What Does The Various Online Casino Terminology Mean?
It is easy to navigate your way around an online casino. The designers make them that way because they want customers to find their favourite pokies and table games. This part is easy but the sheer amount of terminology can be overwhelming. Acronyms here, abbreviations there, casino terminology baffles the uninitiated.
This article assumes you know some basic casino terminology. For example, you know standing in blackjack refers to not receiving any more cards. Likewise, hitting in blackjack is asking for another card. The most confusing terminology is usually pokie-related, which is why we start there.
Pokies-specific Terminology Explained
Poker machines look simple to the user but they are extremely complicated machines. Gone are the days where players pulled a level and a handful of reels randomly span. Today’s machines have powerful, complex algorithms powering them. As a result, modern pokies have plenty of terminology to get to grips with.
Return To Player, or RTP, is one phrase that is vitally important. RTP, displayed as a percentage, refers to how much money the machine returns to you. For example, a pokie with a 97% RTP returns $97 for every $100 you wager. The developers arrive at this figure from billions of spins, but it gives a good indication as to how generous the machine is.
Subtract the RTP from 100 and you arrive at the house edge. Therefore, a 97% RTP pokie has a 3% house edge. The higher the RTP, the lower the house edge, and the better it is for your bankroll.
Variance or volatility is mores pokies terminology you will frequently hear. Variance refers to how the machine arrives at its RTP. Low variance gets their smoother while high variance machines produce a bumpier ride. For example, machines with low volatility pay smaller amounts but more frequently, whereas high variance machines pay less frequently but the amounts tend to be larger.
Hit frequency is tied to RTP and variance; it shows how often a pokie awards a winning spin. A 10% hit frequency means one in every ten spins results in a winning spin. Typically, online pokies have hit frequencies in the 20%-30% range.
Casino Table Games Terms
It is not only pokies that have their own terminology because table games such as roulette and baccarat have their own terms and phrases too. European roulette is not only a term but a different type of roulette. It is the only format of roulette you should play. Why? Because it only has a single zero and, therefore, a much lower house edge.
Most of the roulette terminology refers to the different bet types. For example, voisons, orphelins, and tiers. These are three multi-chip bets that give you more chances of winning on any given spin.
Voisons du Zero literally means “neighbours of zero” and is a common call bet in roulette. It is a nine-chip bet that covers 17 numbers either side of zero and has a 45.9% chance of success.
Orphelins uses five bets to cover eight numbers and comes with a 24.3% success rate. Tiers is the final call bet. It has a 32.4% win rate after placing five chips that covers a third of the wheel.
Maximum bets are the terminology used to describe the most expensive roulette bet. It costs a whopping 40 chips. These bets are not common in online casinos and are usually seen in VIP areas of high-end venues. A players says, for example, 19 to the maximum. The dealer then takes a 40 chip bet and surrounds every bet available with the number 19. This bet costs $400 playing $10 chips but pays $3,920 if your number comes in.
Do Not Be Afraid to Ask
You are not expected to learn all the various casino terminology out there but it pays to learn those associated with your game of choice. Do not be afraid to ask the dealer at a live casino if you are unsure of what something means. The dealer is there to assist players. Likewise, perform a search online if you are playing at an online casino.
