Updated Fact-checked 12 min read
Daniel Whitmore
Senior Editor 9+ yrs
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- Updated
- Fact-checked
Key roulette terms and definitions
Whether you're just starting out or consider yourself an experienced player, this glossary breaks down the key terms that shape the roulette experience — from wheel mechanics to the nuances of various bets. A concise but comprehensive reference. Ready to expand your knowledge? Dive in.
A-Z dictionary · 80+ terms80+ termsBeginner-friendlyA-Z indexed
This section breaks down the language of roulette — from wheel mechanics to the nuances of different bets — into clear, beginner-friendly definitions. Use the A-Z index below to jump to any letter, or scroll through the full list.
Roulette terminology
Every common term defined. Click any letter in the index to jump there.
A
- Andrucci method
- A 'hot number' strategy that tracks 37 spins, identifies the most-frequent winning number, then bets on it. Treats roulette like chaos theory — doesn't actually beat house edge.
- Announced bet
- A bet covering a specific wheel segment (Voisins du Zero, Tiers, Orphelins, Jeu Zero) rather than a layout position. Originally verbal at French tables; today placed via the racetrack interface.
- Autoplay
- A feature in online roulette letting players set the game to auto-spin a fixed number of rounds without manual interaction. Common in live multiplier variants.
B
- Backtrack
- The outer rim of the wheel where the ball travels before settling into a pocket. Also called the 'ball track'.
- Bankroll
- The total amount of money a player has set aside for betting. Bankroll management is the practice of allocating these funds wisely across a session.
- Basket bet
- A 5-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. Exclusive to American Roulette. Pays 6:1 but has the worst RTP at the table (~7.89% house edge). Never use it.
- Bet limit
- Minimum and maximum amounts allowed for individual bets at a roulette table. Set by the casino. Each bet type can have its own caps, separate from the table limit.
- Biased wheel
- A roulette wheel with a systematic deviation from randomness due to manufacturing defects or wear. Historically exploitable by gamblers; rare in modern casinos due to manufacturing standards.
C
- Capping
- An illegal cheating technique — adding extra chips to a winning bet AFTER the outcome is known. Modern table-eye monitoring catches it immediately.
- Choppy game
- A game where outcomes show no clear pattern or trend — just statistical noise. Most roulette sessions are choppy by design (the wheel is random).
- Cold numbers
- Numbers that haven't appeared recently in spins. Some players consider them 'due to hit' — that's the gambler's fallacy. They have no predictive value on a fair wheel.
- Cold table
- A table at which players are experiencing a losing streak. Pure short-term variance — has no meaning over enough spins.
- Column bet
- A bet on one of the three vertical columns of 12 numbers on the table layout. Pays 2:1.
- Corner bet
- An inside bet on the intersection of four adjacent numbers. Pays 8:1, 10.8% probability on European.
- Croupier
- Another term for the dealer — the casino employee who spins the wheel, accepts bets, and pays out winnings. From French.
D
- D'Alembert system
- A betting strategy based on equilibrium — increase bet by one unit after a loss, decrease by one after a win. The gentlest of the popular progressions.
- Dealer
- Casino employee responsible for spinning the wheel and running the game. Often used interchangeably with 'croupier'.
- Double Zero
- An additional green pocket found only in American roulette. It increases the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%.
- Dozen bet
- A bet on one of three groups of 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, 25-36). Pays 2:1, 32.4% probability on European.
E
- En Prison
- A French-roulette rule. If you place a 1:1 even-money bet and zero hits, your bet stays on the table for one more spin. Wins next round = stake back at par.
- European Roulette
- A 37-pocket version of the game with one zero. House edge 2.70%, RTP 97.30% — the global default.
- Even-money bet
- A bet with 1:1 payout — Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low. Covers 18 of 37 pockets on European. The lowest-variance bets in roulette.
- Eye in the sky
- Surveillance cameras used by casinos to monitor the gaming floor. Modern casinos run 30-60 cameras per gaming pit.
F
- Fibonacci system
- A progressive betting strategy where bet sizes follow the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…) after losses. Slower escalation than Martingale; same fundamental break point.
- French Roulette
- The original 37-pocket version, with one zero plus La Partage and En Prison rules. Lowest house edge of any standard variant (1.35% on outside bets).
G
- Gambler's fallacy
- The mistaken belief that past outcomes influence future outcomes in a game of chance. The wheel has no memory; every spin is independent.
- Green numbers
- The 0 and 00 pockets on the wheel, traditionally coloured green to distinguish them from the red/black numbered pockets.
H
- High limit table
- A roulette table with higher-than-standard minimum and maximum bet limits. Aimed at high-stakes players.
- Hit frequency
- How often a particular outcome (number, colour, sector) occurs over a series of spins. Useful for tracking variance, not for prediction.
- Hot numbers
- Numbers that have appeared frequently in recent spins. Some players consider them 'on a streak' — but every spin is independent, so this is a gambler's fallacy.
- House edge
- The casino's statistical advantage over players, usually expressed as a percentage. European = 2.70%; American = 5.26%; French (outside) = 1.35%.
I
- Inside bets
- Bets placed on specific numbers or small groups in the numbered grid of the table layout. Higher payouts, lower probability.
L
- La Partage
- A French-roulette rule. Even-money bets lose only half their stake when zero hits. Cuts the house edge on outside bets in half — from 2.70% to 1.35%.
- Labouchere system
- A betting strategy where you write down a sequence of numbers representing your target win, then cross out and adjust based on outcomes. Flexible but the most complex of the classic systems.
M
- Martingale system
- The most famous betting strategy — double your bet after every loss, return to base after a win. Mathematically elegant; fatally limited by table caps and finite bankrolls.
- Mini Roulette
- A compact 13-pocket variant with just one zero. Smaller bet limits and faster rounds than standard roulette. Generally has lower RTP than European.
- Multipliers
- Random payout boosts applied to specific bets each round in certain live-roulette variants (Lightning, Mega, Quantum). Can multiply Straight-Up wins by 50-500× or more.
O
- Orphelins
- An announced bet covering 8 numbers — the two arc segments of the wheel NOT covered by Voisins du Zero or Tiers du Cylindre. 'Orphans' because they're left over.
- Outside bets
- Bets on large groups of numbers or properties (red/black, odd/even). Lower payouts than inside bets but much higher probability. Best for low-variance sessions.
P
- Paroli system
- A positive progression strategy — bet sizes increase after wins and reset to base after a loss. The opposite of Martingale; rides winning streaks instead of recovering losses.
- Payout
- The amount of money paid to a player on a winning bet. Each bet type has a fixed payout multiplier: 35:1 (Straight Up), 17:1 (Split), 1:1 (Red/Black), etc.
- Pinching
- An illegal cheating technique — removing chips from a losing bet AFTER the outcome is known. Caught by table-eye monitoring.
- Pit boss
- The casino employee responsible for overseeing multiple game tables and ensuring smooth operations on the floor.
- Pockets
- The numbered compartments on the roulette wheel where the ball can land. 37 on European; 38 on American.
R
- Racetrack
- A special betting layout that mirrors the wheel head, used to place announced bets (Voisins, Tiers, Orphelins, Jeu Zero) more easily than via the standard chip layout.
- Random Number Generator (RNG)
- The algorithm used in online roulette to generate random outcomes, simulating the unpredictability of a physical wheel. Audited by independent labs like eCOGRA and iTech Labs.
- Red bet / Black bet
- An outside even-money bet on the ball landing on a red (or black) pocket. Pays 1:1; covers 18 of 37 pockets on European.
- Reverse Martingale
- A betting strategy where bets increase after wins (instead of losses) and decrease after losses. Riding winning streaks while protecting principal.
- Roulette
- A popular casino game of chance involving a spinning wheel and a ball. The name comes from the French for 'little wheel'.
S
- Session
- A single playing period at the roulette table. Bankroll management strategies usually operate at the session level.
- Single Zero
- A roulette variant with only one green pocket. Found on European and French wheels. Half the house edge of double-zero American.
- Six-Line bet
- An inside bet on two adjacent rows, covering six numbers. Pays 5:1, 16.2% probability on European.
- Snake bet
- A 12-number zigzag pattern covering specific red numbers (1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, 34). Pays 2:1 like a column or dozen.
- Split bet
- An inside bet on two adjacent numbers, placed on the line dividing them. Pays 17:1, 5.4% probability on European.
- Straight up bet
- A bet on a single number. Pays 35:1 on European/American (29:1 on Lightning). The highest-variance bet in roulette.
- Strategy
- A systematic approach to betting, designed to manage variance or maximise wins. No strategy can beat the house edge over enough spins.
- Street bet
- An inside bet on a row of three adjacent numbers. Pays 11:1, 8.1% probability on European.
- Surrender rule
- An American-roulette rule that returns half your stake on a losing even-money bet when zero or 00 hits. Rare; lowers the effective edge to 2.63%.
T
- Table layout
- The graphical representation of the betting grid where players place their chips. Includes inside-bet positions (numbers) and outside-bet zones.
- Table limits
- Maximum and minimum bet amounts allowed at a table. Set by the casino — varies by table type, time of day, and bet type.
- Tiers du Cylindre
- An announced bet covering 12 numbers — the third of the wheel directly opposite zero. Popular for 'fading the zero pocket'.
- Tilt
- The emotional or mental state where a player loses focus and starts making irrational decisions — usually after a bad streak. The biggest risk in roulette isn't variance; it's tilt.
V
- Voisins du Zero
- The largest announced bet — covers 17 numbers around the zero pocket. Costs 9 chips to place; pays variably by which number hits.
W
- Wager
- The amount of money placed on a single bet.
- Wheel
- The circular device with numbered pockets at the centre of the roulette table. Manufactured by precision specialists (Cammegh, TCS John Huxley, Abbiati).
Z
- Zero
- The green pocket on the roulette wheel — neither red nor black. Found once on European/French wheels, twice (0 and 00) on American.