Your Complete Online Gambling Glossary

Do you still have questions? Are you still unsure about a specific game or term? At Gambling.ca, we're here to answer all of your questions. Make sure to check out our various game guides in which we give you all the information that you will possibly need before venturing into your gambling experience.

Action: One's turn to bet or raise during a hand.

Ante: A small bet that all players are required to make before a hand is dealt.

Bad Beat: When a player who initially had a substantial statistical lead over an opponent loses his hand to that opponent after the flop, turn, or river.

Board: The community cards that everyone uses in combination with their pocket cards to form the best hand.

Call: To contribute the minimum amount of money to the pot.

Draw Out: To receive a card that transforms your hand from a losing hand to a winning hand.

Flop: The first three community cards that are dealt out after the first round of betting is complete.

Flush: A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.

HORSE: Commonly played at high stakes tables and at tournaments. Often played in a limit format.

No Limit: Players can bet their entire stack. There's a minimum to what you can bet, but not a maximum.

Omaha: A variety of Hold'em in which players receive 4 hole cards and must use exactly two of them, together with 3 of the 5 board cards, to make a hand.

Pot Limit: A structure of the game in which bets and raises are capped by the current size of the pot.

Texas Hold'em: A very popular poker variant. Two cards, known as the hole cards, are dealt face down to each player, and then five community cards are dealt face up in three stages.

Against the Spread: Referring to the result of an event that takes the pointspread into account. Also, the act of taking points rather than betting with the spread, or "laying" points.

Canadian Line: A combination pointspread and moneyline in hockey.

eSports: A multiplayer video game played competitively for spectators. This is typically done by professional gamers.

Even Odds: This is a bet where you stand to win the amount you lay down in a bet. Let's say you stake C$10 on the Vancouver Whitecaps winning a soccer match. If they prevail you take home C$10 in winnings plus your original stake.

Exposure: The maximum amount of money a sportsbook can lose on a game.

Juice: The commission the bookie earns.

Lines: Another word for odds.

Live Betting: Thanks to modern technology it's possible to make real-time in-play bets on sports. If you think you can pick who will score the next home run in a baseball game, and we're already in the sixth inning, it's possible to place that bet. Similarly if your NFL team is 10 points down with two minutes to go and you fancy a dramatic comeback, you can bet on that.

Moneyline: A bet in which no pointspread is involved.

Over/Under: A bet on whether the combined total of the points/goals scored by the two teams will exceed or be less than a specified number.

Parlay Bet: This is a bet on multiple outcomes that can pay out handsomely if you win. But be aware you need to correctly correct every outcome to win your bet.

Point Spread: The handicap, or head start, which the favourite gives to the underdog for betting purposes.

Push: When a contest ends with no winner or loser for betting purposes.

Run-Line: In baseball, a spread used instead of the moneyline.

Spread Bet: The spread represents a line that bookmakers feel is fair to betters who choose to wager on either side of it. If you have the Blackhawks at -2 against the Rangers (+2) that means a bet on the Blackhawks is one backing them to win by more than two goals. A bet on the Rangers is backing them to lose by less than two goals.

Straight Bet: A wager on just one team, athlete or horse.

Virtual Sports Betting: If there's no real sport going on you can turn your attention to virtual sports for a bet. Computer generated events are run based on data and you get to predict who will come out on top. It might be a horse race, or an NBA game or even a boxing match.

Bankroll: The total amount of money that the player or casino has available for wagering activities.

Betting Limits: The minimum and maximum betting limits on a casino video slot.

Blacklist: When a casino is listed as not being safe and fit enough to play at.

Croupier: A term most commonly used in European casinos in games such as Baccarat or Craps. It's another term for a dealer.

Deposit: To gamble for real money you're going to need funds in your online gambling account. This is achieved by making a deposit at a site.

eCOGRA: If you see the eCOGRA label at a gambling site it's a good sign. The letters stand for eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance and this independent body does a great job of vetting sites for their fairness and legitimacy.

e-wallet: Along with major credit and debit cards, you're going to see some e-wallet providers listed as a banking option at the top gambling sites. E-wallet banking is simply a way of linking your cards and accounts together at a digital hub. PayPal works like this, and thus allows you to make and receive funds online by simply entering your e-wallet account details.

Expected Value: This is when an outcome can be predicted. Through the expected value, one can determine long term house advantage.

Fixed Odds: When the odds are fixed and are subject to change.

Gambler's Fallacy: If something happens more frequently, it will happen less in the future.

High Roller: A person who makes large bets.

House Edge: The chances and percentage that a casino has of winning over players.

Loyalty/VIP Club: The majority of top gambling sites run a loyalty program designed to incentive regular players. Typically you will collect points as you play and spend at the site. The more points you collect, the more promotional benefits you stand to collect on.

Match Bonus: A match bonus is where the gambling site commits to match your deposit amount to certain percentage and to a certain limit. For example, if the match bonus is specified as being a 100% match up to C$500, you take maximum benefit by paying in C$500 of your own money. As a reward the gambling site will C$500 in bonus and put that in your account.

No Deposit Bonus: When a bonus is awarded to new players for simply signing up to the casino. The player does not need to make a deposit for this bonuses to be awarded.

Payout Percentage: To give yourself the best chance of winning you should play at a site with a high pay out percentage. Such sites usually promote this number as it serves to attract new players.

Referral Bonus: Gambling sites are always trying to attract new players. Some are so keen to achieve this they will offer a special reward to anybody who refers another player to the site. That player will need to specify they were referred and in return you will receive your prize.

RNGs: This is the technology that ensures your casino games are fair. RNG software spins every wheel and deals every card so that there's no bias and everything comes out in a completely random fashion. All the top trusted sites use RNG software to keep their games honest.

Wagering Requirement: This is when there are certain terms and conditions for bonuses and rewards to be cashed into your real money account.

Welcome Bonus: This is where your adventure starts. A welcome bonus is a promotional offer that's only available to new players at a gambling site. It might take the form of a cash reward, or playing credits, and such as a bonus should be taken maximum advantage of.

Withdrawal: When the time comes to take some money out of your gambling account, you'll need to make a withdrawal. This is often referred to as “cashing out” and is a simple process that typically takes 3-10 days in total.

We've tried to let you in on all the important terms that we think you should know before you start gambling. However, we're only human and we might have missed something! If you still have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us and we will clarify as best as we can.