Last Updated on 31 December 2023 by Nicholas Lim
Glossary of Roulette Terminology
Each of the many casino games available comes with its own set of rules and terminology. If you’re not familiar with some of the terms used regularly, it can make the game confusing. Learning some of the basic roulette terminology is important to understanding how to play the game. Becoming familiar with more extensive terminology is a fun way to expand your knowledge of roulette, allowing you to toss out a few special words when discussing casino games with your friends and fellow players.
Action A bet or group of bets played during the roulette game
American wheel A roulette for online and offline casino games that contains a single zero (0) and double zero (00) slot
Ball The small sphere made of ivory or plastic that rolls around once the wheel is spun, eventually coming to rest in a pocket.
Ball track Also referred to as the backtrack, the ball track is the outer rim in which the ball spins as it goes around the roulette wheel.
Bankroll The amount of money a roulette player sets aside to use during one session of roulette.
Biased wheel A roulette wheel that has a known pattern of imperfections. Sometimes this occurs due to age or wear.
Bottom track The stationary inner circle of the roulette wheel that provides a track for the ball to slide down before it stops in one of the pockets.
Chasing losses A group of bets placed by a losing player in an effort to win back money lost during the game
Column bet A type of outside bet that covers a group of 12 numbers situated in one long column
Corner bet A type of inside bet placed on the corners where four numbers intersect and including all four numbers in the bet
Croupier The dealer in a casino who operates the roulette table and manages the flow of the roulette game
Dozen bet A type of outside bet that covers one group of a dozen numbers, ranging from 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36. This is also referred to as the Column bet.
European wheel A roulette wheel consisting of 37 pockets, including the numbers 1 through 36, plus the single zero. The European roulette wheel is also referred to as the French wheel.
Even money A type of outside bet placed on red or black, odd or even, low or high numbers with a payout of 1:1
House edge The average percentage a casino expects to win with each bet placed. The European Roulette table has a house edge, or advantage, of 2.7% and the American Roulette table has a house edge of 5.26% due to the presence of the double zero. The house edge or advantage is also referred to as the casino edge.
Inside bet One of six different bets placed in-between or directly upon any of the numbered boxes. When the chip is placed directly inside the numbered box it covers one number. Depending upon the chip’s location on the line, it could represent one of several types of bets and covers more than one number.
Layout The roulette table’s design, including the spinning wheel and betting areas
Line bet An outside bet placed on two rows and covering six numbers on the roulette table. There are 12 rows altogether.
Martingale System A system of playing roulette in which the bets are doubled after each bet lost. Named after John Henry Martingale.
Outside bet A 1:1, or even money bet, covering red/black, low/high/ or even/odd. Or dozen or column bets with a 2:1 payout
Spin Each time the croupier spins the roulette wheel, one game takes place
Split bet A type of inside bet where the chips lie directly on the line between two numbers and include both numbers in the bet
Straight bet The most common type of bet placed in the game of online roulette offering the highest payout at 35:1. A straight bet occurs when chips are placed on a single number.
Street bet A type of inside bet with the chip placed at the end of one row to cover three numbers