They say the first step to anything is communication; well, to help you along your way I’ve decided to put together a two part vocabulary list which will help you ‘learn to talk roulette’. The first one is going to deal mostly with the names of bets in order to help you feel comfortable with what you see, read and hear, and the second one will progress onto more general roulette vocabulary; once you get started you’ll see that the lingo pretty straightforward.
Column Bet: The numbers are laid out in rows and columns; you may bet on either one of these. So, a column bet is a bet laid at the bottom of a column and incorporates all the numbers in it. For example, 1, 4, 7, 0, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34 would all be bet on if a first column bet was laid. The column bet gives a 2:1 payout.
Corner Bet: If you want to bet on the numbers, you don’t have to choose just one, you can actually choose 4 adjoining number; you do this by simply placing your chip on the corner that all four share – this is a Corner Bet, and it has a 8:1 payout.
Dozen Bet: Not to be confused with a column bet. The dozen bet incorporates 12 numbers, but in this type of bet you are not betting on the column but rather on the dozens within the range; 1st dozen, 2nd dozen, and 3rd dozen, i.e. 1-12, 13-24, 25-36. Like the column bet though, this bet also has a 2:1 payout.
Five Number Bet: This is only possible on an American wheel and it’s like the corner bet except it covers the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 with a 6:1 payout.
Even-Odd Bet: You will see on the outside part of the table a section for ‘odds’ and a section for ‘evens’, this is an easy way of betting on all 18 odd numbers or all 18 even numbers. This type of bet has an even money payout.
Red-Black Bet: As the name implies this involves choosing red or black; it means a 50/50 chance and so the payout is 1:1.
Six Number Bet: This is like the Street Bet except that it covers two rows next to each others; the Six Number Bet pays out 5:1.
Split Bet: This is one bet laid on two numbers; you do this by simply placing your chip across the line in between the numbers. The payout of this type of bet is 17:1.
Straight Up Bet: The straight up bet is the best you can get if you win; it’s a bet on just one number, and the payout for it is 35:1.
Street Bet: This is a bet on a row and is done by placing your chip at the end of the row you wish and so each number in it is covered. The Street Bet yields an 11:1 payout.
