wager the maximum credits qualify for the progressive jackpot and it is won only with the highest payoff combination, e.g. a royal flush in video poker. Once a player wins the jackpot, the jackpot resets to a preset minimum level and starts climbing all over again.

Progressive Slots

Progressive Slot machines are a popular feature, with the jackpot amounting by having a group of linked slot machines. Slots linked across online casinos must be operated by the same software, owned by the same machine maker, with jackpots really hitting sky-high sums of millions of dollars.

Prop Bets

Also known as proposition, side, or exotic bets, these are bets that are made on an outcome or a proposition. Prop bets could be on statistics or one-time events, or quirky and extraordinary bets as well (will any actor to receive an Oscar trip and fall when getting on stage).

Prop bets are exclusive to online gambling sites and are not offered by Las Vegas bookies. The law prohibits Vegas casinos from offering any bets on events that can be controlled.

Punter

See Bettor.

Punto Banco

Another name for Baccarat.

Push

A situation in Blackjack in which player and dealer have equal hand values, thus neither winning.

Quadrant

The Backgammon board, made of 24 points, is divided into four quarters, or Quadrants.

Quads

A poker term for a hand of Four of a Kind.

Qualifier

A hand ranking minimum in poker that allows a player to take part in the pot.

Raise

Also called a bet, betting a sum higher than the previous bet that requires all players to match or raise it even more, or else forfeit the pot.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

The Random Number Generator (RNG) is the basic engine that powers Slots. Modern Slot machines are computerized, with the combinations determined randomly by the machine's software, without any human involvement. The RNG generates numbers at a high rate, and the timing of when the lever is pulled determines the outcome. An advanced RNG will be as random as possible, never repeating the number sequences.

Return Shot

Hitting an opponent's checker in backgammon while leaving behind some vulnerable checkers of your own that can be hit on the following turn.

Right Bettor

A player betting on the Pass Line in Craps is a Right Bettor. Betting with the shooter.

Betting on the Don't Pass Line, alternatively, is called Betting Wrong.

Ring Game

A regular poker game, unlike a tournament, in which players play for money and can cash out at any point. Also known as a Cash Game.

River

The name of the final card dealt to poker players to complete a hand.

Roulette

Roulette, French for "small wheel", the King of Casino Games, is a popular and highly esteemed gambling game, as its moniker teaches us. Roulette players bet on which slot of the wheel - a rotating disk - the small ball will land and rest on. It involves a classic table layout of numbers in red and black, and various betting options.

The game begins with the croupier, the roulette game's dealer. The croupier spins a special wheel in one direction, and tosses a small ball into the tilted surface in the opposite direction. While the players watch for where the ball will eventually land and rest, bets are accepted over what color and number pocket it will land on. This is the outcome that determines winnings.

Round

A whole cycle of a game, including the bets that were placed during that cycle. Each casino game has its own definition of a round: in roulette it is a spin of the wheel and the bets on the outcome; in poker it is the entire process until the winner takes in the pot.

Round-the-Corner

Variant of rummy where the rule has it that the ace is in sequence with both the king and the deuce.

Seven-Out

When a player rolls a seven in craps before the point was rolled again, the player loses and is out.

Shooter

The person rolling the dice in Craps.

Showdown

The conclusion of a poker game when active players show their cards and reveal the winner of the game and the pot.

Single

As the name suggests, nothing complicated is meant by this term. A single is a simple bet, also called straight bet, on only one event or selection.

Sit-and-go Backgammon Tournament

Backgammon tournaments that begin only after a certain number of players have joined.

Slot

Leaving a single checker on the backgammon board, planning or hoping to cover it in the near future.

Slots

Slots, or Slot machines, are gambling machines that operate by inserting coins into a narrow opening and pulling on a lever, or in online Slot machines simply pressing a button. Slot machines are simple to operate and little strategy can be applied.

When at the Slot machines, you are in the hands of luck. As such, Slot machines are arguably the simplest casino game available and one of the most popular ones too.

Small Blind

Blind bets, the forced bets pre-flop, are not all equal. While the person in the first position in the game places a Small Blind, a lesser amount, the player in the second position is forced a Big Blind, larger in size.

Snake Eyes

A dice roll of two in craps.

Soft Hand

A hand in Blackjack containing an Ace that may be counted either as 1 or as 11.

A Soft 17, for example, is a hand in Blackjack that can be counted as 7 or 17 points by adding a 6 and an ace. Blackjack game rules vary in whether the dealer must hit or may stand on a Soft 17. The dealer standing is to the player's advantage.

Spanish 21

A variant of Blackjack, more liberal in its rules. One can double down any number of cards while surrendering only one wager; Spanish 21 offers special payouts for special hands of 21, such as 6-7-8 and 7-7-7; a player's Blackjack always beats the dealer's; and no 10 cards are included in the deck.

Split

If the cards in a hand of Blackjack are of equal value, the player can split. This results in doubling the wager and receiving each card as the first card in a new hand. This is usually limited to 2 hands, but may happen a third time as well.

Sportsbook

The person, shop or website who accepts bets.

Stand

Stay with the current hand and be dealt no additional cards.

Stay

Remain with the current hand, the same as 'stand', and be dealt no additional cards.

Straight Flush

The highest value poker hand that includes five cards of the same suit in sequence. It is a rare hand, but in case two get it, the hand ranks by the top card. An ace through 10 of the same suit cards, an especially high combination, is called a royal flush.

Stud Poker

In this variation of poker, each player is dealt a face up card and a face down card, which only the player may look at. The one with the highest value face up card starts the betting round. Then another card is dealt face up, with a betting round following, and again until each player has four cards showing and one face down. The highest five card hand wins in the end.

Suit

Cards in a card deck come in one of four suits, or types: Clubs, Spades, Hearts and Diamonds.

Taking the Odds

Together with Laying the Odds, the two are the main forms of gambling. Taking the Odds means placing a wager that is smaller in amount than the payoff, if indeed the wager is successful and the player wins.

Tens or Better

Similar to the Video Poker game Jacks or Better, Tens or Better pays off for a pair of tens.

Texas Blackout

A fast-pace version of bingo, in which the first number called is followed by erasing all the numbers on the bingo cards, by all the players, which are accordingly odd or even. For example, if an odd number is drawn, then all odd numbers are Wild Numbers and can be covered. The game continues as a Blackout game.

Totals

Sports bet on whether the combined number of points or goals scored by the two teams will be over/under a given mark.

Tournament

A multi-player competition for a set duration of time. Tournament rules often vary considerably from regular play.

Poker tournaments, for example, are such a multi-player setting, in which only one player walks away with any chips, though other top finishers may be compensated with prizes. No cashing out is allowed in the middle of the game and the chips are good only for the tournament, not for any other casino games.

Up Card

Also called an 'upcard', it is the dealer's face up card in the initial stage of Blackjack. The other card of the two is dealt face down, and is called 'hole card'.

Video Poker

Video poker is a game that combines five-card draw poker and a slot machine. It is a computerized casino game, and as such it has crossed over to the online casino smoothly, and has even benefited from this move. As have we, the players.

The player places 1 to 5 coins. In return, after ordering a Deal, the player receives five cards from the machine. Like in poker, the player chooses which cards to hold on to and which to discard. Discarded cards are replaced by others from the same virtual card deck, and the hand that now forms determines the payoff.

Video Slots

Video Slots are the most complex and advanced of the Slot machine variants, with as many as 40 paylines and video game quality visuals and audio.

Wager

A bet, a gamble.

Wild Number

Spicing up the bingo game, the Wild Number is decided by the first number called, for example, 16 is drawn, all numbers ending in 6 are marked off the bingo cards.

Wrong Bettor

A player betting on the Don't Pass Line in Craps is a Wrong Bettor. Betting against the shooter.

Betting on the Pass Line, alternatively, is called Betting Right.