Roulette, one of the most popular casinos games worldwide, is a game of French origin. While a lot of the language surrounding the game has been anglicised a number of terms have not. And so, we thought it would be useful to take you through the language surrounding the game so you’re clued up when hitting the tables.
The most common terms in roulette
5 Number Bet:
American roulette bet, specifically on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
American Roulette:
38 pocketed wheel, numbered 1 to 36 with two green zeroes (0 and 00).
Bet on the Layout:
Striking a bet anywhere on the table (e.g. red, 00, 1st dozen).
Carré:
A corner bet, where the chip is placed in the centre of four numbers (e.g. betting on the numbers 2, 3, 5, 6) Pays 1:4 generally.
Cheval:
A bet that covers two numbers, 11 and 12 for example. The chip is placed on the line between the two numbers and pays 1:18 generally.
Column Bet:
Also known as the 2:1 bet, this is where the player bets on a whole row of numbers: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33 and 36 for example (the numbers from the top row).
Combination Bet:
A bet on a number of outcomes, instead of a straight up bet. For example, placing chips down on red, 2nd dozen, odd. Also known as ‘ducking one’s bets.’
Corner Bet:
Another term for the Carré bet.
Dozen Bet:
One of the outside bets (see: outside bet) which covers the first, second or third dozen of numbers on the table. Pays out 1:3.
En Plein:
A straight bet where a chip is placed on one number (such as the number 12) and pays 1:36.
European Roulette:
37 pocketed wheel, numbered 1 to 36 with a single zero slot (0).
Even/Odd:
Another outside bet, where a player bets on whether the outcome will be odd, or even.
En Prison:
A rule that French casinos play generally, where if a bet is lost due to a green zero result, it is ‘en prison’ (or ‘in prison’) and remains on the table rather than being recouped by the house. If the chip was to win the second time around the stake is returned to the player, but no winnings. If it loses a second time around it is taken by the house.
Hi/Low Bets:
Low bets are 1 to 18, while high bets are 19 to 36.
Inside Bet:
Bets placed on the table numbers. For example, a Carré bet on 14, 15, 17 & 18.
Jeu 0:
A bet on the numbers closest to 0: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 & 15.
La Partage:
A rule that is similar to En Prison, but instead of the chip remaining on the table, half the bet is returned to player. Some argue this is more beneficial to the player than the En Prison rule, and decreases house edge on even-money bets to 1.35 percent.
Orphelins:
A bet on the numbers that are adjacent on the wheel, but separated on the table layout: 9. 31, 14, 20, 1, 17, 34 & 6.
Outside Bet:
Any bet on the roulette table that isn’t on the numbers: 1 to 18, 19 to 36 even, odd, red, black, street bets (2 to 1).
Red/Black Bet:
An outside bet on either red or black, which pays at even money.
Sixainne:
Placed between any of the bottom 12 numbers of the En Plein section, this signifies that you want to place a bet on the six numbers preceding upwards. For example, if you were to place chip between 13 and 16, you are essentially covering 13, 16, 14, 17, 15 & 18.
Six Line bet:
Another term for the Sixainne bet.
Spin:
One game of roulette. The ball is spun around the roulette wheel and prizes are paid out depending where the ball lands.
Split Bet:
Another terms for Cheval, where the bet is split between two numbers.
Straight Up:
A bet on any single number on the table layout. A bet on the number 3 pays out 1:36 for example.
Street Bet:
Where the player bets on three numbers by placing a chip on the line of any of the bottom 12 numbers.
Tiers du Cylindre:
A term for the bet on all the numbers that are adjacent on the layout, but separate on the roulette wheel: 33, 16, 24, 5, 10, 23, 8, 30, 11, 36, 13 & 27.
Tranversale:
Another term for street bet.
Trio Bet:
Another term for the street bet (see: Street Bet).
Voisins du Zero:
A bet on a group of numbers that are next to zero: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2 & 25.
