Casino basics • Glossary
Casino Terms Explained: A Beginner's Glossary
What do wager, payout, push, house edge, RTP, volatility, and table minimum mean? Start here before reading a paytable or placing a practice bet.
Updated September 28, 2026
Find a game guide
Money and payouts
Casino language becomes easier when you keep three amounts separate: what you put at risk, what you win as profit, and what comes back including the original winning stake. A $5 winning wager that pays 3 to 1 earns $15 profit and returns $20 in total. If it loses, the $5 wager is gone.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Wager or stake | The amount put at risk on one bet. |
| Bankroll | The money or practice credits set aside to play. |
| Payout, 3 to 1 | $3 profit for each $1 wagered on a win; the original winning stake is returned separately. |
| Push | A tie or other rule that returns the original wager with no profit or loss. |
| Table minimum | The least allowed wager under that table's posted rules; some positions can have their own minimums. |
| Side bet | An additional wager with separate conditions and payout rules. |
Odds and game mechanics
An attractive prize does not tell you how often it occurs. A paytable shows what a qualifying result pays, while the probability or odds describe how likely it is. A game can have frequent small wins and still cost money over time if losing wagers outweigh the prizes.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| House edge | The expected casino advantage as a percentage of total wagers over many comparable plays. |
| RTP | Return to player: the expected share of wagers paid back as prizes over a large sample. |
| Volatility | How unevenly results arrive; higher volatility often means longer quiet stretches and larger occasional wins. |
| Paytable | The game's published list of qualifying results and their payouts. |
| RNG | Random number generator: software that selects outcomes under a game's rules. |
| Bonus feature | An extra round or award triggered under the particular game's rules. |
A stated RTP is a long-run average. It is not a promise about the amount you will receive during one visit.
Which words should you check before playing?
Start with the table minimum or total spin cost, the paytable, and whether a displayed win is profit or a total return. If a game offers a side bet or bonus, look up its separate rules. Then choose a spend and time limit that make sense for you. You do not have to learn every casino term before trying a free practice table.
Lucky Penny's credits are for practice and cannot be cashed out. Real casinos and online operators set their own terms, limits, and eligibility rules, so use the posted information for the exact game you are playing.
- Read the amount at risk before confirming a bet.
- Read the payout together with the condition for winning.
- Separate winning profit from the return of the original stake.
Put the words beside a game
Open a game guide, look for a payout table, and check the wager, profit, and total return in a worked example.
Find a game guide