Common Roulette Terms

Before you can become a competent Roulette player, you need to become familiar with the basic Roulette terms employed in the game. Without knowing Roulette terminology, you won’t be able to understand the basic Roulette rules, Roulette strategy and other nuances of the game.

These Roulette terms refer to basic words used in and around the Roulette table, including Roulette slang. Roulette slang words and terms are merely buzz words similar to the ones you will find in other venues. While it is not necessary for you to memorize the entire Roulette glossary, we feel that an operational knowledge of Roulette terminology is advantageous to you when you play online Roulette.

Online casinos will often post Roulette terms and Roulette slang in a Roulette glossary that they present in the Roulette section. It will help you understand Roulette terminology that is common on their websites. For example, if a site employs an American wheel, then the Roulette terminology would contain terms and Roulette slang common to the American game, and so on for the European and French versions.

Roulette Terminology

A
American Wheel
The American version of the roulette wheel has a double zero and a single zero which is quite different from the European version.

B
Backtrack/Balltrack
This is the track on the outside rim of the roulette wheel where the dealer spins the ball.
Biased Wheel
This is an imperfect roulette wheel where particular numbers result more frequently than normal probability of occurrence allows. Player shave been known to “chart” these wheels (see below).
Big Number This is a number that comes up more frequently than is statistically feasible. This could also be an indication of a biased number.
Black Bet
This is a wager that the next spin will come up on a black number.

C
Capping a Bet
This is also known as Past Posting. It is a method of cheating that involves placing more chips on a winning bet after the betting period has expired.
Charting the Wheel
This is one of the most popular roulette strategies in which players record the number of times a particular numbered compartment comes up. Players can detect imperfectly balanced wheels in this manner and then wager accordingly.
Casino Edge
This is the advantage that the casino holds on any bet in the casino parlour. In roulette, the casino edge for the American wheel is 5.26%, and the casino edge for the European Roulette wheel is 2.70%.

D
Double Zero
The American wheel has two compartments on its wheel called zero and another called double zero. The European version of the wheel does not contain the double zero compartment.

E
En Plain
In French Roulette, this term denotes a bet on a single number.

F
First, Second and Third Dozen
This is a bet wagered on 12 numbers. It can also be called the First Column, etc. The payoff on a “dozen” wager is 2:1.

F
French Roulette
French Roulette is similar to the European version in that there is only one zero. However, it differs from its European counterpart in that you get 50% of your wager back if the ball lands on zero.

G
Gambler’s Fallacy
This is a slang term for the Martindale double up system.

I
Inside Bet
This is a bet on any of the numbers on the inside of the table. In the European version, this refers to the compartments 1-36 as well as the number zero.

L
Line Bet
This is a bet made on the outside which is placed on two rows of the roulette wheel. In total, it is a bet on six numbers.

O
Outside Bet
This is a bet made on a colour or even/odd or high/low or one of the “dozen” bets. These bets are placed on the outside edge of the roulette table.

S
Single Zero Wheel
This refers to a wheel in which only a single zero is employed, such as in the European and French wheels.
Split Bet
This bet is placed on a line with two numbers. It is also known as a two number bet. The payoffs are 17-1.
Straight Bet
This is a bet that is placed on a single number on the roulette board. The payoffs are 35-1.
Street Bet
This is a bet that is placed on a single row of numbers. It is also known as a three number bet. The payoffs are 11-1. In French Roulette, the term is known as Transversal Plaine.