Roulette is not a complicated casino game, which is most probably the reason it is so popular. Even so, it is important to understand the rules to understand and to be able to bet properly. This is what we will be covering in this article, to make sure that you have the appropriate foundation before playing with money. We’ll share our tips and experiences, and give you a heads-up of what to look for. We explain to you how to play roulette in the best way possible.
Roulette for Beginners, the basics on how to play roulette
This page is meant as roulette for beginners page. We learn how to play roulette in the easiest way. We begin with the rules of the game. Roulette is made up of several elements; the roulette wheel, the ball (also known as the pill), and the roulette table. The roulette wheel consists of 37 pockets that all represent a number (in total 37, or 38 with the double 0). The number on the wheel is found directly above the pocket and has the colour red (18 pockets), black (18 pockets), or green (1 or 2 pockets, for the 0 or 00).
As a roulette player (also beginners at roulette), it is your goal to bet money, in this case, chips, on the table. The roulette table, or layout, is a somewhat flattened version of the roulette wheel so that you can place your chips more easily. There are multiple different ways of placing your bets on the layout. You can bet on the 37 numbers, black or red, or even or uneven. You can also combine bets by placing chips on black and on a number, or you can also bet on multiple numbers at once. In theory, you can place as many bets as you want. But we advise starters at roulette to take it slowly and do not place too many bets at a time.
Live Roulette for Beginners
You have a certain, limited time to place your bets on the layout. At live roulette tables, the croupiers, or dealers (the people who spin the roulette wheel, ball and make sure that the game proceeds fairly) will let you know when the betting period is closed. This is usually paired with the hand signal, sweeping their hand just above the roulette table. Once the dealer has spun the roulette wheel (spin the wheel), they will spin the ball in the wheel in the opposite direction. Subsequently, you must exercise your patience until the ball has stopped spinning and has landed in one of the 37 pockets. If your bet corresponds with where the ball stops, you have won your bet, and the croupier will pass you your chips.
Pay-outs
Your win depends entirely on the risk that you take with roulette. Betting on black or red, or even or uneven gives you approximately a 50% chance of winning, which is much higher than a bet on one number (chance of 1:37). You will also see this in the pay-outs. Betting on a colour or odd or even will double your bet amount, with the payout of 1:1. If you bet on the correct number, then you will be paid 35 times your bet. We have seen a lot of roulette beginners start with straight-up bets and losing.
Pay-out Table
Bet Common Name | Winning Spaces | How many pockets bet | Pay-out | Odds of Winning |
Straight up | Any single number (including 0) | 1 | 35 : 1 | 36 : 1 |
Split | Any 2 adjoining numbers vertical or horizontal | 2 | 17 : 1 | 17.5 : 1 |
Basket | 0, 1, 2 or 0, 2, 3 | 3 | 11 : 1 | 11.33 : 1 |
Street | Any 3 numbers horizontal (1, 2, 3, or 4, 5, 6, etc) | 3 | 11 : 1 | 11.33 : 1 |
Corner | Any 4 adjoining numbers in a block (ex 17, 18, 20, 21) | 4 | 8 :1 | 8.25 : 1 |
Six Line | Any 6 numbers from 2 rows (ex 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33) | 6 | 5 : 1 | 5.167 : 1 |
1st Column | 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
2nd Column | 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 31, and 35 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
3rd Column | 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
1st Dozen | 1 through 12 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
2nd Dozen | 13 through 24 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
3rd Dozen | 25 through 36 | 12 | 2 : 1 | 2.083 : 1 |
Odd | Odd numbers (1, 3, 5, …, 35) | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
Even | Even numbers (2, 4, 6, …, 36) | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
Red | Red numbers | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
Black | Black numbers | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
1 to 18 | 1, 2, 3, …, 18 | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
19 to 36 | 19, 20, 21, …, 36 | 18 | 1 : 1 | 1.056 : 1 |
Tips and Tricks for starting Roulette players
Even starters will quickly come to the realization that roulette is a relatively easy game to grasp, but can still be incredibly exciting. While the game may primarily be based on luck, some players tend to disagree on this. Some have even come up with certain techniques that improve their odds, such as the Martingale System, which constantly lets you double your bet on black or red. In this strategy, you will, at some point or another, win, at which point you win your heightened bet back. Want to know more about different strategies? Learn more about them here.

As a beginner, we suggest that you first check out how roulette works by playing roulette for free before playing with real money bets. Now that you understand the basics, it is handy to get to know the roulette wheel and layout. As soon as you fully comprehend the game, you can deposit and play with real money so that you can win real money too. Perhaps you can try out a strategy or two, maybe you’ll find one that works for you. We also recommend that you check out our page with 10 important tips to make roulette even more thrilling.