- Roulette is a simple yet fascinating game of chance that is extremely popular around the world – both at land-based and at the top casino sites.I doubt there is a person on this Earth that hasn't heard of it and doesn't have the slightest idea of how to play roulette, yet if you're planning on playing for real money, I would recommend that you explore the rules of roulette inside out.
- Basic Roulette Rules. While land-based casinos usually feature a single version of roulette, the best game sites provide a selection of the eight types of roulette games. However, for the purpose of this page, we will be focusing on the roulette table rules for American and European roulette.
- The game of roulette has rules that are easy to pick up and the best part is that beginners and experienced players have the same chances of winning. In most casino games, practice makes perfect, but when it comes to roulette, all you need is good luck and a solid understanding of the rules.
Roulette was first played in France back in the 17th century. It is now one of the most popular European gambling games and Monte Carlo in Monaco is a well known and famous casino centre for playing roulette.
Roulette Rules for Dummies. Roulette is an easy game to understand and play, which is why it is so popular worldwide. There are different variations of roulette, but they all share the same basic rules. I'll explain the different games after but first lets start with the basics. Roulette: The Basics. Roulette is pretty simple and straightforward, but the game does come with a set of rules and etiquette that players are required to know before they start placing chips at the table. Here are some of these important rules.
Rules Of Roulette
The Basics
Players, usually up to eight, play against the House represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. In the European roulette and French roulette version, the wheel has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In the USA most roulette wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots.
Each player buys-in a different coloured chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colorued chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the value amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colours. You then take these chips to the cash desk where they will give you actual cash money in exchange.
To play roulette, you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.
The House advantage
On a single zero roulette table the House advantage is 2.7%. On a double zero roulette table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The House advantage is gained by paying the winners a chip or two (or a proportion of it) less than what it should have been if there was no advantage. (See Roulette Quiz - The Casino Advantage.)
The 'En Prison' rule
A roulette rule applied to even-money bets only, and by some casinos (not all). When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his/her bet or leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for another roulette spin. In the second case, if the following spin the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.
The 'La Partage' rule
The la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero roulette table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% House edge and one on a double-zero roulette table has a House edge of 2.63%.
The payouts
A bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no House advantage you should collect 37 (38 in the USA on double zero roulette wheels).
A two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1.
A three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1.
A four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
A bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1.
A bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.
Object of the game
To win at roulette the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them 'hot' numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use specific roulette systems or methods, money management systems, or both.
French roulette rules
The French roulette rules are very much like the European roulette rules. It has the same 37 numbered wheel with one zero but a different table layout for the outside bets. See Table layout(Link opens new window).
The player odds in French roulette are the same as in European roulette (only one zero) and better than the odds in American roulette (two zeros). The players loose only 50% of their even-money bets when the outcome is zero, known as the 'La Partage' rule.
The object of the game is still the same - to predict which number out of possible 37 the ball will land on. And of course, they speak French. Below are the English and equivalent French terms for the various roulette bets:
Inside bets
- One number Straight up = En plein
- Two numbers Split Bet = Cheval
- Three numbers Street Bet = Transversale
- Four numbers Corner = Carre
- Six numbers Line Bet = Sixainne
The House advantage
On a single zero roulette table the House advantage is 2.7%. On a double zero roulette table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The House advantage is gained by paying the winners a chip or two (or a proportion of it) less than what it should have been if there was no advantage. (See Roulette Quiz - The Casino Advantage.)
The 'En Prison' rule
A roulette rule applied to even-money bets only, and by some casinos (not all). When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his/her bet or leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for another roulette spin. In the second case, if the following spin the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.
The 'La Partage' rule
The la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero roulette table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% House edge and one on a double-zero roulette table has a House edge of 2.63%.
The payouts
A bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no House advantage you should collect 37 (38 in the USA on double zero roulette wheels).
A two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1.
A three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1.
A four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
A bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1.
A bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.
Object of the game
To win at roulette the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them 'hot' numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use specific roulette systems or methods, money management systems, or both.
French roulette rules
The French roulette rules are very much like the European roulette rules. It has the same 37 numbered wheel with one zero but a different table layout for the outside bets. See Table layout(Link opens new window).
The player odds in French roulette are the same as in European roulette (only one zero) and better than the odds in American roulette (two zeros). The players loose only 50% of their even-money bets when the outcome is zero, known as the 'La Partage' rule.
The object of the game is still the same - to predict which number out of possible 37 the ball will land on. And of course, they speak French. Below are the English and equivalent French terms for the various roulette bets:
Inside bets
- One number Straight up = En plein
- Two numbers Split Bet = Cheval
- Three numbers Street Bet = Transversale
- Four numbers Corner = Carre
- Six numbers Line Bet = Sixainne
Outside bets
- Twelve numbers Column = Colonne
- Twelve numbers Dozen = Douzaine
- Red or Black = Rouge, Noir
- Even or Odd = Pair, Impair
- Low or High numbers = Manque, Passe
Canasta Roulette
In Costa Rica some casino table games have different names, others have different names and different rules. Roulette in Costa Rica casinos is called 'Canasta' and is played with a double-zero layout. However, instead of using a roulette wheel the winning number is selected from a circular wire cage with numbered balls similar to the one used in bingo halls.
California Roulette
The difference between California casinos and Vegas (and other) casinos is the way roulette and craps are played.
In California it is against the rules and regulations to have a roulette wheel that is spun and to have a ball drop decide which number is the winning number on the wheel. It is also against the state rules and regulations to throw dice to decide the outcome of a game.
In 2004, California legalized a form of roulette known as California Roulette. By law, the game must use cards and not slots on the roulette wheel to pick the winning number.
There are at least two variations. In some casinos, the dealer spins a wheel containing 38 cards from 1 to 36, plus 0 and 00, and after betting is closed, stops the wheel; a pointer identifies the winning card, which the dealer removes and shows to the players.
In the Cache Creek casino in northern California, a wheel resembling a traditional roulette wheel is used, but it has only alternating red and black slots with no numbers. As the ball is spinning, the dealer takes cards from a shoe and places two of them face down on the table in red and black rectangles. When the ball lands in a red or black slot, the card in the corresponding rectangle is turned over to reveal the winning number.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
Did you know?
In every casino it is customary that the croupier starts the first round/spin of the day with the ball lying in the number slot of the date of that day. This obviously excludes the numbers 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 0.
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It's time to get the ball rolling with one of the greatest casino classics of all time. Roulette has withstood the test of time for good reason. It's a great casino game that providers thrills from start to finish – what's not to like? Check out what we have to say about roulette, below!
An Overview of the Game
Known as the 'the littlewheel' and 'The Devil's Game', Roulette was invented purely by chance! The talented Blaise Pascal actually wanted to create a perpetual motion machine, but luck had other plans; in the end, he ended up creating a timeless classic.
Roulette Rules
Playing online roulette is super easy! It follows the same rules of land-based roulette. The action takes place on the iconic roulette wheel and all you have to do is get the ball to land on your selected bets. That's all there is to it. Here's a few tips and tricks to keep in mind:
- Select your numbers
- Choose and place your bets
- Drop the ball on the wheel and wait for it to stop spinning
- The winning bet will be outlined by the dealer
- Collect your winnings once all losing and winning bets have been declared.
Types of Roulette Games
Onto the games. You'll be happy to know that there are plenty of roulette games out there. You've got the classics – European, French and American roulette and you've also got more thrilling variants such as Multi-Wheel Roulette, Live Roulette and many others.
As you can see, you're spoiled for choice if you choose a good casino that offers a variety of online roulette games. Here's a more detailed explanation of some the games you can play:
European Roulette
European Roulette is one of the most popular variants out there. Featuring 37 pockets and a single zero, the house edge stands at a mere 2.70%. We think this game is not just great for beginners, but also for seasoned players who want to reel in more wins. Naturally, it is available on multiple casino platforms as a demo and a real money game.
American Roulette
Like European Roulette, American Roulette follows the same rules, with the exception of the extra pocket. Here, we've got 38 numbers as well as a double zero pocket. On top of that, the house edge increases from 2.70% to 5.26%. In all fairness, it's still quite low, but it's still something to consider when weighing the pros and cons of each game.
French Roulette
Brush up your French, with a spot of French Roulette! In this case, we've got 37 pockets and the same rules applied in European Roulette are also valid here. That said, there are a couple of stark differences between the two. For starters, this variant has a side bet that sections different parts of the wheel. Two important rules are introduced here – the La Partage and the En Prison Rule. Throughout the entire game, the house edge stands at 2.70%, but if these rules are applied, it decreases to 1.35% if you bet on a single number.
Roulette Strategies
Whilst there are many advanced strategies such as the Martingale Strategy and the James Bond Strategy, we're going to keep things simple here. Rather than focusing on fancy strategies, we're going to give you some tips that may come in handy along the way:
- Always opt for European Roulette. It has better odds, and the house edge stands at just 2.70%.
- Stick to a budget. Never bet more than you can bargain for.
- Take full advantage of the bonuses offered by your casino provider. In this case, they usually come in the form of starting bets for your winnings.
- Know the game and be familiar with the bets you can place.
Roulette Wheel Rules
- Don't bank on fancy strategies. Whilst there have been times that they have been proven to work, it's best to stick to something that works for you.
Rules Of Roulette How To Play
- Remember; Roulette is a game of chance. Sometimes you win, other times you don't. Bottom line – never chase losses, there's always tomorrow!
