What Does Roulette Board Mean
Roulette has a long history and has been the subject of many myths and legends, so it’s no surprise that there is a lot of jargon and slang associated with the game. If you take a look at the site, you’ll soon get to grips with it, but if you need a quick introduction to the more common terms you’ll come across, then have a read through our glossary of terms.
Action
With table games like roulette, the payoffs are in the form of 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 35 to 1, etc. This means that if you win the bet, you get to keep the amount you bet, and you get the winnings along with it. If you bet $100 on a single number at the roulette table and win, you get a payoff of $3,500. But you also get to keep your $100. An insulation board used over closed cell plastic insulation (e.g., polyisocyanurate) to prevent blistering when used in conjunction with hot bituminous membranes. How to pronounce cover board?
Being in a position to bet, e.g. in the Action. Or the total amount bet over a certain period.
Agent
An agent works with the croupier to cheat the casino on an “inside job”,
All-In
When a player bets his whole pot on one bet.
American Roulette
Also known as Double Zero Roulette. A variant with 2 zero pockets, a “0” and a “00”. The house edge in American Roulette is higher than in European roulette. Click here to find out why.
Ball Track
Or Back Track. The rim on the wheel where the ball is spun.
Biased Wheel
A wheel in a land-based casino or live roulette studio that is not balances and may have a skew to certain “hot zones”.
Roulette Bonus
Promotional money used by a casino to entice new players in.
For example, the £1000 Bonus From Betway.
Block Bet
Covering a block of numbers on the roulette betting area. Note- this does not mean that the numbers are in a block on the wheel.
Card Roulette
Card Roulette is a variant that uses a standard pack of playing cards with 2 jokers. The house edge is between European and American roulette.
Chip
Roulette chips are different from normal chips. They are not marked and come in different colours and usually come in one denomination, eg $10. This is to help the croupier work out whose chips are whose. The Ohio roulette Scam made use of this practice to con casinos out of their money.
Cold Numbers
Numbers that haven’t come up for at least 37 spins. Also Cold Table- where the house is winning.
Column Bet
A bet that covers almost one third of the wheel and which pays out 2-1.
Comp
When a casino gives yo something for free, like a suite or a free bonus in the case of online casinos.
Corner Bet
A bet on four numbers- your chip is placed at the corner of the numbers- this bet pays 8-1, with a 10.8% probability of winning on European Roulette. Also Carre in French roulette.
Croupier
The person who takes the bets, spins the wheel and pays out the winnings. French for dealer.
Call Bets
More exotic bets such as the Voisins Du Zero bet. So called, because you “call” them out at a casino, usually when the wheel is spinning. Mostly made up of Sector Bets.
Dead Table
An open table with no players.
Dolly
This covers the winning number. It’s removed when all of the winning bets have been paid out and a new game begins.
Double Up System
The Martingale, where you double your bet after a loss.
Double Zero
A pocket you only get on American roulette wheels. European Roulette only has one zero pocket and a lower house edge.
Dozens Bet
A bet, very similar to a Column Bet. There are three dozens:1 to 12, 13 to 24 and 25 to 36.
Drop
The amount deposited by a player.
En Prison
A rule in French Roulette where, when you have placed an even-money bet and the number 0 comes up, your bet rides over to the next spin In effect, you get an extra spin. If you lose a second time, you forfeit your bet, but if you win you get your bet back (but not the winnings). This take the house edge on even money bets down to just 1.35%.
European Roulette
Uses a wheel with only one zero pocket. This variant can be hard to find in some casino in Las Vegas. You should always look for it in preference to American roulette if you are playing online.
Even Money Bet
Also known as a Flat Bet. Bets that pay out 1:1, e.g. red/black. Note- your odds aren’t 50/50 as there is the zero(s) to think about.
Eye-in-the Sky
The security cameras above the tables, the CCTVs.
Flat Betting
Betting the same amount, every spin.
French Roulette
A variant of European Roulette which may offer La Partage or the “en prison rule“. The table layout is slightly different and the names of the sectors are in French.
Five Number Bet
A bet covering the 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. Found only in American roulette- avoid it! The odds are terrible.
Gaffed Wheel
A wheel that has been rigged by the casino.
George
A player who is a big tipper
Green Pockets
The zero and double zero slots on the roulette wheel.
Grifter
A scammer or cheater.
Grind Joint
A casino with low betting limits- more likely to be found in Downtown Las Vegas than on The Strip, for example.
Heat
Attention from the casino management if you are winning too much.
High or Low
An even money bet on all the low numbers (1-18: low) or all the high numbers (19-36).
High Roller
Someone who bets a large amount of money. Also known as a Whale.
Hold
Or the Percentage. The percentage of the Drop that the casino keeps.
Hot
On a winning streak.
Hot Numbers
Numbers that hit more frequently than they should based on probability. Also Golden Numbers.
House Edge
How much the casino expects to make, on average, on every bet, usually expressed as a percentage. Over the course of an day, the casino can run at a loss (negative house edge), but if you take an average of multiple players over an extended period of time, they would expect to see a positive House Edge or advantage.
Inside Bets
Bets made on the inside of the betting grid (as opposed to Outside Bets like red/black etc). So single number bets, corner bets etc would all count as Inside Bets.
John
A good tipper. The bathroom, WC, etc.
Line Bet
A bet on six numbers, 2 lines of 3 numbers on the betting grid. Pays out 5-1, with a 16% chance of winning.
Martingale System
A famous system where you double your bet after a losing bet to claw back into profit. Be careful with this system- can ramp up quickly.
Mucker
A second croupier on a roulette table during busy times. Her or she helps with chips and double checks the dealer’s maths and helps to pay out the winning bets.
Negative Progression
A system where you increase your bet after a loss. Examples include the Martingale, the Fibonacci and the Super Martingale.
Neighbours
A bet (normally 3 numbers) centred on one number. You can increase the amount of neighbours you want to play off each number.
Odd
A bet on all the odd numbers. Pays 1:1.
Orphans
A bet on three numbers that are close together on the wheel but not on the table layout.
Outside Bet
Anything that is not an Inside Bet. Slide your chips onto the outside of the betting grid in the marked zones. Example include dozens, columns and the even money bets like red/black, odd/even etc
Parlay or Press
To let your bet ride after a win. Leave your original bet where it is and add your winnings for the next spin.
Past Posting
This is a fraudulent way of betting after the winning number has been announced. Fraudsters with a good sleight of hand may try this. It’s highly illegal.
Pinching
Removing your chips after a losing bet. The opposite of Past Posting, also illegal
Positive Progression
A system where you increase your bets after a win to accelerate profits on winning streaks.
Red Bet
An even money Outside Bet, probably the most famous bet in roulette (“stick it all on the red). Pays 1:1.
Roulette System
A methodology of laying bets at the table. Many systems claim to improve your odds in roulette. Don’t believe the hype. Systems can be a useful way of playing to a plan, but they will not lower the house edge.
Run
A streak of events, like 4 blacks in a row, or 2 of the same dozens in a row.
Sector Bet
A group of numbers within a sector of a wheel, also called a Neighbours bet.
Section Slicing
Diving the wheel into hot and cold zones. The ultimate aim of a players trying to spot biased wheels.
Single Zero Roulette
European Roulette.
Six Line Bet
A line bet on 6 numbers (inside bet).
Split Bet
A bet on 2 numbers that sit side by side on the table.
Square or Quarter Bet
An Inside Bet on 4 numbers. Pays 8:1.
A Stack
20 chips stacked one on top of another
Straight Bet or Straight Up Bet
A Single Number Bet, pays 35:1
Street Bet
A bet numbers on the roulette betting surface is called a street. These bets pay out at 11-1 and have an 8% chance of winning. Also Trio Bet.
Surrender
Similar to en prison, where your bet rides over for another spin if the ball lands in zero when you make an even money bet, like odd/even. Played on some American Roulette wheels.
A Tom
A stingy tipper, one with mothballs in his wallet. Opposite to a George.
Toke – or Zuks
These are the dealer’s tips. Tokes go into the Toke box.
Competitions where you compete for a prize against other players (eg Unibet Roulette tourneys). The top positioned players on the leaderboard win a share of the pot.
Wager
A bet.
Visual Wheel Tracking
Measuring the spin velocity and characteristics of a roulette wheel to get an edge. This often involves computing power.
For the most part, calculating roulette payouts is just a matter of multiplication. Each bet pays out at certain odds, and that determines what you multiply the bet by to get the payout. Also, as with most table games, the payouts are done on an X to Y basis, as opposed to an X for Y basis.
This post wants to cover roulette payouts in some degree of detail, though, including how much each bet pays off.
More importantly, I want to explain how the croupier is able to calculate payouts for roulette so quickly. Guess what? They have a system for that.
Payout Odds in Gambling
When you’re gambling on something, you get paid off using odds. Some games offer even odds, which means that if you bet $100, you win $100 when you win.
Most games, though, have various payouts for various kinds of bets.
The top jackpot on a video poker machine pays off at 800 for 1.
And that’s an important distinction. There’s a big difference between a payoff of 800 for 1 and a payoff of 800 to 1.
With table games like roulette, the payoffs are in the form of 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 35 to 1, etc.
This means that if you win the bet, you get to keep the amount you bet, and you get the winnings along with it.
If you bet $100 on a single number at the roulette table and win, you get a payoff of $3,500. But you also get to keep your $100.
With gambling machines, payouts are made on a “for” basis instead of a “to” basis. This means your winnings are traded for what you risked.
If you bet $5 on a slot machine and win a $10 payout, you don’t get your $5 back on top of that.
This is an important distinction you should make. Most gamblers don’t stick just with roulette, so if you’re going to play other games — and you probably will — you should understand how that works.
Specific Payouts in the Game of Roulette
In roulette, you have a huge variety of bets you can place. You bet on a single number. Or you can bet on two numbers — if either of those numbers come up, you win. Or you can bet on three numbers, and if any of those three numbers come up, you win.
The more likely it is for you to win, the lower the payout is.
A bet on black wins almost half the time. The payoff for that bet is only 1 to 1, or even money.
A bet on a single number pays off at 35 to 1, which is a big payoff, but it also only wins 1 out of every 38 spins on average.
The Difference Between the Odds of Winning and the Payout Odds
The casino makes its money from the difference between the odds of winning and the payout odds.
What Does Roulette Board Mean Math
You know how you can express the payout on a bet as odds?
35 to 1 is an example of how you’d express a payoff on the single number bet.
The odds of winning can also be expressed in the same way.
On a standard American roulette wheel, you have 37 ways to lose a single number bet and only one way to win.
This means the odds of winning are 37 to 1.
Since the odds of winning are lower than the payoff for the bet, the casino makes a profit in the long run.
Once out of every 38 spins, they’ll pay off a single number bet, but they’ll only pay off 35 to 1 on that bet. The rest of the money goes into the casino’s pocket.
What Does Roulette Board Mean In Writing
The casino deals in long-term averages, especially when it comes to roulette.
Roulette Bets and Their Payoffs
Here’s a list of bets you can make at the roulette table and how much each of them pays off.
What Does Roulette Board Meaning
The Outside Bets
These are the bets on the outside of the betting surface, and they’re the bets that pay off the most often. As a result, you win less with these bets.
Here are the outside bets you can make:
- Red(or Black) – You can bet on the color of the number, and the payout is even money — 1 to 1
- Even (or Odd) – You can bet that the number will be even or odd, and the payout is again even money — 1 to 1
- Low (or High) – You can bet that the number will be 1-18 (low) or 19-36 (high). The payout is even money on this one, too
- Columns – The numbers on the betting surface are organized into three columns. You can bet that the ball will land on one of the numbers in that column. The payoff, if you guess right, is 2 to 1
- Dozens – The numbers can be divided into 1st third (1-12), 2nd third (13-24), and 3rd third (25-36). If you guess right, you get a 2 to 1 payout
On all these outside bets, 0 and 00 count as losses. Those numbers are green, and they’re not considered even or odd, high or low.
The Inside Bets
Roulette Board Numbers Chart
These are the bets on the inside of the betting surface. They pay out better but have a bigger chance of losing.
Here are the inside bets you can make:
- Straight Up – This is a bet on a single number and pays off at 35 to 1
- Split – This is a bet on two numbers that are next to each other. It pays off at 17 to 1
- Street – This is a bet on three numbers, and it pays off at 11 to 1
- Corners – This is a bet on four numbers, and it pays off at 8 to 1
- The 5-Number Bet – You can only bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 if you want to bet on five numbers, and it pays off at 6 to 1. This is the only bet on the roulette table with a different house edge from the other bets — 7.89% (the other bets have a house edge of 5.26%)
- Line – This is a bet on six numbers and pays off at 5 to 1
All these bets would be a break-even proposition in the long run IF the wheel didn’t have a green 0 and a green 00.
How the Croupier Makes the Payouts So Quickly
The first thing the croupier does after the decision is to clear all the losing bets off the roulette table. Since he’s intimately familiar with the layout of the betting surface, this doesn’t take long at all.
Also, all the players at the roulette table have chips that are specifically colored so that they have the same color. You can’t use the roulette chips at the other table. This enables the croupier to tell your bet from someone else’s. It’s the color of the chips.
To calculate the payouts, you just multiply the bet by the payout odds.
If someone bet two chips on a single number and it won, you’d multiply 2 by 35 and get 70. That’s how many chips you’d give the player in winnings.
He doesn’t really have a magical system, either. He knows the payouts for the various bets, and he’s able to do the multiplication in his head. It’s easy multiplication, but even if it weren’t, he’d eventually just be able to memorize the correct payout relative to the number of chips bet.
Also, he doesn’t really think of the chips as money. They’re just betting units.
Can Any of This Information Help Me Win at Roulette?
Naw.
Roulette’s a negative expectation game.
You might get lucky in the short run, but if you play long enough, the math behind the payouts will eventually reduce your bankroll to 0.
Conclusion
And that’s how to calculate roulette payouts. You just memorize which bets are possible and how much they pay off. Once you know that, calculating the payouts is just a matter of multiplication.
What Does Roulette Board Mean Stand
Croupiers are able to do it quickly because they do it all day every day.
I’m able to make change in my head because I worked for years on cash registers that didn’t calculate change. I know how to subtract from 100 without any effort at all.
Calculating roulette payouts is a similar skill.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.