Myrto Shane | December 29, 2023 | Updated on: September 9th, 2024
Learning how to play roulette is a relatively simple process. This is probably one of the easiest casino games out there, even if the roulette wheel and table may seem a little confusing to new players.
If you are interested in learning more about this classic casino table game, we suggest you stick around. Below we go through all you need to know about playing this game, including bets, variations, and tips and tricks.
We also answer some of the most commonly asked questions new players ask about the game. So, scroll on and learn how to play roulette the easy way!
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How to Play Roulette – Step-By-Step
As mentioned above, roulette is one of the easiest casino games to learn how to play. Here is all you need to know to get started:
- Place your bet – before the game starts, you will need to place your bet. You do this by placing your money on the area of the roulette table that demarcates your bet. For example, on the “EVEN” block, if you want to place a bet on even numbers on the table.
- The wheel is spun – after each player has placed their bets, the croupier spins the wheel, and the ball is dropped on the wheel rotating in the opposite direction.
- See the outcome – after the wheel and ball come to a halt, you determine whether or not your bet has been successful.
- Play again – at the end of the round, you have another chance to play again. As online games are played quickly, we suggest you be mindful of how much money you spend on a round.
List of Roulette Bets
Here is a list of the online roulette bets available in most variations of the game:
Outside Bets
Outside bets cover a large portion of the wheel. This means these bets are easier to win, but they also payout less. Here are all the most popular outside bets:
- Red/Black – this is a bet on the colour pocket on the wheel. There are 18 red numbers and 18 black numbers. A bet on a colour ensures you have just under half the wheel covered with a single bet. The payout is 1:1.
- Odd/Even – as with the colour bet, there are 18 even numbers and 18 odd numbers. If you pick odd or even, you also cover half the wheel with a single bet. The payout is 1:1.
- High/Low – this is a bet on low (1-18) or high numbers (19-36). Again, you cover half the numbers on the wheel with either a high or low bet. The payout is 1:1.
- Columns – a column is a bet on all the numbers set out on a single column on the table. This encompasses 12 numbers. As such, the payout is 2:1.
- Dozens – a dozen bet covers 12 numbers within a specific range. Ranges include 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. The payout is 2:1.
Inside Bets
Inside bets are made on a single number or a small group of numbers. These bets promise high payouts, but you are very unlikely to win. Here is a list of the most popular inside bets:
- Straights – this is a bet on a single number on the wheel. This bet pays out 35:1 if you are lucky enough to win.
- Splits – this is a bet on two adjacent numbers. The bet pays 17:1
- Streets – this is a bet on three numbers. It pays out 11:1.
- Corners – this is a bet on four numbers that appears in a square pattern on the table. It pays out 8:1.
- Six-Lines – this is a bet on six numbers. You win 5:1 if the ball lands on one of the numbers your bet has covered.
Announced Bets
Announced bets (also known as call bets) usually only appear in French roulette but may appear in some versions of European roulette. Usually, these are bets you can make while the wheel is spinning around the wheel.
The standard list of announced bets include:
- Voisons du Zero – this is a bet on the following seventeen numbers: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25.
- Jeu Zero – this is a bet on the following seven numbers: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, and 15.
- Le Tiers du Cylinder – this is a bet on six pairs of split numbers: 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, and 33/36.
- Orphelins – this is a bet on five numbers, including some of the following numbers: 31/34, 17/20, 14/17, 6/9, and 1.
Depending on the nature of the game, new bets can be added to the list of options. Some versions of American roulette have also added an option for call bets.
Popular Roulette Variations
There are many popular roulette variations. Generally, there is very little variation in how roulette is played between different forms of the game. Some versions of the games introduce new rules to contend with, but the overall concept never changes. (Roulette is not like poker or blackjack where variations may change fundamental rules of the game.)
Here are all the most popular roulette variations you are likely to find online:
American Roulette
American roulette is the most popular variation of roulette in the United States. If you have ever played roulette in Las Vegas, chances are, this is the variation you played.
American roulette differs from its counterparts in that its wheel features an additional “00” pocket. This has a huge effect on the house edge (5.26%) – it is almost double that seen in European roulette (2.7%).
As such, we recommend you stick to playing European or French roulette. You give yourself the best odds of winning by doing so.
European Roulette
European roulette is the most popular version of roulette. It is found at most casino tables outside of the United States. As mentioned above, this should be your preferred variation of roulette if you like winning and reducing the odds against yourself.
The game features a roulette wheel with one less pocket than American roulette. This almost halves the odds against you. So, why would you pass up on that?
French Roulette
French roulette offers pretty much the same experience as European roulette. However, there are two rules (La Partage and En Prison) that make the game slightly different – and, surprisingly enough, they are both pro-player!
Here is how these two rules work:
- En Prison – if the ball lands on the zero pocket and you placed an even-money bet, you are given a chance to get your money back if the next spin lands on your predicted bet option.
- La Partage – if the ball lands on the zero pocket and you placed an even-money bet, you are given half your bet back. This rule reduces losses.
Generally, French roulette games are played with either the En Prison or La Partage rules. If the option to play French roulette is there, we say take it.
Mini Roulette
Mini roulette is a variation of the game that is very popular online. As the name already suggests, it is a smaller version of the game with a smaller wheel and fewer betting options. Loads of players love playing this version of the game because you can play more games in a shorter space of time.
In addition, the limited number of betting options also means you do not have to be paralyzed by choice when you bet.
Multi-Ball Roulette
Multi-Ball Roulette is played with more than one ball, meaning you get multiple chances to win! Due to the change in gameplay, there are loads of new bets available in this variation. You might also find that the standard even money bets pay a lot less than usual because there is such a large chance of winning.
While this version of the game is very easy to learn to play, we suggest that you play it in free mode first. That way, you can make sure you understand how the rules work before placing your first bet.
Live Roulette
Live dealer roulette games let you play games with a real-life croupier from anywhere you please as long as you have a strong network connection. Lots of players who are sceptical of how random number algorithms work prefer this variation.
With live roulette games, you place your bet using the prompts on the screen. You then watch a real croupier drop the ball in a real spinning wheel and see the results. With all the cameras used to film the action, you see that the result is fair.
This form of the game does a good job of emulating the real-life version of the game as you get to interact with other real people.
Roulette Tips and Tricks
Roulette doesn’t have any measurable strategies you can use to increase your odds of winning markedly. The game is as random as random can get. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any tips you can use to improve your overall gameplay experience. Here are some of our top tips:
Focus on Outside Bets
Most outside bets give you anything between a 33% and 50% chance of winning. They do so because they cover a large area of the wheel, making it very probable that the bet could actually be successful.
Although most of these bets only pay between 1:1 and 3:1, you have a stronger chance of winning than say when you make a straight bet.
Stick to European or French Roulette
European roulette wheels only have a single zero pocket, whereas American roulette wheels have single zero and double zero pockets. The addition of one extra zero almost doubles the house edge against you.
In most games, there is no gain associated with choosing American over European. Thus, why would you want to play a game that offers you a lesser chance of winning?
If possible, try to play games that feature the En Prison rule. Maybe you will prevent yourself from losing a bet or two.
Play Free Roulette Games
Before you rush to play any roulette game online, we suggest you play free games. This way, you can learn how the game works in a risk-free environment. Yes, roulette is a very easy game to understand and play.
However, we never recommend playing a game for real money before you have a solid understanding of how it works and how your decisions impact your bankroll.
Check out our other roulette guides:
How to Play Roulette and Win Big – FAQs
1. Make a bet by placing your money on an option on the table.
2. The croupier spins the wheel.
3. Wait for the wheel to come to a halt and for the ball to land in a pocket.
4. Determine whether or not you have won.
The best bet in roulette is an even money bet. Even money bets include red/black, even/odd, and high/low. These bets give you a 50% chance of winning the wager, which is great odds. You will only double your money, but that should already be a significant payout if you bet big.
Different guides are going to give you varied answers. For example, we have listed “7” as one of the luckiest numbers in one of our other roulette guides on this site. While this number comes up frequently, other numbers that seem to be favored by the wheel include 17 and 3.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, it seems like 13 seems to be the least bet on a number. Surprisingly, it also seems to be a number that doesn’t come up frequently on the wheel.
The biggest win ever recorded was allegedly made by Charles Wells in 1881 when he won 2 Million Francs in Monte Carlo. This may seem a bit confusing given the currency doesn’t exist anymore, but the amount would have been over AU$10 million in today’s money. Not too bad for a round of the devil’s wheel if you ask us.
As many as you like. Generally, we advocate for sticking to even-money bets because you get to cover half the board with a single bet. However, you could try some strategies where you bet on the entire board if you want. Understand that if you are not lucky, you are going to run out of money very quickly.
Yes, you can become rich by playing roulette. However, we wouldn’t count on it. Out of all of the gambling games out there, roulette is one of the most random. There is literally no strategy involved in this game.
So, we don’t recommend you get your hopes up with striking an unbeatable series of wins in this game, especially if you are betting on singles.
