The Essential Roulette Glossary: Speaking the Language of the Wheel
Walking up to a roulette table—whether in a high-end London casino or on a premier digital gambling portal—can feel like entering a different world with its own unique vocabulary. To play like a professional, you need to understand more than just “Red or Black.” From French betting terms to the technical jargon of live dealer studios, mastering the lingo is the first step toward a disciplined strategy.
At Winner Online, we’ve compiled this A–Z glossary to ensure you navigate the felt with confidence.
A – C
American Roulette: A variation of the game featuring 38 pockets, including both a single zero (0) and a double zero (00). This increases the house edge to 5.26%.
Backtrack: The outer rim of the roulette wheel where the ball is spun before it loses momentum and drops into the pockets.
Biased Wheel: A physical wheel that has a mechanical flaw, causing certain numbers or sections to hit more frequently than probability dictates. (Rarely found in modern, strictly audited UK casinos).
Capping a Bet: The illegal practice of adding more chips to a winning bet after the ball has landed.
Corner Bet: An Inside Bet placed on the intersection of four numbers. It pays 8:1.
D – H
D’Alembert System: A progressive betting strategy where the player increases their bet by one unit after a loss and decreases it by one unit after a win.
Dozen Bet: An Outside Bet on a group of 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36). It pays 2:1.
En Prison: A rule found in some French Roulette games. If the ball lands on zero, even-money bets are “imprisoned” for the next spin rather than lost.
European Roulette: The standard version for UK players, featuring 37 pockets (1-36 and a single 0). It carries a player-friendly house edge of 2.70%.
House Edge: The mathematical advantage the casino holds over the player. In Roulette, this is created by the presence of the green zero.
I – L
Inside Bet: Bets placed on the inner grid of the table (specific numbers or small groups). These have lower probabilities but higher payouts (e.g., Straight Up pays 35:1).
La Partage: A French Roulette rule where players receive half of their even-money stake back if the ball lands on zero. This reduces the house edge to 1.35%.
Layout: The cloth-covered area of the table (the felt) where players place their bets.
Line Bet: A bet covering two rows of three numbers (6 numbers total). It pays 5:1.
M – R
Martingale System: A famous strategy where a player doubles their bet after every loss, aiming to recover all losses with one win.
Neighbours of Zero (Voisins du Zéro): A popular French/Call bet covering the 17 numbers that surround the zero on the wheel.
Outside Bet: Bets placed on the outer edge of the layout, covering large groups (Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even). These pay 1:1.
Orphelins (Orphans): A call bet on the eight numbers that are not covered by Voisins du Zéro or Tiers du Cylindre.
Pockets: The small compartments on the wheel where the ball eventually rests. They are numbered 0–36.
S – Z
Split Bet: An Inside Bet on two adjacent numbers, placed by putting a chip on the line between them. It pays 17:1.
Straight Up: A bet on a single, specific number. This is the highest-paying bet in roulette at 35:1.
Street Bet: A bet on a row of three numbers. It pays 11:1.
Tiers du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel): A call bet covering the 12 numbers on the opposite side of the wheel from the zero.
Visual Wheel Tracking: A strategy where a player attempts to predict where the ball will land by observing the speed of the wheel and the ball.
Zero: The green pocket that gives the house its edge. In a fair game, the zero ensures that even-money bets are not truly 50/50.
Winner Online Tip: If you are playing on a UK gambling portal, always look for French Roulette tables that offer the La Partage rule. It is mathematically the best value you can get at the wheel!
