Roulette glossary — croupier to carré

Croupier — the casino employee who runs the table: spins wheel and ball, announces “no more bets” (rien ne va plus), clears losers and pays winners. The word is French; in American rooms “dealer” means the same person. Below: every term you’ll hear at a roulette table, each linked to its exact math.⚙ computed

The table crew & calls

Croupier / dealer — runs the game. Rien ne va plus — “no more bets”. Marker (dolly) — placed on the winning number while the table is cleared and paid. Tronc — the croupier’s tip box.

Bets, French and English

En plein = straight up (35:1) · Cheval = split (17:1) · Transversale = street (11:1) · Carré = corner (8:1) · Sixain = six line (5:1) · Douzaine / Colonne = dozen / column (2:1) · Rouge/Noir, Pair/Impair, Manque/Passe = the even-money trio.

Wheel-sector bets

Voisins du zéro — zero’s 17 neighbours, 9 chips · Tiers du cylindre — the opposite third, 6 chips · Orphelins — the 8 leftovers, 5 chips · Jeu zéro — zero’s tight 7, 4 chips · Neighbours (“and the neighbours”) — a number plus two each side, 5 chips.

Rules & math words

La partage / en prison — the half-back rules · Inside / outside — the felt’s two zones · House edge — the fixed percentage the structure keeps (all values) · Variance / SD — the ride (why 35:1 feels wild) · Gambler’s fallacy — the “due” illusion · Basket / first five — the 7.89% mistake.

Frequently asked

What does croupier mean?

The casino employee who conducts table games — at roulette: spinning wheel and ball, calling no more bets, clearing losers, paying winners. French in origin; “dealer” is the American equivalent.

What language are roulette terms in?

Mostly French — the game’s birthplace: en plein (straight up), cheval (split), rouge/noir (red/black), rien ne va plus (no more bets). English tables translate the bets but keep much of the vocabulary.