Roulette has a vocabulary all of its own.
Whether you're looking at a digital table or live wheels streamed straight to your screen, the same terms appear on the layout and in the dealer's calls. Here's what they mean, with the payout odds for each bet.
The wheel and the table
- Pocket: a numbered compartment on the wheel where the ball comes to rest.
- Single zero: the European and French wheel, with 37 pockets numbered zero to 36.
- Double zero: the American wheel, which adds a 00 pocket for 38 in total.
- Racetrack: an oval section of the layout showing the numbers in wheel order. It's used for call bets on sections of the wheel.
- Croupier: the dealer who spins the wheel and settles bets. "No more bets" closes betting before the ball drops.
Inside bets
Inside bets go on the numbered grid. They cover fewer numbers, so payouts are higher and a matching outcome is less likely.
- Straight up: one number. Pays 35 to one.
- Split: two adjoining numbers on the grid. Pays 17 to one.
- Street: a row of three numbers. Pays 11 to one.
- Corner: a block of four numbers. Pays eight to one.
- Six line: two neighbouring rows, covering six numbers. Pays five to one.
Outside bets
Outside bets sit around the grid and cover larger groups.
- Even chances: red or black, odd or even, and low (one to 18) or high (19 to 36). These pay one to one. Zero isn't part of any of them.
- Dozens: one to 12, 13 to 24 or 25 to 36. Pays two to one.
- Columns: one of the three vertical columns of 12 numbers. Pays two to one.
French terms you'll see
These come from French Roulette, which uses a single zero wheel.
- La Partage: if the ball lands on zero, half of any even chance stake is returned.
- En Prison: if the ball lands on zero, an even chance stake is held for the next spin instead of being settled.
- Voisins du Zéro: 'neighbours of zero'. A call bet on the 17 numbers between 22 and 25 on the wheel, including zero.
- Tiers du Cylindre: 'third of the wheel'. The 12 numbers opposite zero, from 27 to 33.
- Orphelins: 'orphans'. The eight numbers left over from the two bets above.
- Neighbours: a single number plus those either side of it on the wheel, usually two on each side.
Odds and numbers
- House edge: the percentage the casino holds over time. It's 2.7% on a single zero wheel and 5.26% on a double zero wheel. With La Partage, it drops to 1.35% on even chance bets.
- RTP (return to player): the other side of the house edge, at 97.3% on a single zero wheel. It's an average over a huge number of spins, not a guide to any single session.
- RNG (random number generator): the software that decides each result in digital Roulette. Live tables use a physical wheel.
- Hot and cold numbers: recent results some tables display. Every spin is independent, so past results don't affect the next one.
A final word on chance
Knowing the terms makes the table easier to read, but it doesn't change the odds. Every result comes down to chance, and no system removes the house edge. Setting a bankroll you can afford to lose, and stopping when it's used, keeps gameplay in check. If gaming is becoming hard to control, free support is available from trusted organisations.
