Gambling Terminology – Complete Guide for Beginners

Gambling can be somewhat intimidating to those who are new to it. This is partly because there’s a whole terminology behind gaming that’s common to those who know about it but can seem novel and strange to new players.

Learning about these terms and mastering them can help you understand the gambling industry better and therefore be able to gamble with more confidence and knowledge. Here we will go through the gambling jargon and explain a few terms that every gambler should know.

These gambling terms are used in both online and on the ground gambling and they can be used across most games and establishments.

Aggregate limit – The maximum amount you can get as a player in any given game.

Aggregate winnings – The total amount you’ve won as a player in any given game.

Bankroll – That’s money that’s set aside for the purpose of gambling. It’s important to gamblers since it’s a particular amount that you’re able to spend.

A bet – A bet is a single wager that you make within the game. It’s possible to bet more than once within the same game.

Bet Max – The maximal amount you can bet within the game. Sometimes there’s a button within the game that allows you to bet that amount at once.

Betting limit – The term denotes the limit of how little or how much you can bet.

Bonus – Bonuses are awarded by the casinos in order to reward new players and those who are loyal to the casinos. Sometimes these bonuses come in the form of cash and sometimes in the form of free spins.

Cap– Another term for the maximum amount you can bet.

Comp points – This is a reward system that’s used to promote the players that are loyal to the casino and keep returning to the games. The more you play with the casino, the more points you get, and you earn a chance at a bonus.

Chips – Chips or tokens are used to represent a value within the game and players can bet with them as a currency. These chips come in a variety of denominations depending on the game.

D’Alembert – A betting strategy named after the French mathematician who invented it. It’s commonly used in roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and other games.

Dealers – The deal is an employer of the casino who deals the cards to the players. Sometimes it’s customary to tip these employees during the game.

Doubling down –Doubling down refers to making a bet of equal size as the initial one, thus doubling your bet.

Down for the felt – If a player is “down for the felt” they’ve lost all their money.

E-Wallets – Online accounts used to store digital currency. These are connected to your account and they are becoming more widely used now when more casinos are accepting Bitcoin as a payment method. Their biggest advantage is in the anonymity they provide.

Eighty-sixed – A player who has been eighty-sixed is banned from playing for cheating.

Freeroll – A type of tournament in which there’s no entry fee, so anyone can join.

Free spins –Free spins are a bonus offered by the casinos that allow for a certain number of spins to be played on the house.

High roller – It’s a term used to describe a high-stakes player. Those players usually get special treatment from the casinos, and sometimes play in special tournaments organized for VIP players only.

House Edge – The house, meaning the casino always has a certain advantage over the player. That advantage is known as the edge. It’s important to be aware of it while playing.

Instant win – The games in which the winner is known right away.

Jackpot – Jackpot is the highest prize you can get in a game. It usually refers to slot machines, but it can be used for other games as well.

Joker– A wild card in a game. Often used in poker but it can also be used in other card games.

Martingale system – A betting system some players use to improve their odds. The players double their bet each time they lose, allowing them to get back all the money they’ve lost in a row of bad spins. The system isn’t very profitable, however.

No limit – Games in which there’s no limit as to how much you can bet.

Odds– Chances of winning a bet.

Paytable – The paytable explains what outcomes are available in a game depending on how much you bet.

Progressive jackpot – Progressive jackpot is a slot machine that has a prize that increases every time you play.

Random numbers generator – It’s a device used to produce a random series of numbers. Most games of luck use it to draw a winner arbitrarily. If a game uses this method of choosing a winner, you can’t have a system that will beat it.

Reel – A reel is a column where the symbols in the slot are displayed and if they are produced in a certain order, you have a winning combination.

Tapping out –Tapping out means that the player is out of the game. It can happen when you’re out of funds or when you decide to cut your losses and give up.

Tip – A payment made to a dealer out of gratitude.

Underlay – It’s a jargon term used to describe a bad bet.

Whale – A player that makes extremely large bets. Sometimes it’s the same as the high roller.

White meat – Jargon term for winnings made from betting.