Roulette, being one of the most played games in the casino, has developed its own terminology and lingo. You’ll hear these around the roulette table, and you’ll read them online when doing your research into the game. By knowing the terms, it’s not going to make you win more, but it will make your roulette experience just a little bit more fun. You can even join in the next conversation with the guys who have been playing the game longer than you’ve been alive, and throw in some lingo to make it sound like you’re an expert on the game.
American Roulette: As the name suggests, this version of roulette is generally most commonly found in North America, and the main difference between this and European Roulette is the fact that the wheel on an American Roulette table has a 0 and a 00. The payouts remain the same in American Roulette compared to European Roulette, but your chances of winning is slightly less thanks to the additional number on the wheel. We have a full article detailed to American Roulette.
Announced Bet: An “announced bet” is a bet the player announces to the croupier, and then places the chips on the table. These tend to be the following bets: Jeu Zero, Le Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins, or Voisins du Zero.
Black: The 36 numbers on the wheel are coloured red or black. 18 of those numbers are black. If you bet on black and it lands on any of those numbers, you win. If it lands on any of the other 18, you lose. A bet on black pays 1-1.
Call Bet: A “call bet” is a bet the player announces to the croupier, without having to put chips on the table. These tend to be the following bets: Jeu Zero, Le Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins, or Voisins du Zero.
Columns: The roulette table is split into three columns: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31,34. 2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35. 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36. You can bet on these columns, and if the ball lands on the number in the column you have bet on, you win. A column bet pays 2-1. For further reading, you may be interested in the Column Betting System.
Corners: You can bet on a block of four adjacent numbers. For example, 1, 2, 4 & 5, or 17, 18, 20 & 21. If the ball lands on any number in your block, you win. A corner bet pays 8-1.
Croupier: This is the person in charge of spinning the wheel, and putting the ball into motion. The croupier can also places bets for players, and will pay out any winning bets.
Dozens: The roulette wheel is split into three lots of dozens. 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36. You can bet on each dozen, and if the ball lands on the number in your section, your bet wins. A winning bet pays 2-1.
European Roulette: As the name suggests, this version of roulette is generally most commonly played in Europe, and the main difference between this and American Roulette is the fact that the wheel on a European Roulette table has only a 0. The payouts are the same as American Roulette and your chances of winning are marginally better. I have a full article dedicated to European Roulette for further reading.
Evens: You can bet on the number the ball lands on being even. If the number the ball lands on is even, your bet wins. This bet pays 1-1.
Inside Bet: This is a bet on any of the numbers on the roulette wheel. It is called an “inside bet” because the numbers are on the inside of the table, surrounded by the outside bets. Read the Roulette Bets article for further details and information.
Jeu Zero: This French term means “zero game”, and it’s a bet on the numbers around the 0 house on the wheel. This bet is split bets on 0/3, 12/15 & 32/35, as well as a straight bet on 26.
Le Tiers du Cylindre: This French term means “thirds of the wheel”, and it is a bet on one third of the wheel, between the numbers 27 and 33 inclusive. It is 6 split bets on the numbers 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30 & 33/36.
Neighbours: As the name suggests, the neighbours of a number are the two numbers on either side of it on a roulette wheel.
Odds: You can bet on the number the ball lands on being odd. If the number the ball lands on is odd, your bet wins. This bet pays 1-1. Not be confused with the actual Roulette Betting Odds.
Orphelins: This French term means “orphans”. They are called “orphans” because they are the numbers which are not included in the other “French”bets. These numbers are 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31 & 34. The orphelins bet is a bet on 1, and then split bets on the remaining numbers – 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 & 31/34.
Outside Bet: The outside bets are the odds/evens, red/black, dozens, or columns. It is called an “outside bet” because the boxes for these bets are on the outside of the table, surrounding the numbers. You can read more about Outside Bets Here.
Red: The 36 numbers on the wheel are coloured red or black. 18 of those numbers are red. If you bet on red and it lands on any of those numbers, you win. If it lands on any of the other 18, you lose. A bet on red pays 1-1.
Single Bet: This is a term for betting on any individual number. A winning bet pays 35-1.
Six-Line: This is a bet on any two rows of numbers beside each other. A winning bet pays 5-1.
Split: This is a bet on two numbers beside each other on the roulette table. So, 14/15, or 20/21. A winning bet pays 18/1.
Straight Bet: This is the term for betting on any individual number. A winning bet pays 35-1.
Street: Any row of three numbers. A winning bet pays 11-1.
Voisins du Zero: This French term means “neighbours of zero” and it is bet which covers all the numbers on the roulette wheel between 22 and 25 inclusive. It is a 2 unit bet on the 0, 2, 3 split, and on the 25/26/28/29 corner bet. And 1 unit bets on the remaining splits: 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, and 32/35.
So the next time you play roulette, and you hear any of the terms mentioned, you can understand what they’re going on about, and drop them into the conversation. Or, failing that, at least you’ll know what the various articles are going on about when they throw the above terms around.