Roulette Glossary A–Z

Understanding the language of roulette makes the game easier and more enjoyable. This A–Z glossary covers every major roulette term used in online and live casino play, helping New Zealand players follow the action confidently.

A

American Roulette
A roulette variant that includes both a single zero and a double zero, increasing the house edge compared to European and French versions.

B

Backtrack
The outer rim of the roulette wheel where the ball travels before dropping into a pocket.
Biased Wheel
A rare wheel defect that causes certain numbers to appear more often than random chance. Modern casino wheels are designed to prevent this.
Betting Layout
The table surface showing all betting spaces for numbers and outside bet areas.

C

Croupier
The dealer responsible for spinning the wheel, releasing the ball, and announcing results.
Column Bet
A wager covering one of the three vertical columns of numbers on the table.
Corner Bet
A bet on four numbers meeting at one intersection.
Call Bet
A verbal bet in live roulette where the player announces the wager instead of placing chips manually.

D

D’Alembert
A betting system where players increase bets by one unit after a loss and decrease them by one unit after a win.
Dozen Bet
A bet covering 12 numbers at once, such as 1–12, 13–24, or 25–36.
Double Zero
The 00 pocket found only on American Roulette wheels.

E

En Prison
A French Roulette rule where even-money bets remain locked for the next spin if zero appears.
Even-Money Bet
A wager with nearly 50 percent odds, such as red, black, odd, even, low, or high.
European Roulette
A variant featuring a single zero and a lower house edge.

F

Five-Number Bet
A high-edge bet in American Roulette covering 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
Fibonacci
A progressive betting system based on the Fibonacci number sequence.

H

High Bet
A bet covering numbers 19 through 36.
House Edge
The built-in casino advantage on every roulette spin, which can be explored further using a roulette calculator.

L

La Partage
A French Roulette rule where half of an even-money bet is returned when zero lands.
Line Bet
A wager that covers six numbers across two adjacent rows.
Low Bet
A bet on numbers 1 through 18.

M

Martingale
A well-known betting system where players double after each loss, commonly discussed in roulette strategies.
Mini Roulette
A smaller roulette format with a reduced number of pockets.
Multi-Wheel Roulette
A variation where players bet on several wheels spinning simultaneously.

O

Odd Bet
A bet on all odd numbers on the table.
Outside Bets
Bets placed on high-probability areas such as red, black, odd, even, dozens, or columns.

P

Paroli
Also called the Reverse Martingale, where players increase bets after wins.
Pockets
The individual numbered slots on the wheel where the ball comes to rest.

R

Red Bet
An even-money bet predicting the ball will land in a red pocket.
RNG Roulette
Computer-generated online roulette using a Random Number Generator.

S

Split Bet
A bet on two numbers that share a common border on the betting layout.
Straight-Up Bet
A bet on a single number.
Street Bet
A wager covering three consecutive numbers in a horizontal row.

T

Table Limit
The minimum and maximum bets allowed at a roulette table.

V

Voisins du Zero
A special French bet covering numbers surrounding the zero area of the wheel, commonly found in European roulette.

W

Wheel Head
The rotating centre section of the roulette wheel where pockets are placed.
Wheel Layout
The arrangement of numbers around the wheel, which differs between European and American roulette.

Z

Zero
The green pocket on European and French wheels that gives the casino its edge.