Glossary
125+ Terms
Every casino and sportsbook has its own language, and it can sound baffling when you are starting out. This A-Z glossary explains the gambling terms you will actually come across, across casino games, poker, slots and sports betting, in plain English. Use the letter navigation to jump straight to a word, or browse the most-searched terms below. New to it all? Start with our beginners guide to online casinos.
Most-searched terms
SportsbookA company or venue that takes bets on sports, and the part of a casino dedicated to sports betting.
WagerA bet, the money you stake on an outcome.
BookmakerA company or person that sets odds and accepts bets, mainly on sports events.
VigorishThe bookmaker's or casino's commission, built into the odds. Also called juice.
PushA tie between the bettor and the book where the stake is simply returned, with no win or loss.
ChalkThe favourite in a sports event. A chalk bettor is someone who mainly backs favourites.
A
- Accumulator (Parlay)Sports
- A single bet that combines several selections, where every leg must win for the bet to pay.
- ActionGeneral
- The total amount of money a player has wagered during a session, not the act of playing itself.
- Add-onPoker
- Extra chips you buy on top of your starting stack, often allowed in poker tournaments.
- Aggregate LimitCasino
- The maximum total amount a casino will pay out on a specific game.
- All-inPoker
- Betting every chip you have on a single hand. Others must match the amount or fold.
- AntePoker
- A small forced bet every player puts into the pot before a hand begins.
B
- BankrollGeneral
- The total pot of money a player has set aside for gambling.
- Bar (Barred)Casino
- Being banned from a casino, usually for cheating or disruptive behaviour.
- BeardGeneral
- A person who places a bet on behalf of someone who wants to stay anonymous.
- Blind BetPoker
- A forced bet in poker made before cards are seen. The small and big blinds rotate each hand.
- Bookmaker (Bookie)Sports
- A company or person that sets odds and accepts bets, mainly on sports events.
- Break-Even PointGeneral
- The point at which your winnings exactly cover what you have wagered.
- Breaking the BankCasino
- Hitting a very large win against the casino.
- Buy-inPoker
- The amount of money you bring to a table or pay to enter a tournament.
C
- CageCasino
- The secured area in a land casino where the cashiers handle money and chips.
- CallPoker
- Matching the current bet to stay in a poker hand.
- Card CountingTable
- Tracking which cards have been dealt in blackjack to judge the odds of what is coming next.
- Casino AdvantageCasino
- The built-in mathematical edge that gives the casino an advantage over players (see House Edge).
- ChalkSports
- The favourite in a sports event. A chalk bettor is someone who mainly backs favourites.
- Chase (Chasing Losses)General
- Betting more and more to try to win back money you have already lost, a key warning sign of risky play.
- Comp PointsCasino
- Loyalty rewards earned by playing, which can be exchanged for credits, perks or cash.
- CoverSports
- When a favourite wins by more than the point spread, so a spread bet on them pays.
- CroupierTable
- The dealer at a table game such as roulette or baccarat.
D
- DepositBonus
- Money you add to your online casino account to play with.
- DimeSports
- Slang for a CA$1,000 bet.
- Doubling Up (Martingale)General
- A betting system where you double your stake after every loss, which is high risk and does not beat the house edge.
- DropCasino
- The total amount of money players have exchanged for chips at a table.
E
- EdgeGeneral
- Any advantage one side holds over another, including the house edge over players.
- En PrisonTable
- A French roulette rule that lets you recover an even-money bet after a zero by leaving it in place for one more spin.
- Expected Value (EV)Sports
- The average long-run result of a bet. A positive EV (+EV) bet favours the player, a negative EV bet favours the house.
- Eye in the SkyCasino
- The surveillance cameras that monitor a casino floor.
F
- Face CardsTable
- The Jack, Queen and King in a deck of cards.
- FadeSports
- To bet against a particular team, outcome or another bettor.
- FavouriteSports
- The team or player considered most likely to win, and so offered at shorter odds.
- FiringCasino
- Wagering large amounts of money.
- FishPoker
- An inexperienced player who tends to lose more than others at the table.
- Flat BettingGeneral
- Betting the same amount on every hand or spin, regardless of wins or losses.
- FlopPoker
- The first three community cards dealt face up in games like Texas Hold'em.
- Free SpinsBonus
- A bonus that lets you spin a slot a set number of times without using your own money.
- FuturesSports
- A bet on a long-term outcome decided later, such as which team wins a league title.
G
- Gambler's FallacyGeneral
- The mistaken belief that past results affect future ones, for example that a slot is 'due' to pay.
- GrindGeneral
- Playing steadily with small, planned bets to slowly build a profit.
H
- HandTable
- The set of cards a player holds during a round.
- HandicapSports
- A virtual advantage or disadvantage applied to a side to make a contest more even for betting.
- HedgeSports
- Placing a second, opposing bet to lock in profit or reduce a potential loss.
- HitTable
- In blackjack, asking the dealer for another card.
- Hit FrequencySlots
- How often a slot lands any winning combination, separate from how big those wins are.
- HotGeneral
- A player or game on a winning streak.
- House EdgeCasino
- The casino's average advantage on a game. If a slot returns 96% (RTP), the house edge is 4%.
I
- Inside BetTable
- In roulette, a bet placed on a specific number or small group of numbers.
- InsuranceTable
- A side bet in blackjack offered when the dealer shows an ace, paying out if the dealer has a natural blackjack.
J
- JackpotSlots
- The top prize on a game, sometimes a life-changing sum.
- Jacks or BetterPoker
- A common video poker variant where you need at least a pair of jacks to be paid.
- Juice (Vig)Sports
- The commission a bookmaker or casino builds into the odds, also called vigorish.
K
- KickerPoker
- A high side card used to break ties between otherwise equal poker hands.
- KYCBonus
- Know Your Customer, the identity checks a licensed casino runs before paying out winnings.
L
- LaddermanTable
- The supervisor who oversees a baccarat table and settles disputes.
- Lay the OddsSports
- Betting on the favourite, risking more to win less.
- Live DealerCasino
- Casino games streamed in real time with a real human dealer, rather than software alone.
- LockSports
- A bet that looks like a near-certain winner, though no bet is ever truly guaranteed.
- Low RollerGeneral
- A player who sticks to small bets, the opposite of a high roller.
M
- MarkerCasino
- A line of credit extended by a casino to a player.
- Maximum BetGeneral
- The largest stake allowed on a game or table.
- MechanicCasino
- Slang for a dealer who cheats by manipulating the cards.
- MegawaysSlots
- A slot mechanic where the number of symbols per reel changes each spin, creating thousands of ways to win.
- MushSports
- A person superstitiously believed to bring bad luck to those betting near them.
N
- NaturalTable
- An unbeatable two-card 21 in blackjack, or a total of eight or nine in baccarat.
- Net WinningsGeneral
- Your profit after subtracting everything you wagered.
- No-Deposit BonusBonus
- A bonus, often free spins or a small cash credit, given without requiring a deposit.
- Nut (The Nuts)Poker
- The best possible hand in a given poker situation.
O
- OddsGeneral
- The probability of an outcome, and how much a winning bet pays. Casino odds are fixed by the game, sports odds by the bookmaker.
- Outside BetTable
- In roulette, a bet on a large group of numbers such as red or black, or odd or even.
- Over/Under (Totals)Sports
- A bet on whether the combined score of an event will be over or under a number set by the bookmaker.
- OverlayGeneral
- A bet that, unusually, favours the player rather than the house.
P
- PaintTable
- High cards: the Jack, Queen, King and Ace.
- ParlaySports
- Several bets combined into one. Every selection must win, but the payout is far bigger.
- PaylineSlots
- A line across a slot's reels along which matching symbols pay. Modern slots can have hundreds.
- PaytableSlots
- The chart showing what each symbol and feature pays in a slot or table game.
- PitCasino
- The restricted central area of a casino floor reserved for staff.
- Point SpreadSports
- A handicap on the favourite, who must win by more than the spread for a spread bet to pay.
- PotPoker
- The total of all bets in a poker hand, claimed by the winner.
- Progressive JackpotSlots
- A jackpot that grows every time the game is played across a network until someone wins it.
- Provably FairBonus
- A system, common at crypto casinos, that lets players verify each game result was genuinely random.
- PushSports
- A tie between the bettor and the book where the stake is simply returned, with no win or loss.
Q
- QuadsPoker
- Four of a kind in poker.
- QualifierPoker
- In split-pot games, the minimum hand needed to win the low half of the pot.
R
- RacinoCasino
- A venue that combines a racetrack with a casino.
- RakePoker
- The small commission the house takes from each poker pot.
- ReelsSlots
- The vertical columns of symbols that spin on a slot machine.
- RiverPoker
- The fifth and final community card in games like Texas Hold'em.
- RNGGeneral
- Random Number Generator, the software that decides every result in a fair online game.
- Royal FlushPoker
- The strongest poker hand: ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all the same suit.
- RTPSlots
- Return to Player, the percentage of all wagers a game pays back over the long run. Higher is better for the player.
S
- Scared MoneyGeneral
- Money a player cannot really afford to lose, which often leads to timid or poor decisions.
- ScatterSlots
- A slot symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, without needing to be on a payline.
- SessionGeneral
- A single continuous period of play.
- SharpSports
- A skilled, professional bettor whose action can move the odds. The opposite of a square.
- ShoeTable
- The box that holds several decks of cards on a table game, ready to be dealt.
- ShowdownPoker
- The end of a poker hand when remaining players reveal their cards to decide the winner.
- SportsbookSports
- A company or venue that takes bets on sports, and the part of a casino dedicated to sports betting.
- SquareSports
- A casual, recreational bettor, the opposite of a sharp.
- StackPoker
- The pile of chips a player has in front of them.
- Standing HandTable
- A blackjack hand of 17 or more, strong enough to stand on rather than hit.
- SteamSports
- Fast, heavy betting on one side that causes the odds or line to move quickly.
- Sticky BonusBonus
- A bonus that cannot itself be withdrawn. You keep only winnings made with it, once wagering is met.
- SystemGeneral
- Any betting method a player uses to try to beat a game, though none overcome the house edge.
T
- Table LimitGeneral
- The minimum and maximum bets allowed at a given table.
- Table StakesPoker
- The rule that you can only bet the chips you have on the table at the start of a hand.
- Tap OutGeneral
- Losing all the money you brought to play with.
- TeaserSports
- A type of parlay where you move the spread in your favour across several games for a smaller payout.
- TellsPoker
- Small, often unconscious behaviours that hint at the strength of a poker player's hand.
- TiltPoker
- Playing emotionally and recklessly after a bad beat or losing streak.
- TripsPoker
- Three of a kind in poker.
U
- UnderdogSports
- The team or player seen as less likely to win, offered at longer odds.
- UnitGeneral
- A standard bet size a player uses to measure stakes and results, rather than a fixed currency amount.
- Up CardTable
- The dealer's face-up card in blackjack.
V
- VarianceSlots
- How much a game's results swing. High-variance (volatile) games pay big but rarely, low-variance games pay small and often.
- Vigorish (Vig)Sports
- The bookmaker's or casino's commission, built into the odds. Also called juice.
- VIPCasino
- A high-value player who receives enhanced rewards, limits and personal service.
W
- WagerGeneral
- A bet, the money you stake on an outcome.
- Wagering RequirementBonus
- How many times a bonus (and sometimes the deposit) must be played through before winnings can be withdrawn.
- Welcome BonusBonus
- The introductory offer a casino gives new players, often a deposit match plus free spins.
- WhaleGeneral
- A player with a huge bankroll who wagers very large sums.
- WildSlots
- A slot symbol that substitutes for others to help complete winning combinations.
- WithdrawalBonus
- A request to cash out winnings from an online casino to your chosen payment method.
Know the terms, and know the limits. Words like chasing, scared money and tilt describe habits worth avoiding. If gambling stops being fun, take our self-assessment or visit the independent Responsible Gambling Council. 18+ only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gambling Terms FAQ
A sportsbook is a company or venue that accepts bets on sporting events, setting the odds and paying out winners. The word also refers to the area of a casino set aside for sports betting.
A wager is simply a bet: the money you stake on a particular outcome. As a verb, to wager means to place that bet. It is also the basis of a bonus “wagering requirement”, which sets how much you must bet before withdrawing.
A bookmaker, informally a bookie, is a company or person that sets odds and accepts bets, mainly on sports. They build a margin (the vig) into their odds, which is how they make money over time.
Vig (short for vigorish), also called juice, is the commission a bookmaker or casino builds into its odds. It is the reason the listed odds are slightly worse than the true probability, and it gives the house its edge.
A push is a tie between you and the bookmaker, usually when a result lands exactly on the betting line. Nobody wins or loses, and your original stake is returned to you.
Chalk refers to the favourite in an event, the side expected to win. A “chalk bettor” is someone who mostly backs favourites, which tend to win more often but pay out less.
