Online casinos have been around for the best part of two decades now though admittedly, it’s only been during the last few years that they’ve taken off among Indian customers.
It’s not hard to understand why the increase in interest in online casinos has come about. There are plenty of advantages of playing online in comparison to the traditional land-based casinos.
The first is the most obvious one of all: it’s far more convenient to play your favourite games from the comfort of your home or from your phone or tablet (wherever you may be) than venturing to your nearest brick-and-mortar casino, which could be far away from where you live.
Then there’s the much larger variety of games on offer. In a land-based casino, there are only so many games you can host in one space whereas, in an online casino, there’s no limit with some of the better casinos hosting over 1,000 games under one ‘virtual’ roof. We even offer Indian based live games like the popular Lucky 7 and Teen Patti.
Other advantages include the fact that Jackpot slots in online casinos can reach mind-boggling numbers because the big Jackpot is constantly on the rise as customers around the world playing the biggest Progressive slots like Mega Moolah or Mega Fortune, are constantly adding to the prize pool. You can also try some of our other interesting titles - Aviator. It is an innovative slot-like arcade game that is becoming more and more popular amongst Indian casino fans.
Another benefit not to miss is that online casinos offer new customers generous welcome bonuses when they first sign up and further bonuses to existing customers as a reward for their loyalty; something you don’t see in land casinos unless you’re the biggest of high-rollers.
But before jumping straight in and opening an account with an online casino, it’s worth getting up to speed with all the important casino terms. Online casino terminology is a bit different to that used in land casinos and it will certainly benefit you to know what everything means, so you can get the most out of your experience.
Welcome to the section of the 10CRIC site that tells you all you need to know about online casinos and how they work, by explaining what all this online casino jargon means.
We’ll give you short and punchy explanations of how the major table games work and will help you understand the different terms that are used in table games when you play. And most important of all – here you will learn what the different terms mean when you play casino games and tell you how different bonuses work when online casinos decide to reward you for your loyalty.
This is not just a casino glossary, but your guide in the world of casino games! Remember that you can always come back to this section and look up a particular term you’re not familiar with when you come across it.
Blackjack is the most popular card game at online casinos. People often explain the objective of the game as ‘you need to try to get to 21 or as close to 21 as possible’ but a better way to explain it is to say the objective is to ‘beat the dealer’.
A player initially receives two cards with cards 2-10 worth their face value, picture cards worth 10 and Aces worth either one or 11, depending on what the player wants them to be worth. The dealer also receives two cards, though one of them is always face down and only revealed when all the player or players have stopped requesting cards.
The player can request as many cards as they wish but if the sum of their cards adds up to more than 21, they go bust and automatically lose the round. The Dealer is forced to keep on taking cards until they have at least 17 (at which point they stop irrespective of the player’s score) and like the player, they go bust if they go over 21.
If neither the player nor the Dealer goes bust, the one with the highest score wins the round.
A stake is an amount that you decide to bet on a particular spin on a slot or table game.
In the case of slots, it’s the amount you are willing to risk on the next spin with payouts proportional to the value of your stake. So, for example, if you wagered ₹100 on a spin and the payout for getting three Bar symbols is 5x your stake, you’d win ₹500.
In the case of a game of roulette, if you decided to wager ₹100 on number 22, then your stake on number 22 would be ₹100 but if you also placed ₹500 on ‘red’ ahead of the same spin, then your total stake for the spin would be ₹600.
Most casino games establish a minimum and maximum stake, per game round, which varies based on the game as well as the casino itself.
Blackjack gets its name from the highest possible hand you can get, which is obviously called… Blackjack
If you’re dealt a picture card or 10 alongside an Ace, you get Blackjack. The 10 or picture card is worth 10 and as per above, the Ace can be worth 11 if you want it to, bringing the total up to 21.
Your Blackjack beats anything the Dealer gets, other than the Dealer getting Blackjack themselves, in which case there’s a Push. If you get Blackjack and the Dealer gets 21 by having, for example, a 10, a four and seven, your Blackjack trumps their ‘regular’ 21; the reverse is also true and a Dealer’s Blackjack trumps your regular 21.
The second advantage of getting Blackjack other than it being the strongest possible hand is that you get paid 1.5 times your stake rather than just doubling up your money. So, if you bet ₹100 and got Blackjack to the Dealer’s 17, you’d win ₹150 rather than just ₹100.
A ‘push’ in Blackjack happens when you tie with the Dealer. If you drew 18 and decided to stick on 18 and the Dealer went onto getting 18 themselves and stopped on that as per the rules of the game, you’d tie with the Dealer and your bet would push.
That means you get your stake back. The only circumstances where getting the same total as the Dealer doesn’t push is if one of you had Blackjack and the other has a normal 21 that wasn’t Blackjack; in this case, the one with Blackjack would win the hand.
If a player is dealt two cards that are the same number (e.g. two eights or two threes) they are allowed to ‘split’, which means that each of the two cards becomes the first card of a new hand and that they are now playing two separate hands rather than the original one.
However, in order to split, the player will need to double their stake because they’re playing an extra hand. So if the player’s initial stake was ₹100 and the player drew two fives and wished to split, they’d have to put down an additional ₹100.
Basic Blackjack strategy says players should always split Aces of eights but an additional scenario where you might want to split is when the Dealer has drawn poor first cards like a five or six. It gives the player a good opportunity to double their profit should the Dealer go bust from a position where that’s quite likely, such as from an opening card of five or six.
At most online casinos you can only draw one additional card after splitting and some casinos don’t allow you to split 10s and picture cards.
The rules at different casinos vary and you should always be aware of what they are at the casino you’re playing at.
That said, in general, ‘doubling down’ involves doubling your stake for that hand in exchange for committing to receiving one more card and one more card only. For example, if you got an 8 and 2 and were on 10 and the Dealer was on 6, it would be a smart move to ‘double down’.
That’s because getting a high card would take you to 18, 19 or 20 and that would give you a good chance of beating the Dealer. But you get another bite of the cherry because even if you get a low card like a 5 and have to stop on 15 because it’s a bad idea to take another card, you still have the chance of the Dealer going bust. And if they do, it’s good news for you because you’ve doubled your stake.
Some casinos only allow players to double down on 9,10 or 11 while others only allow you to double down on any score, although of course you’re forced to take another card if you wish to double down.
After you've dealt your initial two cards, the Dealer will ask you whether you want to ‘stand or hit’, sometimes also known as ‘stick or twist’.
To stand means that you’re happy with your hand and don’t want to draw any more cards.
The best example of this would be if you’re already on a high score, such as 19 or 20. It would be crazy to take another card because you’d almost certainly go bust.
The other situation where you’d want to stand is if the Dealer is on a poor card for them, such as 5 or 6. If you’re on 15 there’s a big danger that you might go bust so there’s no need to take the risk. You’d be better off making sure you don’t go bust by standing, and hoping the Dealer goes bust himself.
As stated above, the Dealer initially only reveals the first of their two cards. The second card, which is known as the Down Card and occasionally also as the ‘hole card’, is only revealed after all the players have finished playing their cards and have either stood on a particular score or gone bust.
Once the players are done playing, the Dealer will then reveal the Down Card. If after revealing the Down Card, the Dealer’s hand comes to 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 then they stop but if it’s any less than 17, they’re forced to take one or more cards until they’ve either gone bust or have between 17-21, at which point they stop.
A Dealer getting Blackjack is almost always disastrous news for the player but there’s one way to soften the blow.
If the Dealer’s initial card is an Ace, the player can request ‘Insurance’. Essentially, they’re betting on the Dealer getting Blackjack by the Down Card being a 10. The player can bet up to half of their initial stake on the insurance bet and will be paid at odds of 2/1 should the Dealer go on to get Blackjack.
The term ‘insurance’ comes from the fact that the player is safeguarding themselves against the Dealer getting Blackjack and that Blackjack beating the player’s hand.
Whether you’re playing in a land casino or an online casino, it’s simply not practical to play with hard cash. Instead, players exchange their cash for chips, which in physical casinos are normally made out of plastic.
The chips are generally in different colours so it’s easy to tell them apart and will have their value stamped on them. If you’re playing Blackjack online and your chips are worth ₹100, ₹50 and ₹25 and you wish to place a bet for ₹75, you’d put down one chip worth ₹50 and one worth ₹25 to make up the total of ₹75.
For interest’s sake, the term ‘blue-chip company’ comes from the fact that in Monte Carlo casinos the highest value chips were blue, just like blue-chip companies are the ones that are generally worth the most in terms of the share price.
Even money or ‘evens’ means being paid out at exactly the value of your stake. In Blackjack any hand won other than through Blackjack is paid out at evens, as is any bet won on roulette where you bet on red or black, odds or evens, or high or low.
The term comes from the fact that theoretically, you have an even (50%) chance of winning although in both cases, the presence of the house edge means that you have slightly less than a 50% chance.
It’s worth remembering that when being paid out at evens, you not only get paid out at the value of your stake but get your stake paid back as well.
Roulette is probably the most popular table game in the world. Players put down chips on different sections of a roulette table ahead of the Dealer spinning the ball on the wheel.
Among the options they can choose are placing a chip on an individual number (0-36), on two numbers at once, on red or black, odd or even or on whether the number will be low (1-18) or high (19-36).
Once the players have placed their bets, the Dealer will declare ‘no more bets, please’ and will spin a little plastic ball on a wheel that has 36 numbers on it, plus the zero (and sometimes double zero).
Depending on what number the ball lands on, the players ‘chips will either win (at different odds based on the type of bet it was) or lose.
The word roulette means ‘little wheel’ in French.
A standard Roulette wheel, also known as a European roulette wheel, has one zero on it and on the wheel itself; the box is green in colour, unlike all the other numbers which are either red or black. Should the ball land on the zero, all side bets automatically lose, as do any bets placed on individual numbers? The exception, of course, is if you bet on the number zero itself.
The zero is the so-called ‘house edge’. In other words, it’s the presence of the number zero that means that all bets (other than those on zero itself) lose, that means the Casino has a mathematical edge over players.
In many American casinos and a few online ones, there’s a double zero, which gives the casino an additional edge over the player.
To bet straight/single means that you’re choosing just one number to bet on.
That could be any number between 1-36 or it could be the zero or double zero (see above). Of course, a player can bet on several numbers individually (eg on 10, 12 and 36 ahead of the same spin) but the point is that they make up a collection of single bets, rather than the chips covering several numbers at once.
Should you bet on a number straight/single and it comes up, you’ll be paid out 36x your stake. The zero is paid outta the same odds as any other number.
There are 36 numbers other than the zero (and double zero) on a roulette wheel and half of them are red and half are black. It’s not a case that all even numbers are red and all odds ones are black; nor is the reverse true.
The important thing is that half the numbers are red and half are black meaning that the chances of it being one or the other are just under 50%; they’re not exactly 50% because of the presence of the zero, which is neither red nor black.
Players can bet on the ball falling on either red or black and are paid out at even money if they guess correctly.
A lot of what was said above about red or black applies to odd and even, too. In other words, there are also exactly 18 numbers that are odd and 18 that are even on a roulette wheel. Just like zero is considered neither red nor black, so it’s also not considered neither odd nor even.
Players successfully wagering on odd or even get paid out at even money.
Also similar to red or black or odd or evens in that half the numbers on a roulette wheel are low (1-18), while the other half are high (19-36).
Again, a player’s chances of guessing right are marginally under 50% and the player gets paid out at even money if they guess correctly.
With the numbers on a roulette wheel is between 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36, so the chances of the ball ending up in one of the three brackets are one in three; or just under one in three because of the presence of the zero.
So, if a player bets on the first dozen (1-12) and number 6 came up, that bet would win and the player would be paid out at odds of 2/1. All of the three dozens are paid out at the same odds.
This type of bet involves betting on any two numbers at the same time, as long as they’re adjacent, either horizontally or vertically.
So for example, numbers 8/9 and 14-17 are adjacent to each other. The player must place their chip in between the two of them. If either of the two numbers comes up when the wheel is spun, the player has a winning bet and will be paid out at odds of 18/1, which is exactly half the odds at which you get paid out if you were betting just as a single/straight.
Similar to roulette split bet but in this case, you’re betting on four numbers at the same time, such as 10-11-13-14. The chip must be placed where the four squares meet so that’s in contact with one corner of each of the four numbers.
A player whose number comes up thanks to square betting gets paid out at 9/1, which is at 1/4 of the odds when you’re placing a single bet.
The Martingale betting system can be applied to any casino game where the chances are evens or very close to evens such as playing red or black, or odds or evens at roulette.
The strategy involves taking an amount on the outcome and doubling the bet should it lose. If it loses again, the player doubles up again until they finally win. When this happens, the player’s profit will be the value of their initial bet.
The danger of using the Martingale betting strategy is that if a player gets particularly unlucky and loses several times in a row, they may not have the necessary bank available to double up again so end up losing all the real money they staked to get to that stage.
Just about any online casino worth it's salt will give new customers an incentive to open an account with them, known as a welcome bonus or welcome offer.
Very often it’s a bonus on their first-ever deposit (see deposit bonus) or free spins (see free spins) to use on a slot. In some cases, the casino offers different bonuses when the player first makes a deposit and in exceptional cases, awards free spins just for the customer registering without even having to make a deposit.
A welcome bonus can generally only ever be claimed once per new player and in some cases per household, though casinos often offer additional bonuses to existing players further down the line.
A deposit bonus, also known as a reload bonus, is a marketing strategy offered by online casinos to encourage their players to make a deposit, especially if they don’t currently have any funds or are low on funds.
The deposit bonus will first specify the percentage of the bonus. For example, an 100% bonus means that whatever the customer deposits, the casino will match. A 50% bonus means that for every ₹100 deposited, the casino will give the player an extra ₹50.
The second thing the bonus specifies is the max amount that can be claimed in bonuses. For example, if a casino says the deposit bonus is ‘100% up to ₹10,000’, a customer depositing ₹10,000 can claim an extra ₹10,000 as a bonus; but if they were to deposit more than ₹10,000, the amount after that wouldn’t be eligible for a bonus.
Also known as an online slot, video slot or slot machine, it’s a game that involves spinning reels that have different symbols on them.
On a slot the symbols have different values to them and the objective is to either a) get certain symbols in a line, usually from left to right, during the regular ‘base game’ or b) activate the slot’s bonus round or bonus feature as it’s sometimes known.
All slots use what is called a random number generator (RTP), a computer program which ensures that the symbols that emerge after each spin are completely random, rather than being determined by the maker of the slot or the online casino that hosts the slot.
All slots will have a paytable where you can check how many coins/credit/cash you’ll get paid out should you get a particular combination of symbols.
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Most slots have a Jackpot but there’s a big difference between the regular ones and a Progressive Jackpot slot. The difference is that with a regular slot, the Jackpot is always the same, whereas, with a Progressive Jackpot slot, the amount is constantly increasing until...it’s won.
That’s because Progressive Jackpot slots are connected via a network. That means that a percentage of every bet placed on a spin, wherever the player is and whatever casino they’re playing at, adds to the amount of the Jackpot. With so many players around the world each playing the big-name ones like Mega Moolah or Mega Fortune, one can see how it’s not unusual for the Jackpot amount to reach such figures as ₹800,000,000. When the Jackpot is won, it resets and will normally start at around ₹80,000,000 just so the amount won if someone hits the Jackpot again, is significant.
Having said all that, the winning of Jackpots aside, the actual gameplay of Progressive Jackpot slots is very similar to the regular ones.
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In the world of slots, free spins can mean two very different things. Firstly, they can mean spins awarded to a player by the Casino itself, as a reward. They’re free in that the Casino has paid for them rather than the player. Players either have to opt-in to a promotion to receive the free spins or can just go ahead and play the free spins as soon as they log in. The Casino normally chooses what slot the free spins must be played on.
The second meaning refers to a bonus game within the slot itself. Free spins are the most common form of bonus game/bonus feature within a slot and are often triggered by getting three or more Scatter symbols (see below).
Activating a free spins round results in a series of spins that the player doesn’t have to pay for (hence, free), while the prizes on offer during a free spins round are generally much greater than during the normal game.
A Scatter is a special symbol present in slots whose purpose is normally to activate a free spins round.
Sometimes it can appear anywhere on the reels, other times it only appears on Reels 1,3 and 5. Players generally need to get at least three Scatters to start the free spins round and it’s sometimes the case that the more Scatters you get to activate the free spins, the more free spins you get.
The Scatter is generally represented by the game’s logo or a central character or symbol to the slot.
In some slots, getting two Scatters rather than three gives you a cash prize but isn’t enough to activate the free spins round.
Almost all slots have a Wild symbol, which serves a very different purpose to the Scatter symbol. The Wild symbol normally substitutes for any symbol other than the…Scatter.
So for example, if you had two Bar symbols in a row followed by the Wild, the Wild would act as a Bar symbol and create a third one of them to give you a prize. However, if you had two Scatter symbols and a Wild symbol, the Wild wouldn’t be able to act as the third Scatter.
Some slots have more than one type of Wild symbol in the game and in general, they can appear anywhere on the reels. In some games, any wins secured with the help of a Wild are either doubled or trebled.
Any slot has an RTP, which is a mathematical indication of how generous the slot is in terms of payouts. If a slot had an RTP of exactly 100% it would mean that if you played it a million times, a player would theoretically expect to receive exactly as much as they put into it, or almost exactly.
A slot with an RTP of over 100% would theoretically pay out more than the player would put into it so unsurprisingly, there aren’t any slots with an RTP of over 100%.
In general, slots have an RTP between about 93% and 97%. In other words, if you played ₹1000 worth of spins, players would realistically expect to get between ₹9300 and ₹9700 paid back to them. In conclusion: the higher the RTP of the slot, the better it is for you as a player.
Slots generally display their RTP and even if they don’t, there are plenty of websites which list the exact RTP of any given slot.
Baccarat is an exciting and popular card game available on digital platforms like 10CRIC Casino, offering players the chance to experience the elegance and thrill of the classic casino game from the comfort of their homes. Played with standard decks of cards, the objective of baccarat is to predict which hand – the Player's or the Banker's – will have a total closest to nine. Participants can place bets on either side or opt for a tie. With simple rules and fast-paced gameplay, online baccarat provides an engaging and immersive gambling experience for both beginners and seasoned players alike. Enjoyed by millions around the world, this virtual rendition of baccarat offers convenience and accessibility without compromising the traditional charm of the game. Go to our Baccarat page and discover top titles from the best casino providers.
This is one of the three bets you can choose in the game, with Player and Tie being the other two. It is important to note that in Baccarat, Banker is not the dealer, and Player is not you, the player. These are just the names of your bet options. A Banker win pays 19/20 (1/1 (evens) minus 5% commission).
One round of Baccarat, where both the Banker and the Player receive cards and an outcome is reached.
This is the person dealing the cards and handling chips in the game. In traditional real-world casinos, this is a member of the casino staff. In online casinos, the dealer is either unseen or played by a person via webcam.
Any cards with an illustration, ie. Jacks, Queens and Kings. For the purposes of Baccarat, these cards have a points value of 0.
The cards belonging to the Banker or Player.
Also called a natural nine, this is either the Player or Banker's cards adding up to nine, the highest value hand in the game.
Also called a natural eight, this is either the Player or Banker's cards adding up to eight, the second highest value hand in the game.
This is any card with a points value of zero, ie. 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings.
When the first two cards dealt with the Player or the Banker add up to eight or nine, this is referred to as a natural. If either player is dealt a natural nine, they win the coup. If one player is dealt a natural eight and no natural nine is dealt, that player wins the coup.
This is one of the three bets you can choose in the game, with Banker and Tie being the other two. Remember, in Baccarat, Player is not you, the player. This is just the name of one of your bet options. A Player win pays 1/1 (evens).
An alternative name for Baccarat, from the Spanish 'punto' meaning player and 'banco' meaning banker.
The rules that determine when a third card is dealt in the game are called the Tableau or Table of Play. These may not be visible when playing online Baccarat.
This is one of the three bets you can choose in the game, with Player and Banker being the other two. When the Banker and Player end up with the same hand value, this is a tie, which pays 8/1.