Gambling Terminology Glossary
With so many gambling sites online, it’s never been easier to play slots, try your hand at poker, or bet on your favourite sports. But one of the first things you’ll notice when you start wagering online, in any form, is the amount of gambling terms used.
Understanding key words from casino sites will help you get the most out of your gaming and avoid mistakes. For example, if you don’t know what a “wagering requirement” is, you may wonder why you can’t withdraw your winnings right away.
To help you learn the essential gambler terms and casino catch phrases, we’ve created this massive terms guide covering slots, poker, and much more.
Gambling Terms
Online gambling can be daunting for newcomers. You have a plethora of sites to choose from, lots of betting options to consider, and dozens of new gambling terms to understand.
Here are the most important terms you need to know to wager online with confidence.
Accumulator
Placing multiple wagers, with a goal to put your first winnings into your second bet and so on. Each wager needs to result in a win for the accumulator to work and generate a big payout.
All-In
A player bets the last of their chips into the pot.
Arbitrage
An odds variation lets a player wager on all outcomes and guarantee a profit, usually across different sites.
Beginner’s Luck
A new player manages to achieve a “winning streak” (multiple consecutive wins).
Bet
A player places a wager during a game.
Betting Limit
The lowest and highest bets that a player can make on a game or event.
Casino Terms
The best online casinos offer you a huge range of games to choose from, including slots, table games, scratch cards, and more. They provide straightforward information on how to get started, but you may run into some confusing words from casino sites as you explore.
To help make playing at casinos easier, we’ve picked the most important gambler terms you need to know.
Action
Any bet placed on a game.
Banker
The individual playing against everyone else in a game (sometimes used instead of “dealer”).
Aggregate Limit
The overall amount of cash a casino is willing to pay out in a game or round. Players may receive less winnings than expected if the limit is reached.
Bankroll
The money a player has ready to spend at a casino.
Bones
Refers to the dice, though this term is rarely used at online casinos.
Bonus
A casino may offer a bonus to attract players and keep them loyal, such as a match on a player’s first deposit. Bonuses may be one-off or recurring promotions.
Slots Terms
Online slots are massively popular in the UK: the Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) of slots was £582 million for the third quarter of 2022, according to the Gambling Commission. But despite their popularity and accessibility, slots have specific gambling terms that newcomers may find confusing.
Here are the most important gambling terms for when you’re playing slots online.
Bonus Round
A bonus round in a slot game triggers under specific conditions, usually when the player lands a certain combination of symbols. Bonus rounds often award a portion of free spins, though that’s not always the case.
Cold
A “cold” slot is believed to make winning difficult or impossible, as if the game is on a losing streak. However, this is a myth, as the outcome of each spin is random.
Flat Top
A slot with a fixed jackpot prize instead of a progressive jackpot that gets bigger and bigger.
Free Spin
Free spins allow players to spin the reels a specific number of times without betting their own money. This provides a brief period of risk-free gameplay.
Hit
A winning spin.
Hot
A “hot” slot is believed to pay out more frequently at a given time, but as with “cold” slots, wins are random and cannot be predicted.
Poker Terms
As one of the world’s most popular card games, poker is available at many online casinos. You can find virtual, RNG-based poker games and live-dealer versions that offer a realistic casino experience.
However, there are dozens of gambler terms to keep in mind when playing poker. Here’s a comprehensive list.
ABC Poker
Refers to playing poker in a standard, predictable way.
Add-On
Extra chips available for players to buy at designated points in tournaments.
Aggressive
An aggressive poker player raises often.
Ante
A stake that all players in a game of poker are required to put in before they receive their starting cards.
Back Door
A poker hand created with the last two cards to be dealt.
Back Hand
A Chinese poker term: the third and final hand of five cards a player needs to make, which must be the strongest of the three.
Roulette Terms
Roulette is one of the most fast-paced and fascinating casino games. The croupier spins a wheel marked with 37 or 38 (depending on the version played) numbers, and bettors wager on various outcomes.
Newcomers to roulette have a fairly modest number of gambling terms to learn, especially when compared to poker’s terms.
American Roulette
American roulette is played with 38 pockets on the wheels, due to the green double zero.
Corner Bet
Laying a chip on the point where four numbers connect on the table to wager on four numbers. This bet wins if the ball stops on any of the four numbers.
Column Bet
A bet on any of the three columns on a roulette table. Each column contains 12 numbers.
Banco
Refers to a player risking all of their cash on one bet.
Croupier
French for “dealer”. The croupier handles the roulette wheel and all wagers.
d’Alembert
The d’Alembert strategy takes its name from Jean le Rond d’Alembert, a mathematician. Players following the d’Alembert strategy double their wager after a loss, aiming to recoup their losses when they eventually win.
Blackjack Terms
For anyone new to the iGaming world, diving into any card game can be daunting, but blackjack is one of the simplest to pick up. The goal is simple: players try to get their hand to add up to 21, or as close as they can get, without exceeding that number.
Here are the essential gambling terms for blackjack.
Anchor
The player seated immediately to the right of the dealer and the final person to take action before the dealer plays their hand.
Blackjack
Getting 21 immediately with a pair of starting cards.
Break
A hand that adds up to more than 21 and causes the player to lose.
Bust
Same meaning as “break”.
Button
Refers to the dealer’s position at the table and the last one to receive a card.
Capping a Bet
A player “caps their bet” when they add chips to a winning bet before the dealer pays out. Considered a form of cheating.
Baccarat Terms
Baccarat is another popular card game with simple gameplay. A player and dealer have a hand of two or three cards each. The goal is to predict whether the player or dealer hand will be closest to nine, or if it will be a tie.
Here are the key gambling terms for baccarat.
Banco
Refers to the bank, casino, or house, as well as a bet placed on the bank winning.
Commission
An additional fee that a player pays with a bet on the bank winning.
Punto
Refers to the player, as well as a bet placed on the player’s hand winning.
Craps Terms
Craps is a dice-based table game with a fast pace. A pair of dice are rolled and players wager on the result, whether they’re betting against other players or the casino.
Here’s an extensive list of gambling terms used in craps.
Aces
A bet on the next dice roll resulting in a 2.
Ada from Decatur
A bet on both dice landing on a 4, creating a hard 8.
Any Craps
A bet on the next roll of the dice creating a 2, 3, or 12.
Any Double
A bet on all two of the three dice sharing the same number, but not specifying what that number will be.
Any Seven
A bet on the next roll resulting in a 7.
Any Triple
A bet on all three dice sharing the same number, but not specifying the number.
Bingo Terms
Online bingo has exploded, with a huge variety of operators catering to different tastes and demographics. According to Gambling Commission research, the GGY for remote bingo in the UK was more than £183 million (as of March 2022).
Let’s look at the major gambling terms for bingo.
Admission Packet
The minimum amount of bingo cards that players need to buy.
All or Nothing
A bingo ticket that pays out under two conditions: every selected number is drawn or none of them are.
Bingo
A player who gets “bingo” has matched all of the numbers on their tickets to those drawn at random.
Bingo Board
A display revealing the numbers as they are called.
Bingo Book
A large group of bingo tickets.
Bingo Card
Also known as a “bingo ticket”, the “bingo card” usually features a 5 x 5 grid containing random numbers.
Lottery Terms
Online lotteries offer players a quick, simple way to gamble without needing skills or experience. According to Gambling Commission research, ticket sales for the National Lottery alone amounted to £8.1 billion from April 2021 to March 2022
Here are key lottery gambling terms to watch out for.
Annuity
Refers to a jackpot that is paid out to winners in instalments, often over many years.
Bonus Ball
An extra lottery number drawn to help players win, with specific prizes awarded for matching it.
Draw
The results of a lottery.
Instant Win
A lottery ticket that reveals if the player has won immediately.
Lump Sum
A lottery payout made in one payment.
Powerball
A lottery type in which a jackpot is awarded to players that match five numbers with a bonus ball. Prizes can also be paid out for matching fewer numbers.
Sic Bo Terms
Sic bo (“dice pair”) is a popular dice game of Chinese origin. Players roll three dice and make their wagers on a table, with numerous bets to choose from. It is similar to craps, though each roll leads to a win or loss.
Here are the sic bo gambling terms you need to know before you play.
Big Bet
A wager on all three dice adding up to a number from 11 to 17, with a 1:1 payout.
Chuck-a-Luck
A variant of sic bo otherwise referred to as “grand hazard” or “birdcage”.
Combination Bet
Betting on two of the dice showing specific numbers.
Duo
A player bets that the dice will show two numbers they have predicted, and none of those numbers can be the same. There are 15 potential duo types
Tai Sai
Another name for sic bo.
Keno Terms
Keno is a Chinese game similar to lotteries and bingo. You choose numbers from across a large range (often 1 to 80), then random numbers (usually 20) are drawn to reveal the winners.
Here are the important keno gambling terms to keep in mind while you play.
Catch
Used when a player’s number matches one drawn.
Closed
The point at which no more bets can be made and the balls are ready to be drawn.
Combination Ticket
A keno card that allows the player to pick two or more groups, and a specific range of numbers in each one, to bet on.
Draw
The set of 20 balls showing the current round’s winning numbers.
Flashboard
A board revealing the numbers drawn.
Goose
Refers to the device that mixes the balls then draws them.
Sports Betting Terms
Sports betting is common among Brits, and the UK holds 23% of Europe’s sports betting market (as of 2021). Online betting sites cover a huge range of sports, including horse racing, football, dog racing, rugby, cricket, and many more.
Here’s an extensive list of gambling terms for sports betting.
Action
Any type of bet.
Against the Spread (ATS)
Refers to betting on a sports team to achieve a result that beats the point spread established by a sportsbook.
Ante Post
A bet on the outcome of an upcoming sports event far in advance.
Backed
A team or outcome is “backed” when lots of wagers are placed on it.
Chalk
A heavy favourite (usually a horse) to win.
Canadian Line
In ice hockey, this is a combination of a point spread and a moneyline bet.
Horse Betting Terms
Betting on horse racing is common in the UK, especially during major events such as Royal Ascot, the Grand National, and the Epsom Derby. Bettors can wager on real and virtual horse races on a wide range of sportsbooks.
Let’s look at the crucial gambling terms for horse racing.
Across the Board
A technique for betting on a horse to win, place, and show (finish first, second, or third).
Combination Bet
A wager on one or more horses to come in first and second (in any order).
Dead Heat
Refers to a race in which two or more horses cross the finish line at the same time.
Exotic
A type of wager that isn’t a parlay or straight bet. Can also be referred to as a “proposition”.
