Roulette Rules – Learn to play in just a few minutes

Roulette has kept gamblers thoroughly entertained at casinos since the 17th century and now, thanks to technology, gamblers can play roulette online wherever they happen to be. Below you can find all the basic roulette rules that you need to know in order to play this popular game.

A Quick Debrief of How to Play Roulette

Whether you are playing roulette online or at a brick and mortar casino, the rules will remain the same. In other words, you do not need to worry about learning online roulette rules as well as casino roulette rules.

When you first arrive at a roulette table, you will see the famous wheel and a table next to it that showcases all of the different bets that you can stick your money on.

Once you have placed your bets on the table, the wheel will be spun, and the croupier will release the small silver ball. Whatever number this small ball lands on is the winning one.

The Different Types of Roulette

When it comes to roulette, there are a handful of different variations that you can come across at online and land-based casinos. We will take a look at three of the most common below.

European Roulette

When you are playing roulette outside of the United States, this is the version of the game that you are likely to come across. The wheel that is used in this game has just a solitary zero and the numbers 1 to 36.

When you are playing European roulette at a brick and mortar casino, you have the option of giving the croupier some extra money so that they will drop the ball at a particular spot. You can also, if you wish, ask the croupier to place your bets for you. These are two things that are often not allowed at the other two versions of roulette that we will talk about. Obviously, if you are playing European roulette at an online casino, you will not be able to do this anyway.

American Roulette

The main difference between American roulette and European roulette is that the wheel in the former has a double zero as well as a single zero, which decreases your chances of winning as the ball has one more spot that it could potentially land on. When you are playing American roulette your odds of winning are 1 in 38, while if you are playing European roulette, your odds of winning are 1 in 37.

Another difference between American and European roulette is that the numbers on the wheels are arranged in a different sequence. While the numbers on a European roulette wheel are random, the numbers on an American roulette wheel are placed opposite the number that comes next. For instance, opposite 22 you will find 23 and opposite 13 you will find 14.

Furthermore, there are some bets you can make in American roulette that you cannot make if you are playing the European version. For example, in the American version, you can place a five-number bet where you will be hoping that the ball lands on either the double zero, the solitary zero, or one, two or three.

French Roulette

Roulette was created in France, so you can argue that French roulette is the authentic version of the game. This version of roulette is almost the same as the European version as there is just a single zero, the same numbers, and the bets available are the same. The betting table is a bit different, but this does not have any effect on the common rules to play roulette. However, what makes it different from the European version is that there are two extra rules that you will not often find in European roulette: La Partage and En Prison.

With the “La Partage” rule in play, if you make an even bet on the ball to land on a red or black colour or an even or odd number and the ball lands on the zero, you will get half of your stake back.

With the “En Prison” rule in play, instead of accepting half of your stake back, you can leave it on the table for the next spin. You have placed your bet in prison, which is where the name of this rule comes from.

During the next spin, if you win, you will get your full stake returned to you instead of just half. However, if you go on to lose, your whole stake will be lost.

				0			←ZERO Play it individually
PASSES→ All numbers from 19 to 36	PASSES 19 to 36			1	2	3	MISSES 1 to 18			←MISSES All numbers from 1 to 18
				4	5	6
				7	8	9
				10	11	12
PAIR→ All numbers ending with a pair figure	PAIR			13	14	15	ODD			←ODD All odd numbers
				16	17	18
				19	20	21
				22	23	24
BLACK→ All black numbers	♦			25	26	27	♦			←RED All red numbers
				28	29	30
				31	32	33
				34	35	36
	P₁₂	M₁₂	D₁₂				D₁₂	M₁₂	P₁₂	←DOZEN P₁₂ First dozen M₁₂ Middle dozen D₁₂ Last dozen
				↑	↑	↑
	Case de gauche : First column with 12 numbers Middle box: Second column with 12 numbers Right box: Third column with 12 numbers

Roulette Rules and Payouts

We will now take the time to look at roulette casino game rules when it comes to payouts. There are a number of exciting betting options in roulette and if you are new to this game then you might feel a bit overwhelmed at first. However, do not be too alarmed as we guarantee that you will get the hang of it in next to no time at all. Just always make sure that you put your chip in the correct position on the betting table because some croupiers will refuse to pay out unless your chip is in the correct place. Obviously, if you are playing at an online casino, you do not need to worry about this.

Below you will find the payouts that you can expect should you be lucky enough to win a particular bet.

Outside Bets

On the edge of the betting table, you will find a number of different betting options that are known as outside bets. With all of these bets, if the ball lands on the 0 or 00, you will lose your stake. The payouts for outside bets are as follows:

Odd or Even: If you bet that the ball will land on an odd number and it does, you will receive a payout of 1:1. You will receive the same payout if you bet that the ball will land on an even number.
Red or Black: If the ball lands on the colour that you said it will, you will get a payout of 1:1.
Low or high: If the ball lands on 1-18 and you placed a bet on low, you will receive a 1:1 payout. If the ball lands on 19-36 and you have bet high, you will get a 1:1 payout.
Dozens: You can split the 36 numbers into three different dozens – 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. If you place your money on a dozen and get it right, you will receive a payout of 2:1.
Columns: The numbers on the betting table are divided into three columns with 12 numbers. If the ball lands on a number that is in the column that you chose, you will receive a 2:1 payout.

Inside Bets

On the inside of the betting table, you will find a series of different betting options that are known as inside bets. You will win less often on these bets, but when you win the payout will be larger. The payouts for inside bets can be seen below:

Split bet: You must choose two numbers next to each other and if the ball lands on either number, you will get a payout of 17:1.
Straight-up: You place your money on a single number and if the ball lands on it, you will get a payout of 35:1.
Corner bet: Here you bet on a group of four numbers and if the ball lands on one of your numbers, you will get a payout of 8:1.
Street betYou choose three numbers in a row and if the ball lands on one of your numbers, you will get a payout of 11:1
Five number bet You can only make this bet if you are playing American roulette. Here you are betting that the ball will land on either the zero, double zero, one, two or three. If you are correct, you will get a payout of 6:1.
Line bet: Here you place a bet on two lines next to each other. If the ball lands on one of the six numbers in your lines, you will receive a payout of 5:1.

Now you know all of the casino games roulette rules you can start playing roulette for real money. However, we recommend that you play some of the free roulette games that we have on offer so that all the different types of bets that are available will become second nature to you.