Playing in an online casino for the first time can be a pressured experience. For all the positive things you have heard about how fun it can be, the atmosphere is a test for anyone’s senses. Picking a preferred casino from casinoszonder.com is just the start of things - once you’re in, you’ve got a wealth of graphics and sounds to get used to. Before a ball has even been spun or a card turned over, you’ve got to acclimatize to the feel of the place. From there, there is another element to the learning curve: the casino lingo.

Casino jargon is something that becomes second nature to regular players, but for beginners it is something that can put them off their stride and make acclimatization doubly difficult. So getting to grips with it is essential, and hopefully we can help with the below guide to demystifying online casino jargon.

RTP

Both in casino guides and on the sites themselves, you may see the three-letter abbreviation “RTP”. It stands for “Return to Player” and is expressed as a percentage. It essentially means that this is the amount of money that a game takes in which is then paid out in winnings - on average, at least. So if a casino game has a RTP% of 96.43, for every $100 it takes in, it will pay out $96.43.

House edge

This term won’t be used as much in the casinos themselves, but when you read online about a casino game - which you should before playing - it will often tell you what the house edge is on that game. The higher the house edge, the more the casino will benefit at the expense of players. You’ll find that casino slots have a very high house edge, while blackjack has a very low one.

Live game

In an online casino, it is possible to play games that are run by a real human dealer as opposed to the software-driven norm. These games are generally considered to be more fun, as there is more human interaction, and there is usually chat software included in the games so you can banter with fellow players. For many people, the fact you can actually see the cards being dealt is a comfort, too.

Progressive jackpot

A very useful term to know, and a very beneficial type of game if you know how to play it. Progressive jackpot slots accumulate a growing potential payout which will be awarded to one lucky bettor if they are the ones who spin the reels at the time the jackpot is set to trigger. It is usually set to a random amount, and as long as you are making bets of a qualifying size, you’ll be eligible for the full pot.

Stake

The stake is the amount that you bet in the hope of returning winnings. The higher your stake, the more winnings will be from a certain outcome. For example, betting $1 on Red at the roulette table will win you a dollar, but if you bet $10, you’ll get $10 back plus your stake. Your overall winnings from a bet in a casino will be the amount of your stake times the odds of the bet.