Online Casino Gambling Glossary
More than 141 gambling terms & expressions
For those of you just starting out online gambling, we have developed this comprehensive online casino gambling glossary to help you understand the most widely used terms and definitions in the online gambling world. Of course, it is not essential to be familiar with all these terms in order to play, but they're still good to know. Have fun.
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Parley
Game strategy of doubling the bet after a win. -
Payline
Found in slots, a payline is the line where linked symbols have to fall upon after a spin to trigger a win. The more paylines, the more opportunities there are to create a winning combination. However, the more paylines are involved the more costly it can be too. It’s up to you how many paylines you activate by betting on them. -
Payoff
The return or payback (winnings) the player receives for his or her wager. -
Payoff Odds
Every casino bet has specific payout odds. For example, the payout odds for a blackjack are 3:2 (you win $3 for every $2 bet). Likewise if you bet on number 7 in roulette and it wins you will be paid $35 for every dollar you bet, plus you get to keep the original bet (35:1 payoff odds).
In some casino games these odds are listed on the layout (e.g. craps) or they are listed on the face of the slots and video poker machines. Some casino bets have payoff odds of only 1:1 (you win what you bet, equal money) like a winning blackjack bet, pass line in craps, or a bet on red or black in roulette.
Some casinos, namely in the game of craps, will post their payoff odds on the layout using the word ‘for' instead of ‘to'. Odds posted as 30 for 1, for example, means you win 30 chips but the casino keeps the original one chip bet as opposed to 30:1, where you can also keep your initial 1 chip bet. This means a 30 for 1 payoff basically boils down to a 29:1 payoff (also see edge). -
Payout
The winning amount paid by the casino to a customer after a successful wager has been revealed. -
Payout Percentage
The percent of each dollar played in a video or slot machine that the machine is programmed to return to the player. Payback percentage is 100% minus the house edge. -
Paytable
The paytable of a game details all the possible winning combinations and how much you could win. This allows a customer to know what are the most valuable items available in the game. -
Pigeon
A naive, uneducated, or unsophisticated gambler who doesn't know how to play the games properly. -
PlayCheck
This "instant replay technology" allows real cash wagering customers to check and review all of their playing activities. This web-based tool, which can be accessed from within the casino software, provides players with a detailed bank-like statement that catalogues each and every wager. Results can be filtered by many criterias, such as date, game type etc. -
Playover Box
A clear plastic box used to cover and protect the chips of an absent player when someone plays over that seat. -
Playthrough Requirements
This is the amount of times you will have to wager the bonus value in order to convert and meet wagering requirements for a bonus. This playthrough requirement reduces each time you play a game and brings you closer to converting the bonus into withdrawable funds. -
Progressive Jackpot
A 'progressive jackpot' is a jackpot for gaming machines, such as slots where the value of the payoff increases (progresses) by a small amount each time a game is played. Gaming machines are commonly linked to ONE of these 'progressive jackpots', which means that all players playing these machines are actually playing for the same jackpot while increasing it at the same time. The amount by which the jackpot increases is set by the house.
Generally, slot machines have their 'jackpot' listed as a monetary value and this can only be won by achieving the combination with the highest payoff (the best results in a game), for example 4 cherries in a row or a 'Royal Flush' at a Video Poker machine. Once the jackpot has been won, the machine resets itself to its default minimum. In some instances, in order to qualify for the progressive jackpots, players are required to play the highest credit level and in other cases the more you bet, the better the chance you have of winning a Progressive Jackpot. There are also Random (Progressive) Jackpots that, as the name suggests, can be won completely at random. -
Punter
A person who lays a bet against the bank, as in roulette or baccarat.
