Roulette Rules
Roulette is probably the most recognized game in the casino with its big spinning wheel and ability to change fortunes in an instant. With payouts that can go as high as 35 to 1, this is one of the most exciting games in both live casinos and online casinos. The setup and layout might look complicated but it’s actually a very simple casino game.
If you’re new to roulette, these rules will get you off to an easy start. Every casino offers some form of roulette so its worth at least being familiar with the game. It’s always easier to practice for free first so you can get the hang of the game before you play in front of real people at a live casino.
The Roulette Wheel
Roulette is played with a small ball that is dropped into a large, spinning wheel. The roulette wheel is marked with the numbers 1-36 and a spot for 0. American roulette wheels have an additional spot reserved for 00 (double zero).
The numbered spots on the wheel are organized so that half the numbers are red and half of them are black, in an alternating pattern around the wheel. The zero spots are green in color.
How to Play Roulette
On the table next to the roulette wheel, there is a large layout filled with the same numbers and colors as on the roulette wheel. When you’re ready to play, you simply place your chips on the layout to signify the type of bet you would like to make.
For example, if you want to place a bet on a single number, you place your chips on top of that number on the layout. If you want to bet on two different numbers, you can place chips on each number or if the numbers are next to each other, you can place your chips on the connecting border between the two numbers.
After the bets have been placed, the roulette croupier spins the roulette wheel and drops the ball in. The ball will then spin around the roulette wheel and eventually come to land in one of the 36 marked slots on the wheel. If the ball lands in any of the slots you wagered on, you get paid.
Roulette Bets
There are many different types of bets you can make with different payouts for each. The more difficult the bet, the more you get paid. On single number bets, you can get payouts of 35 to 1. The odds of hitting such bets are small but the payouts are massive. Other bets will hit almost half the time but they offer much smaller payouts.
Some of the most common bets include single number bets, bets on whether the ball will land on even or odd and bets on whether the ball will land on red or black. There are also groups of numbers you can bet on with varying payouts.
Visit our roulette bets page for a complete listing and explanation of each roulette bet.
Roulette House Advantage
The house edge in roulette comes from the existence of the zero spots. On almost all of these bets, the bet is an automatic loss if the ball lands in the zero spot. In addition to that, the house only pays out as if there were 36 spots even though there are 37. In the red/black bet, for example, the house only pays out at even money even though you’re slightly less likely than 50/50 to win because of the zero slots.
European Roulette vs. American Roulette
Most high end casinos, even in the United States, use the European style of roulette tables. The only difference between the two is that there is only one zero spot on the European wheel instead of two like in the American wheel.
If you can, you should always play at European style roulette tables because the house advantage is basically cut in half. In the above bets, the house edge is reduced to just 2.7% when played on a European style table.