Roulette terms for the wheel itself
Rotor and bowl
The rotor is the heavy spinning disc carrying the pockets and the central turret. It sits on a spindle inside the bowl, the fixed wooden frame around it. The rotor turns one way while the ball travels the other, which is what makes the landing point so hard to predict. More on the roulette wheel page.
Ball track and deflectors
The ball track is the sloped groove inside the rim where the ball circles after launch. As it slows, it drops and strikes the deflectors, small metal diamonds around the bowl. They knock the ball off its smooth path and add randomness. Without them, the ball would roll down more evenly and results would be less chaotic.
Pockets, frets and turret
Pockets are the slots where the ball rests, 38 on an American wheel, 37 on a European one. Frets are the metal separators between them. Modern wheels often use low frets so the ball bounces more freely. The turret is the handle at the center, used to spin the rotor, often a decorative chrome piece.
American, European and French roulette
American roulette is the double-zero game on 38 pockets, the version most US tables run. European roulette uses a single zero and 37 pockets, which roughly halves the house edge to 2.70%. French roulette is single-zero too, played on a layout with French labels and usually with La Partage on even-money bets. The American vs European roulette page compares them.
Inside bet roulette terms on the cloth
Roulette board, layout and cloth
Three roulette terms, board, layout and cloth, name the same thing: the green felt printed with the numbers and the outside boxes. Layout is the word dealers use most. The board on an American table has 0 and 00 at the top, 1 to 36 in three columns, and the outside bets along the edges.
The inside and outside bets, on the cloth
One chip in the middle of a single number, here 17.
- Covers
- 1 of 38
- Pays
- 35 to 1
- Wins per 100 spins
- 2.6
- House edge
- 5.26%
Straight up and split
A straight-up bet is one chip on a single number, paying 35 to 1 with a 1 in 38 chance on an American wheel. A split covers two numbers that touch on the layout, such as 17 and 20, and pays 17 to 1. Both carry the same 5.26 percent house edge. The full roulette bets guide shows each placement.
Street, corner and six line
A street covers a row of three numbers, such as 16 to 18, and pays 11 to 1. A corner sits where four numbers meet and pays 8 to 1. A six line straddles two neighboring streets, covering six numbers, and pays 5 to 1. Each pays less as it covers more numbers, so the edge stays at 5.26 percent.
Basket, trio and top line
These names vary by country. On the American cloth, the five-number top line covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, pays 6 to 1 and carries a 7.89 percent edge. Some American dealers call it the basket. A trio covers three numbers including a zero, such as 0, 1 and 2, and pays 11 to 1 like a street.
Complete bet
A complete bet covers one number with every inside bet that touches it. For 17 that means a straight up, four splits, a street, four corners and two six lines. Chips are usually sized so the pieces match their coverage, which comes to forty chips. Dealers on French tables know it by name, so you can call it.
Outside bet roulette definitions
Even money
Even-money bets cover eighteen numbers each: red or black, odd or even, low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36). They pay 1 to 1 and win 47.37 percent of the time on an American wheel. Zero and double zero lose on all of them. The table layout page shows where each box sits.
Payout drill
The ball drops into 18. On the cloth: 3 chips on red and 2 chips on even. How many chips does the dealer pay out, not counting the stakes that stay in place?
red: 3 × 1 = 3. even: 2 × 1 = 2. Payout: 5 chips.
Dozen and column
A dozen covers 1 to 12, 13 to 24 or 25 to 36. A column covers one of the three long lines on the layout, twelve numbers each. Both pay 2 to 1 and win 31.58 percent of spins on an American wheel. They are popular with players who want a middle ground between single numbers and even-money bets.
Roulette terms for odds and payouts
Odds and payout odds
Roulette odds can mean two things, and dealers and books mix them freely. True odds compare losing pockets with winning ones: a single number on an American wheel is 37 to 1 against. Payout odds are what the casino pays, 35 to 1. The gap between them is where the house earns its margin.
Payout and payout chart
In roulette terms, a payout is what a winning bet earns on top of the stake, quoted as 35 to 1 or 17 to 1. The stake comes back separately, so a $10 straight-up win is $350 plus your $10. A payout chart lists every bet’s price in one place; the full roulette payout chart adds the chance of each.
French call bets and roulette meaning in French
Voisins du zero
Voisins du zero means neighbors of zero. It covers the seventeen numbers on the single-zero wheel from 22 round to 25, including zero itself, using nine chips spread across splits, a trio and a corner. It is a call bet, announced to the dealer, and it only makes sense on a European or French wheel with one zero.
Tiers du cylindre and orphelins
Tiers du cylindre, often just tiers, covers the twelve numbers on the side of the wheel opposite zero, from 27 to 33, using six splits. Orphelins, meaning orphans, covers the eight numbers left over after voisins and tiers, using five chips. Together the three groups cover the whole single-zero wheel. The French roulette page explains their placement.
Neighbors, La Partage and En Prison
A neighbors bet covers a number and two wheel neighbors either side. La Partage returns half of an even-money stake when zero hits, cutting that edge to 1.35 percent. En Prison holds the stake for one more spin instead. Both rules exist only on single-zero tables, which is why the definition matters when you pick a game.
Table roulette terms you will hear from the dealer
Croupier, dolly and no more bets
The croupier is the dealer who runs the game, from changing cash into chips to paying winners. The dolly is the marker placed on the winning number; hands stay off the layout until it is lifted. No more bets is the call that closes betting as the ball slows, and late chips can be refused.
Wheel checks and sleepers
Among roulette terms for chips, wheel checks are the table-only color chips each player receives. A sleeper is a bet nobody claims, usually a forgotten winner. The roulette tips page covers buying in and cashing out. One habit prevents most sleepers: look at the layout every time the dolly goes down.
Call bet and announced bet
A call bet, also called an announced bet, is any bet you tell the dealer to place for you, such as voisins or a neighbors bet. It saves reaching across a crowded layout. Some casinos only accept call bets backed by chips already on the felt. Ask before you try one; the rule differs from house to house.
Electronic and video roulette
Electronic roulette, sometimes called video roulette, puts the layout on touch screens at individual seats. Some machines connect to a real wheel spun automatically under a glass dome, others draw the number by computer. Check which wheel the screen shows, because electronic games come in both single-zero and double-zero versions, usually with the standard payouts.
Table minimum and maximum
The placard at the edge of the table states the smallest and largest bets allowed. At many American tables the inside minimum can be spread across several numbers, while each outside bet must meet the minimum on its own. Check the placard before you buy in, because the rules for inside and outside bets often differ at the same table.
When a dealer uses roulette terms you do not recognize, ask. Dealers explain terms all night, and the question costs nothing. Keep the home page lesson open the first time you sit down, and notice which of these words you hear most often at your table: on an American wheel, it will rarely be voisins.