Playing at Canadian online casinos isn’t always a breeze. You’ll have quite a lot of special gambling terms to figure out. To help you avoid any confusion, we’ve put together a list of all the terms you’ll come across.
A
Accumulator: A sort of wager in which the odds of several events are combined on a single bet slip. The odds of winning are lower, but the payouts are greater than in single-event wagering.
All-in: When a player wagers their entire bankroll on a single hand.
Ante: A small, compulsory bet which must be placed by all players at the start of a poker hand, most often used in games like Texas Hold’em.
Autoplay: A feature in many online slot games, whereby the reels are set to spin automatically either for a set number of times, or until a specific win/loss limit is reached.
B
Bankroll: The amount in your casino account, or the amount you set aside for a particular online gambling activity.
Banker: In games like baccarat, the ‘banker’ represents the casino or house, and is one of the two main betting options in the game.
Buy-in: The minimum amount of funds necessary to enter a game, most common in poker tournaments such as W.S.O.P.
Bet refund: Bet refunds are bonuses that repay a percentage of a losing wager, typically between 10 and 20 percent.
Betting limits: Bet limits, often known as table limits, are the minimum and maximum sums that can be wagered on a casino game.
Bust: This refers to a blackjack hand that exceeds 21.
C
Casino lobby: A virtual ‘waiting room’ where players can view or browse all available games.
Cryptocurrency: Some online casinos in Canada now accept digital currencies that are neither verified nor administered by a centralized financial institution. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin are some examples.
Card counting: A blackjack strategy whereby the ratio of high to low cards left in the deck are kept track of.
Comp points: Complementary points that are awarded to players for playing regularly. Sometimes, comp points can be exchanged for real money, but that’s only if you meet all the terms and conditions.
Cold streak: Another term for a ‘losing streak’ – a period of consecutive losses.
Croupier: The dealer or host who facilitates a table game like blackjack or poker. Online, you’ll encounter real-life croupiers if you play at a live casino.
D
Dealer: The person who deals the cards in a table game. In RNG table games, this is automated and in live-dealer games this is a real person.
Deposit bonus: A type of casino bonus that you can receive by making a deposit, most often matched up to a particular percentage, e.g., 100%.
Double down: A possible wager in blackjack. After obtaining your first two cards, you may double your wager on the condition that just one additional card will be dealt.
E
Even-money bets: These are wagers with payouts of 1 to 1.
Expanding wilds: These are symbols that land on a reel and completely cover it.
F
Flat betting: A method in which players wager the same amount in each round.
Fold: To withdraw from a round (usually of poker), forfeiting any bets you might have made.
Free spins: Free spins are a popular casino bonus that allows players to spin the reels at no cost.
Full house: A poker hand consisting of one pair and one three-of-a-kind.
G
Gamble feature: A feature in online slots, which allows a player to predict the suit and/or colour of a card, giving them the chance to double/quadruple their win.
Go bust: In blackjack, to go bust means to exceed a total of 21 and lose your bet.
Grind: A popular strategy in which one places small, consistent bets over an extended period of time.
H
High roller: A player with heavy pockets who places big or multiple wagers on high stakes games.
Hit: To ask for another card in blackjack.
Hot streak: The opposite of a cold streak, a period of consistent wins.
House Edge: The advantage that a casino has over players when it comes to bets and odds. The amount indicates how much players will lose after playing for a certain amount of time. It’s always a good idea to play games with a low house edge.
House Rules: Casino-specific rules for playing games.
I
In-play betting: Usually more common in sports betting, whereby one can bet on events as they’re happening.
Insurance bet: A type of side bet in blackjack that assumes the dealer has a blackjack (21), usually paying 2:1.
J
Jackpot: The highest total payout a player can receive, often on progressive slot games but some table games, too.
K
KYC: Know Your Customer, or KYC, is a process deployed by casino sites to verify and identify customers. The process often requires new players to submit verification documents.
L
Loyalty scheme: A framework of online casino player benefits. As a player advances through the casino’s levels, he or she will gain higher rewards.
M
Maximum/minimum bet: The highest and lowest bets you can make at a site or game, respectively.
Martingale strategy: A betting strategy in which one doubles their bet after every loss, aiming to recoup losses with a single win (Not recommended – please play responsibly).
Multiplier: An additional feature of several casino games in which multiplier values increase the potential for winning.
N
Non-sticky bonus: A rare bonus that comes without wagering requirements.
O
Odds: The probability of an outcome in a game, most often expressed as a percentage or ratio.
Overlay: When a casino tournament or promotion has a prize pool that exceeds the total entry fees, offering extra value to players.
P
Payout table: The informational table found in most game windows. It indicates the payouts for each game.
Payline: The lines across the reels in slot games that create a win when certain symbols line up in correct combinations.
Progressive jackpot: A variation of slots where players’ bets accumulate over time to form large prize pools. This amount increases until someone spins a win and claims a potentially lifechanging jackpot.
Q
Quads: Also known as four-of-a-kind, in poker.
R
Reload Bonus: A bonus offered to existing clients upon making a deposit, suggesting a reload of their casino account.
RTP: Return to Player (RTP) refers to the amount players can expect after placing a wager on a slots game. It’s usually expressed as a percentage.
RNG: The Random Number Generator (RNG) is a piece of casino software that generates random and unbiased numbers and results for casino games.
Royal flush: The best poker hand consists of the same-suited ace, king, queen, jack, and ten.
S
Side bet: An extra bet made in certain casino games, often involving events unrelated to the main game.
Scatter symbol: A bonus feature seen in the majority of online slots that frequently activates free spins bonuses.
Straight: A poker hand consisting of five consecutive cards, regardless of suit.
Straight flush: A poker hand consisting of five consecutive cards of the same suit.
T
Time Limits: Usually, casinos give you a certain amount of time to fulfil the wagering requirements before the offer expires. Typically, these durations span from seven to thirty days.
Three of a kind: A poker hand consisting of three identical cards.
Tournament: A competition where players can compete against one another for a prize.
Two pair: A poker hand consisting of two distinct pairs.
U
Upswing: Similar to a hot streak, in which a player experiences favourable outcomes over time.
V
Variance/volatility: Variations in the payout percentage as they pertain to online slots. A high variance indicates that rewards are large but infrequent, whereas a low variance indicates the reverse.
VIP program: Also called a loyalty program, these are for frequent or high-value players, offering with special rewards and exclusive bonuses.
W
Wagering requirements: The number of times you need to wager a bonus amount before you’re eligible to withdraw any winnings from your casino account.
Welcome bonus: A welcome bonus is an incentive given to new players by online casinos. Typically, these consist of free spins and matching deposits.
Wild symbol: A feature of various online slots that substitutes for other symbols on the reels to form winning combinations.
Win/loss ratio: A comparison of the number of winning to losing bets, or money won to money lost, in one or more casino games.
Whale: Big-value player or one who consistently plays for high stakes.
