Dictionary of Gambling A to C

Gambling is a form of entertainment. As long as you keep it that way, you should be all right. But, do bear in mind, gambling is not a way to earn money and some people see it as such. Do not forget, the odds are against you.

In the following text, we tackle gambling "lingo" and give explanations to common terms found on gambling web sites, and in the gambling industry in general.

A

Action - Any amount of money bet on any kind of game. Example: I made a  bet you were going to go bold within 5 years, so I've got action on you losing your hair.

Active pay line - This is every pay line (see "pay line") that you choose to bet on, from all the available bet lines. What this practically means, is by increasing the number of active pay lines, you increase the chance of winning.

Affiliate - Let us be honest, this is our bread and butter. This is how we are able to maintain the site and pay all the coders to come up with wicked lines. Casinos can not advertise the same way bread and butter can be. So, Casinos have Affiliates to promote their offers. 

All Ways (AKA Win-Both-Ways) Slot Machine - This is a slot machine whose winning combination (see Winning Combination) can go both from left to right and right to left. (This is a slot machine that contains a great number of possible pay lines, whose combinations run from both left to right and from right to left.)

Annuity Winner - AKA Lucky b*stard. This is a person who wins a slot machine jackpot (see Jackpot) and then chooses to receive the reward partially, usually on a yearly basis, as opposed to withdrawing the whole amount at once. This saves a lot of money on the taxes that that person has to pay. 

Autoplay/Autospin - A slot machine game feature that allows you to rest your baby lizard fingers (see Baby Lizard Fingers) by automatically spinning reels (see Reel) itself. You just have to set the number of automatic spins you want there to be, lay back and relax while still playing.

AWP - AKA “Amusement with Prizes” AKA fruit machines. These are slot machines that require a certain level of player interaction with the machine. What they don’t require is skill - games are purely based on luck. Opposite of them are the SWP machines, Skill with Prizes (see Skill with Prizes).

B

Balance - This is the amount of money you have available for betting on a certain slot that increases when you win. (but always check out the Terms and Conditions, as to know the casino’s rules about this).

Bankroll - Bankroll is the amount of money you have set aside for gambling. (I strongly suggest precisely calculating the amount of the bankroll you can afford.)

Basic Slots - These truly justify their name. They have a small number of features, a single pay line (see Pay line), and usually a static jackpot (see Static Jackpot).

Beginner’s Luck - This is the same as everywhere else - it is used in a situation in which the first-time gambler wins the first few games he plays.

Bet - AKA Wager - Bet is a certain amount of money you, as a player, wager on a single spin of the slot machine.

Bet Level - Bet level is a feature some slot games have that determines how big your bet is going to be e.i. how many coins you’re going to bet on one spin. This is closely related to coin value (see Coin Value) and it serves as its multiplier. Basically, you pick the Bet Level and your coin value is multiplied by that number to create the product - your bet amount.  Usual options range between 1 and 10. Ex: If your coin value is 1 EUR, then a bet level of 5 is five coins, i.e. 5 EUR. This means the amount of your bet is 5 EUR.

Bet Max - This is the largest amount of credits (see Credit) you can bet on a single spin. Usually, you can see the bet max button on a slot game. By clicking it, you’re automatically wagering the highest amount of credit, without having to choose it manually, and all the pay lines are activated (see Active Payline and Payline). Mostly, the bet max will result in higher rewards and, sometimes, the jackpots are not possible if you don’t bet max.

Bet Min - This represents the smallest amount of credits (see Credit) you can wager on a single spin. It can mean both that you activated just one pay line (see Active Payline and Payline) or all of them but with the minimum bet. Usually, the payouts are not very high when playing on a bet min.

Bonus Feature - Bonus Feature is what makes slots more fun - it refers to every type of feature outside the normal game which gives you an opportunity to increase the pay-out. It includes free spins, bonus games, etc.

Bonus Game - Bonus Games are a fun little feature added to the slot game. Usually, the presence of a certain symbol is what triggers a little game to appear on a new screen. This game is a chance for you to win an additional pay-out and fun addition to the already exciting game.

Bonus Multiplier Slot Machine - Bonus Multiplier Slot Machine is a special version of the Multiplier Slot Machine (see Multiplier Slot Machine) that has an additional feature. Just like the Multiplier Slot Machine, every new coin betted multiplies the winning amount, but in case of the Bonus Multiplier Slot Machine, when you bet the maximum amount and win, you can get a bonus amount on top of the already multiplied jackpot. (Not only can the maximum amount of credits bring the multiplied pay-out but also a bonus amount on top of it. This encourages the player to bet the maximum amount of credits.)

Bonus Round - Bonus Round appears on the new screen that pops up when you get the Bonus Feature (see Bonus Feature) and move from the regular game to that feature.

Bonus Slots - Bonus Slots are the slots that are programmed to reward you with a certain Bonus Feature (see Bonus Feature) when a certain number of Bonus Symbols (see Bonus Symbol) appear on the screen after the spin.

Bonus Symbol - Bonus Symbols are different for every game. If a certain number (this number also depends on the game) of these specific symbols appear on the grid after a spin, the player is moved to Bonus Round (see Bonus Round) and offered some Bonus Feature (see Bonus Feature). To find out about a specific game’s symbols, just check out its settings.

Branded Slots - The only differences between these slots and the regular ones are the themes and the graphics - their looks are based on popular shows and movies.

Buy a Feature - This is a situation in which the bonus feature (see Bonus Feature) is activated only when you wager multiple coins (see Coin), meaning you basically have to pay for a bonus feature.

Buy a Pay Slot Machines - The way this machine works is a bit confusing. The point is that you have a choice regarding the amounts of coins (see Coins) you wager. If you wager one coin, you will activate a certain symbol and manage to hit a certain pay line (see Pay line), you will win only if that pay line consists of that particular symbol (see Symbol). If it happens that some other symbols are on the pay line, you will get nothing. By adding the number of coins, you are basically “buying” symbols and getting the opportunity to win from hitting a pay line on those other symbols. The most important thing to remember is that only by wagering the maximum amount of coins you can win a jackpot (see Jackpot).

C

Candle - This term is used mainly in land-based casinos (see land-based). When the slot somehow crashes and stops working properly, the little light on top of it - the Candle, starts to flash and attracts the attention of a nearby worker who comes to fix the problem.

Carousel - In land-based casinos (see land-based), this represents a group of slot machines that are grouped together and usually share a common feature (ex. the denomination of betting units - penny slots, nickel slots, etc.)

Cascading Reels (AKA Tumbling Reels AKA Avalanche Reels) - Oh, sweet cascading reels. This is a bonus feature (see Bonus Feature) some games have which makes new symbols (see Symbol) drop from above to replace the symbols of the winning combination when you hit it. This increases the chances of winning more on a single win.

Cashback - Cashback is the refund of your loss casino gives you in bonuses or real money. Usually, it’s calculated as a percentage (5%-25%) of your total losses acquired over a certain period.

Casino Tournament - Casino Tournament is a tournament in which players are ranked on the scoreboard by the amounts they won from competing against the casino in casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, etc. The point is to have the highest amount and the winner gets a prize usually in the form of a bonus, real money or something else.

Certified Slots - Certified Slots are slot machines usually advertised by the casino because of their high payback percentage (98%-100%) (see Payback Percentage), which has been verified and guaranteed by the casino.

Chips - Chips exist in both online and land-based casinos but are more frequent in the latter. They are tokens you get for real money, use for playing different games in the casino (excluding the slots) and in the end, exchange back for real money.

Classic Slot - Classic Slot refers to video slots (see Video Slots) with an old-school look consisting of three reels (see Reel). They are limited in pay lines (see Pay line) and most times don’t offer bonus features (see Bonus Feature). If you like vintage things and simple slots, this is perfect for you.

Coin - Coins are monetary units that you use to wager on each pay line (see Pay line) in an online slot that you also get when you win. Their monetary value differs from game to game, from site to site. Their land-based casino’ versions are usually made of metal and sometimes of plastic.

Coin-Free Play - Coin-Free Play refers to slot machines in land-based casinos, where, instead of coins (see Coin), a win will get you tickets or credits tokens. Afterwards, you can exchange them for money in the casino, the same as coins.

Coin In / Coin Out - Coin In/Coin Out is a term used by casinos that indicates how many coins (see Coin) all the players wagered on in one machine (Coin In) and how many coins the machine paid out to all of them (Coin Out).

Coin Per Line - Coin Per Line indicates how many coins (see Coin) you chose or were able to wager on one single pay line (see Pay line).

Coin Per Spin - Coin Per Spin indicates how many coins (see Coin) you chose to wager on a single spin.

Coin Size - Coin Size is the value of a single coin (see Coin) e.i. how much that coin is worth in real money. Often, the games will let you decide the coin value yourself by giving you different options so that you have more control over your spending.

Cold Slots - Cold Slot is what some players believe to be a machine that makes less frequent and lower pay-outs due to its design. Sometimes, it relates to the lower pay-out percentage (see Payback Percentage), but usually, it’s a false belief based simply on the results of the player’s bad luck.

Credit meter - Credit Meter is the part of the screen that shows you how many credits (see Credits) you have at any given moment.

Credits – see Betting Units.

Croupier - a person (gamblers love to hate and hate to love) in a casino responsible for a table, deals cards, collects bets, makes payouts, and watches for strange behaviour. In card games and roulette, Croupier represents the Casino side of the game.