Roulette Glossary

You’ll come across plenty of different terms when playing online roulette, and these will no doubt confuse those who are new to the game. To help you make sense of things, here’s a comprehensive list of important roulette terminology, in alphabetical order.  

Roulette Glossary

• American Roulette – The second most popular roulette variant that features 38 pockets as opposed to the more standardised 37, which results in a higher house edge and slightly different betting options. The extra pocket is green and numbered 00. 
• Call Bet – One of the French bets (see below), named so because it must be ‘called’ or announced to the dealer.
• Column Bet – The roulette wheel is divided into three horizontal ‘columns’, so a column bet would pay out 2-to-1.  
• Corner Bet – A bet that the ball will land on one of four adjoining numbers. 
• Dozen – A dozen places a bet on any one of the three sets of dozen on the wheel (i.e. 1–12, 13–24, or 25–36).
• European Roulette – The most common roulette variant, with 37 pockets from 0–36.
• Evens – Even odds bets that pay out 1-to-1, such as betting on red or black. 
• Fibonacci – A negative progression roulette betting strategy based on the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc). Every time your even-money bet loses you increase the bet one place, and when you win you move two places back in the sequence. 
• Five – A bet that’s exclusive to American roulette, placed on numbers 00, 0, 1, 2, or 3. Sometimes called the ‘sucker bet’ due to its mean house edge.
• French Bets – Types of bets that cover large sections of the roulette wheel, and allow players to place several bets at once. The three French bets are ‘Voisins du Zero’, ‘Tiers du Cylindre’ and ‘Orphelins’. Also known as call bets.
• French Roulette – A popular roulette variant that is very similar to European roulette, except that the layout is slightly different. You’re also more likely to encounter the ‘La Partage’ and ‘En Prison’ rules at a French table. 
• House Edge – The theoretical percentage of the player’s bet that will be won by the house. In European roulette, the house edge is around 2.7%. French roulette has the lowest house edge at 1.35%, while American roulette has a higher house edge of 5.26%.
• Inside Bets – Bets placed in the inner section of the table that have longer odds and higher payouts. Examples include straight up bets, line bets, street bets, and corner bets. 
• Orphelins – One of the French bets, the Orphelins (Orphans) consists of all of the numbers not included in the other two French bets. There are two sectors that make up the Orphelins bet: 17, 34, 6 and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9.
• Outside Bets – Bets placed on the outer section of the table, with shorter odds and lower payouts. Examples include red/black, odd/even, high/low, or dozen bets.
• Paroli – A positive progression betting strategy that is the opposite of the Martingale. You double your even-money bet every time you win, and don’t increase your bet if you lose. If you secure three consecutive wins, you restart. 
• La Partage – A rule found in French and European roulette that gives players half their money back if the ball lands on zero after an even-money bet.
• Marker – Also called a ‘dolly’, the marker is an object similar to a chess piece used by the croupier to mark the winning number. 
• Martingale – A negative progression roulette betting strategy in which you double your bet every time you lose. If you win, you either walk away or start again. 
• Mini Roulette – A smaller version of roulette with only 13 pockets.
• Pockets – All the areas on the roulette wheel that the ball can land on, numbered 0–36. Every pocket — with the exception of 0, which is green — is either red or black.  
• Line Bet – Also known as a Six Line Bet, this is placed on two lines of three consecutive numbers, totalling six.
• RTP – The Return to Player rate is essentially the opposite of the house edge. It’s the percentage of money that should hypothetically be returned to the player in the long run. In European roulette this stands at around 97.3%, but this figure has no bearing on each individual game and is calculated over the long term. 
• Speed Roulette – A quicker version of online roulette. Time between spins is significantly reduced, and bets can be placed during the wheel’s spin.
• Split – Also called a ‘Cheval’, a split bet is placed between two different adjoining numbers. 
• Straight Up – A bet placed on a single number. 
• Street – A bet placed on three consecutive numbers. 
• Tiers du Cylindre – One of the three French bets, the Tiers du Cylindre covers the third of the wheel that is opposite the 0 pocket, from 27 to 33.
• Voisins du Zero – The third French bet that translates to the ‘neighbours of zero’, covering 22 to 25.

Play Roulette at a UK Online Casino

Now that you’re equipped with all the necessary terminology and expertise, it’s time to go apply your knowledge at an online roulette table. To get started, have a look through our list of the best roulette casinos, sign up to a site of your choosing and start playing. You’ll find a range of different options — including immersive live roulette — at each of the sites we recommend.