Roulette is a great game with which you can make a lot of money. And it’s also one of the most easiest game to play. All you have to do is read up on the rules. The most important rules of roulette are briefly explained on this page. Read our explanation of roulette and increase your knowledge of this casino classic! The goal of the game is to predict which number on the wheel the little ball will land on. There are different betting options and various strategies that can help you make big wins.
How to play Roulette
- Already know the rules of roulette? –> Find the best Online Casino to play Live Roulette.
- Looking for new strategies? –> Take a look at our 9 best Roulette Strategies.
Betting options
Before the game begins, you have to place a bet on the Roulette table. The dealer will tell you to place your bets. In French this is called ‘Faites vos jeux’. After a short while the dealer tell you to stop placing bets. In French this is called ‘Rien ne va plus’. After this point, all placing of chips must cease. There are a lot of different betting options. You will first have to choose if you want to make inside bets (bets within the playing field) or outside bets (bets outside the playing field). Make sure you know all the rules of roulette, get up to speed.
Inside bets
When you want to place your bet on the inside of the playing field, you will have several options:
| Inside bets | Payout | |
| Straight | One number | 35 to 1 |
| Split | Two numbers at the same time | 17 to 1 |
| Street | Three numbers straight | 11 to 1 |
| Corner | Four numbers at the same time | 8 to 1 |
| Line | Two adjacent straights | 5 to 1 |
Outside bets
You can also place a bet outside the playing field. You will then have the following options:
| Outside bets | Payout | |
| Column | 1 of the 3 rows of 12 numbers | 3 to 1 |
| Dozen | 1 of the 3 sections of 12 numbers | 3 to 1 |
| High / low | High (19-36) or Low (1-18) | 1 to 1 |
| Colour | Black or red numbers | 1 to 1 |
| Odd or even | Even or odd numbers | 1 to 1 |
The Roulette Table
The Roulette table is pretty much the same across all variations of roulette. With one difference; the American version has one extra field, for the double zero. Both American and European versions clearly show the inside and outside bets, and the numbers are coloured correspondingly to the pockets on the wheel. The European Roulette table is the most different ones as it has a slightly different layout and it features the bet names in French. That’s why the European Roulette is also known as French Roulette. Still, these are only superficial differences that do not impact the return-to-player ratio.
Check out the three main types of Roulette table layouts in the picture below:
If the game you are playing features announced bets, there will probably be an additional betting table, known as a racetrack. It has all field for all possible call bets, including the ‘neighbour’ bet.
The difference between European and American Roulette
There are two different types of roulette: European Roulette (also known as French Roulette) and American Roulette. All types can be played online. There is only one small difference in the rules. American Roulette is played with both a zero (0) and a double zero (00).
American Roulette
The American version of Roulette is known for having the highest casino advantage of them all. This is all because of the extra green slot, labelled ‘double zero’. With its addition, the total number of pockets on the American Roulette wheel become 38. Clockwise, the sequence of numbers goes like this:
0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2
European Roulette
The more popular version of the Roulette wheel features 37 pockets, including the numbers from 1-36, and only a single green zero pocket. Due to that, the house edge is significantly lower than that of the American version. The clockwise sequence of numbers on the wheel goes like this:
0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26
Bets Based on Wheel Sectors
The so-called ‘Announced’ or ‘Call’ bets are available exclusively on European/French Roulette. They are the only bets that are not based on the layout of the table, but on the layout of the wheel. Here is a list of all such bets, along with the numbers they cover.
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- Neighbours of Zero – 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25
- Thirds of the Wheel – 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33
- Zero Game – 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15
- The Orphans – 1, 20, 14, 9, 17, 34, 6
There is also one more bet, called a ‘neighbours’ bet, in which the players bet on 5 consecutive numbers, as seen on the roulette wheel.
The layout of the Roulette wheel
The order of the numbers on the Roulette wheel has nothing to do with their arithmetic value. This is one of the secrets that makes Roulette such a balanced game – at least in theory. The rules of Roulette and the sequence of numbers are carefully designed, and manages to accomplish several things at once:
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The sequence is confusing. It is extremely difficult for a person to take a look at the wheel and see any relation between the numbers and sectors. That is why it’s almost impossible to notice any bias, and bet on a specific sector as a result. Although a pro surely knows how the sequences go, to the average eye, it all looks completely random.
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Black and red alternate completely. No matter the type of wheel, two adjacent pockets should always have different colours. This is an absolute must.
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Low (1-18) and High (19-36) numbers alternate as much as possible. You will rarely see a low and a high number next to each other in European Roulette – the only exception being 5 and 10. The American Roulette wheel doesn’t do a pretty good job at this, and there are many low and high numbers that are adjacent to each other. That is why the European Roulette wheel is known to be the better balanced of the two.
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Even and Odd numbers are evenly distributed along the wheel. No more than two even or odd numbers are next to each other in the European Roulette wheel.
As you can see, the layout of the numbers on the Roulette wheel is all but random. Some clever thinking went into all of this, and as a result we have a game that is as close to the balance as possible. Make sure you know the rules of roulette and the best roulette strategies before you give it a spin.
Modern variations: Double Ball Roulette, Pinball Roulette and Speed Roulette
Double ball Roulette, which was introduced by Evolution, comes with betting options that are somewhat different in addition to different rules which is why it pays to understand them if you are to play a profitable game. First off all, as mentioned earlier, players have to make use of two balls as opposed to one. When using two balls for inside bets, one of the balls has to land on a given number if a win is to be gotten.
When it comes to the outside bets, on the other hand, both globes are supposed to land in a given area if a win is to be gotten. So to summarise It is important to mention that to win an inside bet, only one of the balls must hit. For outside bets, however, both balls must be at winning pockets for the win to count.
If luck is on your side, you can look forward to a maximum payout of a stunning 1300:1! When you play Double Ball Roulette, you can look forward to real value for your money with this number.
Pinball Roulette is in the standard European format, featuring only one green zero. All classic inside and outside bets are available, including neighbour bets. You place your wagers normally and then click on the Bet button. This is where it gets interesting.
Instead of the usual roulette wheel, you will be transported to a pinball machine! The ball is automatically set off towards a field full of bumpers and pins. After a wild ride, the ball will eventually land in one of the moving pockets at the bottom of the pinball machine, thus determining the winning number.
If you manage to win, another unique feature of Pinball Roulette will show up. You can either collect your winnings and go back to the roulette table, or gamble them on a different pinball machine. As you can see from the screenshot, the machine has a number of multiplier bumpers – if the ball hits any of those, you will get the multiplier bonus. After that, the ball must fall in the middle section in order for the bonus to count. If the ball drops without hitting any bumpers, or falls in the far-left and far-right sections, you will lose your bet.
Speed Roulette is a speedy variant of Evolution’s classic Live Roulette. Game rounds occur on a standard European Roulette table with the single green zero, but each round only take 25 seconds from the start of one spin to another. Betting only takes place during the spin, unlike classic Roulette where betting closes on spin.
To play, simply follow the rules of roulette and choose your bet amount and place your chips on a number, a set or red or black. You have just 25 seconds to place your bets, that’s about twice as fast as a standard live Roulette game. The only other difference is you’re betting while the wheel is spinning. Players can Roulette around 50 extra games per hour in comparison to other live dealer options on the market.
Playing Live Table Online Roulette
Live Table Roulette works in exactly the same way as normal Roulette, only with some nice extra adjustments. So all the standard rules of roulette apply. You play the game against real croupiers. This gives you the feeling of actually being in a casino. You’ll find various tables, each with their own table limit. You can join in from as little as €0,10.
By playing with a live dealer, you have the feeling of being at the casino yourself. You’ll enjoy the company of the dealer and the other players at the table, but also the anonymity of gambling online. Using the multiple camera angles of the live stream, you can keep track on what is happening all around you.
The advantages:
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- You play at a real table with a real live dealer.
- View the table from multiple angles.
- Accessibility and anonymity: you can play live Roulette completely anonymously.
- You won’t experience the chaos or pressure of a traditional casino.
In short, Live Roulette makes the game of Roulette a little more exciting and challenging. Don’t delay, discover Live Roulette now!
