Land Based Casino Terminology
Slots make up a very large part of land-based casinos, as slot machines do not need a lot of casino staff. Each slot machine is a place for one person to play. Players often feel attached to a particular machine, and they expect other players to leave their machine alone even if they go to use the restroom or get something to drink. Some terminology describes what kind of slots arrangements you’ll find in a land-based casino while other terms describe the staff on the casino floor.
Bank: A bank of machines is a group of machines that are the same game. Sometimes, they are different dollar values.
Carousel: If a group of machines is set up as a circle or an oval, it is called a carousel.
One Armed Bandit: A one armed bandit is a classic slot machine that has a lever that you pull down to cause the reels to spin.
Change Man: In a casino where coins are still used, there may be someone who gives coins for dollars. These are rare today.
Pit Boss: In a casino, this is the man who makes the final decisions. Usually, pit bosses do not get involved in slots issues, but if there is a problem, the pit boss will get involved.
General Slots Terminology
More players play online slots today than ever before, allowing the world of video slots to expand in a big way. A lot of terminology applies to both kinds of slots.
Flat Top: A flat top is a machine which does not have a progressive jackpot.
Bonus Feature Slots: Many slots have bonus feature. This is a way of saying that there is a second “game within a game.”
Fruit Machine: The original slot machines had fruit symbols. Any machine that uses fruits as symbols is called a fruit machine.
Loose Slots: Slots that win often are called loose slots.
Tight Slots: Slot machines that pay out wins rarely are called tight slots.
Pay Table: The pay table is printed on the slot machine. It lists all the possible winning combinations and tells the player how much the machine pays for each winning combination.
Progressive Slot: A slot with a jackpot that increases with every coin inserted in the machine is called a progressive slot.
Hold: The hold is the percentage of the money put in the machine that the machine keeps. It is also known as the house edge.
Payout Percentage: This is the percentage of money that is set to be paid back in wins over the life of a machine. While playing one or two hundred dollars may yield a very different percentage, over the course of many millions of dollars, the actual payout percentage of a machine will approach the advertised payout percentage of a machine.
Video Slots: Slots that don’t show reels, but show everything as a computer screen are called video slots.
