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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Handheld Games [Card Games]
Any card game where the players cards are dealt face down and the players are required to pick them up and sort them in-hand. -
Hard Count
Action of counting coin (hard) currency. This is usually done in a special room under tight security - counting the change from slot machines. -
Hard Hand
In blackjack, any hand that does not contain an Ace valued at 11. (Depending on your hand you can value an Ace 1 or 11 to suit you). -
Hard Way Bet [Craps]
In the game of Craps making a hard way bet means betting that both dice turn up with the same number. There are only four hard way combinations. The numbers to choose from are hard 4 (2|2), hard 6 (3|3), hard 8 (4|4), and hard 10 (5|5). For example, if you wanted to go for a hard 8 you would have to roll two fours. It is called the hard way, because it is not easy to hit such combinations. The player wins if the selected hard way is rolled before a seven or any combination of the chosen number that isn't a double ("easy way"-combination of the hard way) appears. If you have a bet on a "hard 4" and a "3" and "1" (easy 4) comes up before you hit your hard 4 (2|2), you lose your hard way bet. -
Hearts
One of the four playing card suits. Formerly representing the clergy. -
High Roller
A player that wagers big bets. -
Hit
Another slang word for a win on a slot machine. -
Holding Your Own
Neither winning nor losing, just breaking even. -
House Edge
The 'House Edge' is the casino's inbuilt advantage/profit expressed as a percentage of the player's original bet. It's a statistical calculation of the expected player loss relative to the initial betting amount. A 0.5% House Edge, for example, means the player should expect to lose $0.5 for every $100 bet. It's the wagering advantage of the casino (house) over the player in a particular game, usually gained by paying out less than real odds would require.
Every casino has a certain edge or advantage on different games. As long as the edge is not exaggerated there is nothing wrong with that. This is a legitimate way of ensuring that there is always enough money to facilitate all the games and services. In American Roulette the true odds of winning a bet on number 7, for example, is 37:1 ($37 for every $1 wagerd, also see Payoff Odds). By paying less than the true odds, the casinos ensure itself of a built-in edge.
A payoff odd of 35:1 instead of the true 37:1, for example, creates an edge for the casino. Instead of being paid $37 whenever you win on a $1 bet (true odds), you only get paid $35 every time you win. The casino keeps 2 chips for every 38 wagered on a particular number (in our case number 7), which corrosponds to a casino edge of 5.26%. Simply put, The house edge is the difference between the true odds and the odds that the casino pays you when you win. -
House, the
The establishment where a game is being held.
