Roulette Glossary
A Roulette Glossary
Though the game of Roulette is itself very straightforwards to play, there are dozens of different terms and words that will be unfamiliar. Here are some of the most important ones which will help you navigate your way around the casino. Come back to this roulette glossary when ever you need to freshen up your knowledge.
A – Roulette Glossary
A Cheva — A French term for a “split bet”.
Accounting of Odds — Continuity of sequences of numbers that have already hit and that will then apply to a martingale in the future.
Action – The total amount of wagered dollars over a set period of time.
Action Player – This is to describe a player who consistently wagers big.
Adrenotrend Betting System — Systems that wagers on the side that won previously. Another name for a streak method of betting.
Against The Bank — A procedure that involves betting the opposite of the series of numbers or colors that have already come up. Thus, a player betting on black after several hits of red is going “against the bank.”
Agent — An agent works with the croupier to cheat the casino on an “inside job”.
Alenbert Betting System — A progressive system of betting whereby you increase your bet by one unit after a loss and decrease your bet by one unit after a win.
All-In — When a player wagers his whole pot on one bet.
American Roulette – The main difference from the European version is that the wheel has an added number, 00, which provides the house with a higher edge.
B – Roulette Glossary
Backtrack – Known as the ball-track. It’s the rim outside the wheel where the ball spins.
Ball Track — Or Back Track. The rim on the wheel where the ball spins.
Bankroll – The total amount of money a gambler has set aside to play with.
Bet on the Layout — A wager which is put anywhere on the numbers part of the table.
Biased Numbers – The numbers on the wheel that statistically hit more often than standard variance, proven over a long-term analysis.
Biased Wheel – An imperfect wheel that causes certain numbers or sections to appear at a higher rate than normal.
Big Number – Number or numbers that hit more than its theoretical average. Aka Biased Numbers.
Black-Action – This is when players are betting with black $100 chips.
Black Chips – Chips with $100 value.
Block Bet — Covering a block of numbers on the roulette betting area. This does not mean that the numbers are in a block on the wheel.
Bottom Track – Is the slanted, stationary, inner area of the the roulette wheel. The roulette ball slides down the bottom track before bouncing into the wheel head and pocket.
C – Roulette Glossary
Cage – Area of the casino where players cash out there chips.
Cancellation Betting System – Similar to the LaBouchere System. A betting system that uses a series of numbers that cancels numbers after winning a wager and adds numbers after losing a wager.
Capping a Bet – A form of cheating where players discretely add more chips to a winning number.
Carré – “Corner bet” in French.
Casino Advantage – The edge or vig the casino has over the player.
Casino Host – A casino employee who takes care of customer requests. Normally, caters to high rollers.
Chameleon Strategy – Mimicking hot or winning players on the roulette table.
Chasing Losses – Increasing bet sizes to try to win back what has already been lost.
Check Rack – The tray that holds and organizes casino chips.
Checks – An alternative name for casino chips.
Cheval — One of the French roulette terms used to refer to a “Spill Bet”.
Choppy Game – A term used to describe a game where neither the house or player is winning.
Colour Up – Process of exchanging lower denomination chips to larger denomination chips.
Cold Number — Numbers that haven’t come up for at least 37 spins.
Cold Table – Any table where the house is winning and the players at the table are on a losing or cold streak.
Colonne — One of the French roulette terms used to refer to a “Column Bet”.
Column Bet – A wager that is placed on the columns of 12 numbers.
Combination Bet – Any bet that has one or more chips on two or more numbers.
Comp – These are freebies or bonuses given out by the casino. Can include food and drinks or free hotel rooms.
Corner Bet – A single bet that one of the four numbers on the layout will win.
Corpse — A player who loses too much.
Crew – Another name for the staff of the casino
Crossroader – A person who cheats the casino
Croupier — Sometimes referred to as the dealer, croupier is the more formal term for the casino employee who takes care of the roulette table.
Cut — A “cut” designates the value of chips. Thus, there are cuts of two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred chips etc.
Cylinder — The French/European roulette wheel.
D – Roulette Glossary
D’Alembert Betting System – This is where players increase bet size by one unit after a loss and decrease your bet unit by one after a win.
Dead Table – A table that is ready to be played, but no players.
Derniere — A French term for “last” and refers to the last group of 12 numbers in the Dozen Bet.
Dolly — This covers the winning number. It’s removed when all of the winning bets have been paid out and a new game begins.
Double Dynamite Roulette System — A combination of Big Number play and sector slicing for short-range play.
Double-Up System of Betting – A system of betting where the player increases the bet by two after a loss to recoup the loss of the previous bet.
Doubled — A number that has been hit twice in a row.
Douzaine — A French term for the “Dozen Bet”.
Dozen Bet – Betting on one of the 12 sequences on the layout.
Drop – A term used to describe the total amount of money that has been cashed in at the table.
Drop Box – Where the players money is placed when buying chips at the table.
Dumping — A casino table that is losing money to the players.
E – Roulette Glossary
Edge – Having an advantage over a game.
En Plein — The French term for “Straight Up Bet”.
En Prison — This French phrase literally translates to mean “in prison” and is a rule applied to even-money wagers only. When a zero is hit, some online casinos will allow the player to either take back half his or her bet or leave it “imprisoned” for a another spin. If the next spin gives another zero, the entire wager is lost.
European Roulette — This was the original version of roulette and is also the one most commonly found in European and Asian casinos. Unlike the American version, in European roulette only one zero is used which has the happy effect of lowering the house edge.
Even Bet – Betting that one of the numbers will be even on the next spin. Ex: 2,6,8,10
Even Money – Any bet that pays 1 to 1. Ex: betting black, even, odd, etc
F – Roulette Glossary
Fair Game – A game where the casino nor the player have an edge. Please note Roulette is not a fair game, the casino has the edge.
Fibonacci Betting System – A betting system where each bet is a combination of the previous numbers that have been hit by the wheel.
Finales a Cheval — A wager on all numbers ending with the two selected digits. For example 3/6 bets on 3, 6, 13, 16, 23, 26, 33, 36.
Finales en Plein — A wager on all numbers ending with a particular number
First — In Roulette the number 1 is called “first.”
Five Number Bet – The worst bet in Roulette on an American wheel. It is where a player bets 0,00,1,2, or 3 will hit.
Flat Bettor – Any player who bets the same size/unit each time.
Floorman – Supervisor of all the tables operating.
French Roulette Wheel – Same as the European Roulette wheel.
Front Money — Money previously deposited in the cage and used by the player to draw markers against.
G – Roulette Glossary
Gambling Stake — Amount of money reserved for gambling. Same thing as Bankroll
Gaffed Wheel – A wheel that has been rigged by either casino or player
George – A generous tipper
Golden Numbers – Any numbers that are hitting at an incorrect probability. Could be labeled as biased-numbers.
Grand Martingale – This is similar to the Martingale System where player doubles his bets or adds one unit after a loss.
Greens – $25 chips
Grifter – A scammer or cheater.
Grind System – This is a system where players increase one unit after each win.
Guerrilla Gambling – Known as hitting and running. Making a score and leaving immediately.
H – Roulette Glossary
Heat – Attracting attention from security and casino managers if a player is winning too much.
High Bet – Betting the next spin will hit between the numbers of 19 and 36.
High Roller – A person that gambles big money.
Hot Table – A table where the players are winning more than the casino.
House Edge – The mathematical edge a casino has over a player. Can be overturned by using the best jackpot guides to swing the odds back in your favour.
Hustler — A gambling cheat.
I – Roulette Glossary
Impair — Bet on the odd numbers.
Inside Bet – Any betting made on the numbered portion of the roulette layout.
J – Roulette Glossary
Jeton — A French term for “chip”.
John – A good tipper.
L – Roulette Glossary
La Partage — Reminiscent of the aforementioned En Prison rule, the player loses half their bet and doesn’t enjoy the option of leaving their bet “in prison” for a later spin. La Partage is for ‘outside’ even-money wagers Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and can also apply when the result is 0.
LaBouchere betting system — A type of Cancellation Betting System where numbers cancel out from a user-defined string of numbers after a win, with their addition to the string after a loss. The string of numbers determines the next amount to bet.
Layout – The design painted on the felt and where players place their bets.
Line Bet – A bet that one of the six numbers of the two rows of three numbers will win.
Long End of the Bet – A bet that pays off more than it collects
Low Bet – Wagering on a number between 1 and 18 will hit.
Low Roller – Any player who bets small amounts of money
M – Roulette Glossary
Manque — French term for “Low Bet”.
Mark – Any player who will be cheated by a con-artist.
Marker — The marker is the apparatus in use by the croupier to clearly mark the winning number after each spin. Players are not allowed to place new bets for the upcoming spin until the croupier has removed the marker from the table.
Martingale Betting System – A system where the player doubles their bet after each loss.
Match Play – Often a promotion that casinos run, where players receive free play chips and if their bets win they receive back real chips.
Mini Roulette — Available at some online casinos, this game features a smaller wheel that which is made up of only 13 numbers (0-12) instead of the standard amount. Payouts are adjusted accordingly. In addition to this, many Mini Roulette games return half of all losses when a spin results in a zero.
Mise — French for to “bet” or “wager”.
Money at Risk – The amount of money that is being wagered at once.
Money Plays — The call that alerts the dealer and the pit that you are betting cash and not chips.
Mucker – Someone who is cheating and using sleight of hand techniques and most commonly past posting.
N – Roulette Glossary
Negative Progression – A system where a player increases the bets after a loss.
Nickel – $5 dollar chips and are nearly always red.
No Action – This will be called once in a while during a spin. What happens here is that all bets are canceled and the casino repeats the action from the beginning. You may remove a bet after a no action call.
Noir — French term for “Black Bet”.
O – Roulette Glossary
Odd Bet – Betting that the next number will be odd. This bet pays out 2-1.
Odds – The statistical chance of an outcome.
On the Square – An honest game.
Orphans — This term is common in European casinos and means to a bet on 3 specific numbers which are: 6, 34 and 17. These numbers are neighbors on the roulette wheel.
Orphelins — Also a feature in European casinos, the “orphelin” bet is put on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel where the numbers are neighbors on the wheel.
Outside Bets – Betting on the outside of the felt layout. Ex. Betting that the next spin will be odd.
P – Roulette Glossary
Paddle – A casino tool used to push money into the drop box.
Parlay – The doubling a bet after a win.
Paroli Betting System — A method that involves leaving the winning bet and the winnings on the table for the next round.
Passé — French for “High Bet”, wagering on upper 18 numbers=19-36. Pays 1 to 1.
Past Posting – This is where players make a wager after the winning number has been revealed. This is cheating.
Patience System — A grind method of playing whereby the player waits for a certain number of decisions before placing a bet.
Paving — A technique aimed at betting on different combinations at random.
Penny Ante — A game played for small stakes.
Permanent Board — This is a second board usually on display above the Roulette table which indicates the last twenty numbers that have come up.
Pinching – Removing chips after losing a bet. This is cheating.
Pit – The area of table games in a casino.
Pockets — The roulette term is a reference to the spaces on the roulette wheel in which the roulette ball might land. Each pocket has a unique number, ranging from 1-36, and 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 green.
Positive Progression – A system where a player increases his bets after a win.
Premiere — French term for “first” and refers to the first group of 12 numbers in the Dozen Bet.
Press – Increasing wager amounts after a win or a streak of wins.
Push – A tie.
Q – Roulette Glossary
Quarter Bet – Betting that one of the four numbers will be a winner. Same as corner bet and square bet.
Quarters – $25 chips and are most commonly green.
R – Roulette Glossary
Rating – Labeling the player and their betting amounts for comps.
Red Bet – An outside bet that pays 2-1 and is wagering that the next spin will land red.
RFB – Complimentary Room, Food and Beverage.
Rien Ne Va Pas — Literally “No More Bets”.
Rouge — French term for “Red Bet”.
Ruin or Element of Ruin — Losing your bankroll. The probability of losing every penny of your bankroll.
Run — A streak of events, like 4 Reds in a row.
S – Roulette Glossary
Scared Money – Any player who is betting more money that they can afford to lose.
Section Shooter – A dealer who attempts to hit a portion of the wheel each spin.
Section Slicing – The act of dividing the wheel into sections based on which numbers are hot. This is a way of discovering bias numbers.
Sector Bet — A group of numbers within a sector of a wheel, also called a Neighbours bet.
Session – A period of time a table is open for or the length of time a player chooses to play for.
Session Stake — The amount of money set aside for one session of play.
Shill – A casino employee paid to pay to start games and encourage others to be more.
Short End – The side of a bet that pays off less than it will win.
Simple Chances — These are the categories of bets in Roulette which have the name “chances”. The chances are: red, black, high, low, even, and odd.
Single Zero Wheel – A wheel with only one zero, which is most commonly referred to as a European wheel.
Six Number Bet – Betting on the Line.
Sixainne — French for “Six Line Bet”.
Split Bet — This term refers to a bet which covers two adjacent numbers on the roulette table and happens when a player puts his chips on the intersection of two numbers. Traditionally, this type of bet pays out at odds of 17-1.
Square or Quarter Bet — An Inside Bet on 4 numbers. Pays 8:1.
Sprinkler — A player who wagers alot but randomly.
Stack – 20 roulette chips stacked on each other.
Straight up Bet – Betting on the inside on only one number.
Street Bet – Any bet where one of three numbers will hit on the next spin.
Surrender – Some casinos will only take half of a players losing bets when the wheel hits 0 or 00.
T – Roulette Glossary
Tapped Out — To lose one’s entire bankroll.
Tiers Du Cylindre — French phrase. Common in European casinos. It’s a bet on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel that are pairing neighbors on the layout.
Toke – Another term for tipping.
Tom – The opposite of a John, a bad tipper.
Toke or Zuks — These are the dealer’s tips. Tokes go into the Toke box.
Toke Hustler — A dealer who tries to get players to tip him.
Transversale — The French term for “Street Bet”.
Trio Bet – This is the same bet as a street bet. Betting that one of three numbers will be the winning number.
Troller — A bet placed after the dealer announces “No more bets.”
True Odds – The correct probability of a certain outcome.
V – Roulette Glossary
Vig or Vigorish – The juice taken by a casino.
Visual Wheel Tracking – It’s the process of following the ball and wheel and being able to predict where it will land.
Voisins du Zero — A French term mostly used in European casinos to describe a wager on a particular group of numbers on the section of the roulette wheel which is next to the zero. If you actually translate the word “voisins”, it literally means “neighbours”.
W – Roulette Glossary
Wager – This is the same thing as a bet.
Wheel Clocking — A way of keeping track of the results of a specific roulette wheel in the hope that you will notice a pattern or bias.
Z – Roulette Glossary
Zero — This refers to the pocket on a roulette wheel marked with a 0. All roulette wheels contain a “single zero” space, however, American roulette wheels have this and an additional double zero pocket.
Thus, draws the close to this Roulette glossary. You may also be keen to get to know more unfamiliar terms at our online jackpot dictionary. Head on over there now for a better insight.
Be sure to check out our roulette guides. These include How to Play European Roulette, How To Play American Roulette, and a General Roulette Guide. Finally we take a look at Roulette Strategies.
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