Welcome to our roulette glossary, your one-stop guide to everything you need to know about this famous casino game. Dive into the language of roulette and learn the meanings behind key terms and phrases, understand the game better, and improve your performance with our full roulette glossary.
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Before you play roulette at any online casino, make sure that you already have a deep understanding of the roulette glossary first. The roulette table layout can be quite overwhelming to look at first, especially if you are not yet familiar with the meaning of the slots where you will place your bets on the roulette table.
Below is a list of basic roulette terms used which you should have knowledge of:
A
American Roulette – American Roulette is a variant of roulette that has two zero slots. There are 38 slots in American Roulette including the two zero slots, which gives the casino more advantage.
B
Backtrack – A backtrack is the outer rim of the roulette wheel where the ball is spinned.
Bet on the Layout – This is a bet which is placed anywhere on the numbers part of the roulette table.
Betting odds – The chances or statistical probability of any type of roulette bets you can make in the game of roulette.
Biased Numbers – Refers to the numbers of the wheel which have been statistically proven to hit more often than others. Biased numbers are based on a long-term analysis. These involve many stories and even legends of gamblers who have scored bigtime on the roulette table after their long exploitation of biased numbers.
Black bet – Used to refer to a bet that the next number will be black.
Bottom track – Part of a physical roulette wheel. A bottom track is the slanted inner area of the roulette wheel that doesn’t move when the roulette is spinned.
C
Carre – A French roulette term used to refer to a corner bet.
Chameleon Strategy – Describes a player who copies the strategy of other players who are doing well at the roulette table. This is commonly used at land casinos where there is actual player-to-player interaction.
Check Rack – The tray where the casino chips are kept by the dealer.
Colonne – A French term that refers to a split bet.
Column Bet – When a bet is placed on one of the three available columns (with each column consisting of 12 numbers).
Combination Bet – Any bet that has one or more chips on two or more numbers . Corner Bet – A single bet made in hopes that the ball will land on one of the four numbers on the roulette table grid layout.
Croupier – Another term for a dealer. Croupier is the more formal term for the casino employee who takes care of the roulette table.
D
Dozen Bet – A bet that can be placed on one of three available groups of 12 numbers like 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36.
Double Zero – The extra zero slot on the American roulette wheel marked “00”.
Double Up System of Betting – A system of betting where the player increases his bet by two after a loss in order to recover some of the money he played on the previous bet.
E
En Plein – The French term for Straight Up bet.
En Prison – This means “in prison” in French. It is a roulette strategy and it is a rule applied to even-money wagers only. When the ball lands on zero, some online casinos will allow the player to either take back half of his bet or choose to leave it “imprisoned” for another spin. If the next spin gives another zero, the entire wager is lost and the player doesn’t win anything.
European Roulette – The original version of roulette and is also the one most commonly found in European and Asian casinos. In European Roulette only one zero is used, unlike the American roulette.
Even Money – Refers to any bet which pays 1 to 1 like even/odd, red/black/, high/low bets.
F
Five Number Bet – Some players treat this type of bet as the worst bet that one can make. A player bets only on numbers 0,00,1,2, or 3 in hopes that the ball will land on any of those five numbers.
H
High Bet – A bet which the player makes in hopes that the ball will land on any number within 19 to 36 on the roulette table.
I
Inside Bet – A bet made on single numbers inside the gridded area of the roulette table. These single numbers are typically found inside boxes.
L
La Partage – It means “to divide” in French. The La Partage is a roulette strategy used in French Roulette. It is also similar to the En Prison rule, wherein the player loses half of his bet and doesn’t want to leave their bet “in prison” for another spin in the next round. La Partage, meanwhile, is used for ‘outside’ even-money bet red/black, high/low, odd/even and can also apply when the result is 0.
Line Bet – A bet players make in hopes that the ball will land on any of the six numbers of the two rows of three numbers.
Low Bet – When a player bets that the ball will land on a number within 1 and 18.
Marker – A market is done by croupier/dealer to mark the winning number after each spin. Players are not allowed to place new bets for the upcoming spin unless the croupier removes the marker from the roulette table.
Mini Roulette – A mini-roulette game features a smaller wheel that is made up of only 13 numbers (0-12) instead of the standard number of 37 including zero. Payouts are also adjusted accordingly. Many mini roulette games return half of all losses when the ball lands on a zero. Mini roulette games are available at some online casinos.
N
No Action – If the croupier/dealer calls no action once during a spin, all bets are cancelled. This means the casino repeats the action from the beginning. Bets can be removed after no action is called.
Orphans – Commonly used in European casinos and refers to a bet on 3 specific numbers which are – 6, 34 and 17. These numbers are neighbours on the roulette wheel.
Orphelins – Used in European casinos. The “orphelin” bet is a bet on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel where the numbers are neighbours on the wheel.
Outside Bets – Bets made outside single number slots on the roulette table layout. Columns, high/low, dozen, red/black, and odd/even are outside bets.
P
Parlay – Doubling of a bet after a win.
Pockets – The spaces on the roulette wheel where the roulette ball might land. Each pocket has a number which ranges from 1-36. There is also a 0 pocket (and a 00 pocket on an American roulette wheel). Half of the numbered pockets are red, the other half are black, and the zeros are colour green.
R
Red Bet – An outside bet that pays 2 – 1 where the player bets in hopes that the next spin will hit red.
S
Six Line – A bet which covers two adjacent rows of numbers on the roulette layout (covering six numbers in all). The Payout for winning this bet this 5 – 1.
Split – A bet which covers two adjacent numbers on the roulette table. Split bets are made when a player puts his chips on the intersection of two numbers. Traditionally, this type of bet pays out at odds of 17 – 1.
Straight Up Bet – A bet that is made on a single number only. Typically the hardest bet to get, but it is the most rewarding because this bet pays out at odds of 35 – 1 if successful.
Street – A bet made on a row of three numbers on the roulette table layout which is made by placing chips on the edge of that row. This bet has a payout of 11 – 1.
T
Transversale – The French term for Street Bet.
Trio Bet – This is similar to the Street Bet. In the trio bet where you wager in hopes that the ball will land on one of three numbers.
V
Visual Wheel Tracking – Describe the process of following the ball and wheel with your eyes and being able to guess where it will land.
Voisins du Zero – A French term used in European casinos. Describes a bet on a particular group of numbers on the section of the roulette wheel which is next to the zero. The French word “voisins” means neighbours in English.
Z
Zero – The pocket on a roulette wheel marked with a 0. All roulette wheels contain a “single zero” space except for the American roulette wheel that has an additional double zero pocket.
Roulette may be a casino game that is based on luck, chance, and probability, but maybe having enough knowledge about roulette is all you need. Now that you’ve learned all you need to know about the casino glossary, you can test your knowledge by playing roulette for real money at an online casino. You no longer have to worry about these terms you are most likely to encounter at an online casino.
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
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