How to play Roulette

If you’re new to Roulette, your new favourite resource is this guide to how to play Roulette. We will cover all the rules and types of bets that you need to know if you want to try this classic casino game.  

Roulette is entirely a game of chance. It’s one of the most enjoyable casino games around, even though there isn’t much thought behind it. We’re going to go over every part of the laws of Roulette, so this will become your guide to playing Roulette. And after you are thorough with the rules and guidelines on how to play Roulette you can give it a try at one of the leading online casinos, Winissimo. It provides many exciting variations of Roulette like Live Roulette. So without further ado, let us dive in.

What is Roulette?

Roulette is a game played at most of the world’s online as well as land-based casinos, so it is worth learning a thing or two about it. Although the game uses a board and wheel that can seem daunting to a total beginner, the objective of Roulette is very straightforward-betting on the number (or set of numbers) on which the ball inevitably lands.

Based on their likeliness of winning, some bets have better Roulette odds than others. Depending on the casino and the rules involved, the house advantage on Roulette is between 2.5-5%. We will talk more on that later.

Roulette Wheel

The Roulette wheel is the key and movable portion of the Roulette table that decides the winning bet: it is split into black and red parts, and there is also a green section on the Roulette wheel that represents 0; There are all numbers from 1-36 but are not sequentially placed. There are some distinctions between the American wheel and the European wheel of Roulette:

The European wheel

• 37 (0, 1-36) slots.
• There are 9 black numbers on the right side of (zero) (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17) and 9 red numbers (19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36).
• There are also 9 black (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35) and 9 red (1, 3 , 5 , 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18) numbers on the left side of zero.  
• All the numbers are located inside the wheel.

The American wheel

• 38 (0, 00, 1-36) slots.
• All red numbers are the opposite of black ones. 
• Two odd numbers modify two even numbers.
• 0 is situated between two red slots and 00 between two black slots.
• The numbers are located outside the wheel.

The Table Layout

• The slot colours of the Roulette wheel and the rooms of the Roulette table are colour coded the same so that you can easily see what number and colour you are betting on.
• The numbers on the Roulette table range from 0-36, with the numbers 1-36 numbered in red and black alternating, the only green being zero.
• Three kinds of Roulette table configurations can be observed: American, European and French ones. 

• As for American and European layouts, with just one exception, they are the same. There are 0 and 00 sections on the configuration of the American Roulette table while only the 0 segment is in the European one.
• The chances on your bet are adjusted by extra zeros — the more’0’s a table has, the weaker your chances are (the house edge is greater).
• If you play live or online, bets are made by putting chips on the table at various points corresponding to different bets, on different numbers. 
• As for the configuration of the French Roulette table, it just has one 0f areas, but it is larger than two previous tables. However, players don’t have coloured chips, everyone uses cash chips.

Types of Bets

You can put bets in a variety of ways. In Roulette, any form of bet is categorised as either an inside bet or an outside bet. Inside bets are bets that are put in the centre of the table inside the grid of numbers, and outside bets are bets put along the sides of the table.

Inside Bets 

• The Straight up

You can bet on a single or more than one number by placing your bet on the number/numbers. If your number or one of your numbers gets hit, you win 35 to 1. The American double-zero wheel house edge is 5.26% while the European single-zero wheel is 2.70%.

• Bet break

This bet can be placed on more than one number by putting the chip(s) between two numbers, on the line. When any number gets hit, the payout is 17 to 1. The house edge is 5.26% for the American double-zero wheel and 2.70% for the European wheel. 

• The Street bet/ Three number bet/ Side bet

This is a gamble on three numbers. By putting your chips on the outer border of the three digits, you make the bet. A winning gamble pays off at 11 to 1. The house edge on the American wheel is 5.26% and the European wheel is 2.70%. 

• The Square 

The gamble is that one of the four numbers chosen would win. Only if the four numbers form a square then the bet will be approved. The bet is placed where all four numbers intersect. A winning bet pays out at 8 to 1. The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and on the European wheel is 2.70%.

• The Five Number bet

This bet is only seen on double-zero American wheels. Five numbers are integrated: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. At 6 to 1, a winning wager is paid. The house edge is 7.89%!

• The Six Number Bet

You can place this bet on the exterior boundaries of the six numbers you want to bet on. At 5 to 1 the gamble pays off. The house edge on American wheels is 5.26% and on European wheels, it is 2.70%.

Outside Bets 

• The Column bet

You wager that the winning number will be one of the columns of numbers on the layout. You will be placing this number at the bottom of the column that you believe is going to win. 2 to 1 is paid on a winning bet. The 0 or 00 are not a part of either column, but if these two show up the wager is lost. The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and 2.70% on the European wheels.

• The Dozens bet

The gamble is if one of a dozen numbers on the layout will be hit. There are not a dozen numbers on the wheel in succession; they are purely layout numbers.   The bet is made on the first dozen, the second dozen, or the third dozen. You can also place a bet on two of the dozens. The payout is made by 2 to 1. Once again, 0 and 00 will make you lose the bet. The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and 2.70% on the European wheels.

• The Odd/Even Bet

This bet has to be put on either Odd or Even part of the layout. There are 18 odd ones, and 18 even ones too. Neither 0 nor 00 counts on any bet and the house wins if one of them hits. The winning bet pays out even money. The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and 2.70% on the European wheels.

• Low or High bet

This bet is put on either the 1 to 18 or the 19 to 36 segment of the layout. And again, the bet fails if it shows 0 or 00. Also, the payoff is one to one (even money). The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and 2.70% on the European wheel.

• Black or Red bet

This is another even-money gamble on the colour of the number that will strike can be chosen. The house edge on the American wheels is 5.26% and 2.70% on the European wheel.

What are the odds of winning?

For winning bets, the casino pays out 35 to 1. The odds of winning are 37 to 1 if you play at a double 0 table, or 36 to 1 if you play single 0 at a single 0 table.

The payout of each bet are as follows:

Rules of European Roulette

Assuming that all potential bets are known, certain casinos and houses play with additional optional rules. The casino edge on even-money bets is practically halved by both the La Partage and the En Prison Roulette rules. If you play at home, determine at the beginning if you would like to play if any of the following rules are open.

Rule of ‘En Prison’

This is a rule of Roulette which can be attributed only to even-money bets. The player has two choices when a zero turns up:

• Half the bet is reclaimed and the other half is lost.
• Leave the bet for the next turn of the Roulette wheel for an all-or-nothing gamble. If the resulting spin is zero again or the incarcerated bet doesn’t align, then the entire bet is lost. Otherwise, the player’s money is returned if the product of the following spin suits the bet.

Rule of ‘La Partage’

The rule of La Partage in Roulette is similar to the rule of en prison, except in this scenario when a zero shows up then the player has no choice but to lose half the bet.

Rules for North American Roulette

Roulette wheels have double zero in North America and the Caribbean, and all bets (except a direct bet on the chosen zero) are lost when any zero shows up. The consequence is substantially reduced odds for the player and an improvement in the cut of the Casino. The laws are the same as for the above-mentioned European Roulette, except that the double zero functions the same as the single zero scores.

How to play Roulette at a casino?

To play Roulette in a casino, you have to first select a table that you are comfortable with a minimum bet. The smallest bet available will usually be £ 1.

1. Getting the Roulette chips

Give the dealer your money between spins by putting it on the table and asking for colour. You will then be given coloured Roulette chips by the dealer equal to the amount you have given them. For example, if you gave £ 20 to the dealer at a £ 1 table, the dealer will give you 20 chips worth £ 1 each. Colour chips have a value equal to the minimum bet taken by the table.

The use of coloured chips is to decide which of the players put each bet at the table. A colour special to them is allocated to each player (you can ask for a particular colour if you like). These chips are only available at the same Roulette table at which you got them-so don’t leave the chip table!

2. Placing the bets 

You are free to place them anywhere in the layout after you get your chips. Be mindful that there is generally a higher minimum for outside bets. An outside bet would usually be 5x-10x the inside bet minimum – which means that if you were playing at a table with a minimum inside bet of £1, you will be expected to wager at least £5 on an outside bet.

• You put chips or cash on the section of the table that reflects the bet you would like to make while betting in Roulette. 
• You can do this before the croupier declares no more bets. 
• You can pick the amount you would like to bet (usually shown in incremental amounts at the bottom of the screen while playing online Roulette), or at a Roulette terminal, and then choose the numbers you would like to bet on.
• The dealer will turn the wheel and spin the ball into it as bets are placed. Until the dealer calls “no more bets,” you can keep putting down chips, or move the ones you have already put down.

3. Winning

The dealer can take their dolly (a small glass ornament intended to mark the winning number) after the ball has landed on a number and position it over the winning number on the layout and you are not allowed to touch any of the chips in play at this stage. The losing bets will be discarded by the dealer and the winners will be paid.

When all bets are paid and the dolly is withdrawn by the dealer, the process begins again and you can start betting.

4. Leaving the Table Roulette

You would need to cash-in your coloured chips anytime you wish to leave the Roulette table since they are not good somewhere else in the casino. Slide the stack towards the dealer and inquire for “cash chips” between spins. These chips can be traded at the casino cash desk for real cash now.

To summarize

While it may seem challenging initially but if you understand well then Roulette is by far the easiest casino game and if you get lucky it has the highest possible win among many other casino games. You should still note, though, that the casino always has an advantage and if you play for long enough, you will lose all of your cash. But still, Roulette is a fun and entertaining game for professionals and beginners alike. So do give it a try next time you visit Winissimo!