The rules of roulette, roulette rules!

Roulette rules, how to play roulette

Roulette rules are all about how does one go about playing this interesting game of roulette? In other words, “what are the roulette rules?”. On this page, we dive into the game and explain it from the simplest foundation to the complicated details in a clear way.

Follow these few, easy steps, and you will be ready to start your exciting journey in the world of roulette.

Learn the most important roulette game rules to move on to discover different roulette strategies and systems to improve your odds. And no, learning the rules of roulette is not difficult.

Roulette rules: The Main Goal of Roulette

By grasping the main purpose of roulette, you will understand roulette better. This will help you to make the right decisions in regard to bet placement. Knowing the rules will help you decide when to stop or when to bet higher.

The basic principle of roulette

The basic principle is that you place your bets before the ball is placed in the wheel. You may place bets on the numbers 1 to 37 (or 36), the zero, multiple numbers (for example four numbers by placing the chip in the corner of four digits, called a corner), dozens or columns. You can also bet on red or black, or even or uneven or a high or low number (1 – 18 or 19 – 36 or 37). For an overview of all the bets possible, you can take a look at the bets and payouts table.

Have you made the right bet? Then you will receive the appropriate number of chips from the croupier depending on what the pay-outs are and how much you bet. Did you bet wrong and lose? Then the croupier will take in all the losing chips, and you will be able to place new bets until the croupier says that all bets are closed again.

Roulette rules: the basics

Before we get into the rules of roulette, you must grasp the foundations of the game. We will therefore start with the different variations of roulette before explaining so that you later understand what these variations entail.

Variations of Roulette and their Differences

The game of roulette has been played for many years in casinos, offline as well as online. You can find two different kinds of roulette variations at casinos, of which the rules differ slightly for each type.

roulette rules American Roulette
Variation 1: American Roulette
roulette rules european roulette
Variation 2: European Roulette (also called French Roulette)

Roulette rules: Win Chances

The main difference between the two types of tables is the zeros. The American variation has two zeros (0 and 00), while the European variation sticks to one (0). This means that your chances are higher of winning at European roulette than at American roulette.

The chances of winning on a specific number bet in European roulette is 2.7% (1 out of 37), while American roulette has 2.65% (1 out of 38). In other words, with each 100 euro bet and lost, players at the European roulette tables may lose 2.70 euros or 5.26 euros at the American roulette table.

Roulette rules: The Roulette Table

Roulette is considered a table game since you stand at the roulette table, similar to card games.

The roulette table is a large table with numbered spread with different sections for different bets. The roulette wheel is most often found at the head of the table, with separate pockets for all the different numbers on the table. The wheel consists of an inverted cylinder with either 37 or 38 numbers, depending on the type of roulette (American has 0 and 00). Except for the numbers one through five, no two numbers under 18 and over 18 may lie next to each other on the cylinder. The colours red and black variate throughout the wheel (except for the zeros).

Roulette rules: European vs American Roulette

Roulette rules: How to play

Roulette is an easy-to-learn game that can be played by beginners in the casino. In a real-life casino, you are expected to understand the basic rules of roulette. But online, some casinos offer you a short time of free play to learn to understand the rules and the user interface of the roulette tables in the online casino. This is done via so-called no deposit bonuses or free play bonuses.

Below, we will discuss the basic principles of the roulette game and the rules with which to play, as well as a brief introduction to the different ways to bet.

Roulette Game Rules and Progression

  • Players can place money bets, in the form of chips, on specific numbers or combinations on the layout (table).
  • The game is guided by a croupier, also called a dealer, who makes sure that the game progresses fairly.
  • Players cannot place bets after the croupier has closed all bets.
  • The dealer starts the round by spinning the ball in the opposite direction of the turning wheel.
  • The wheel and ball will turn slower and slower until the ball falls and remains in a numbered pocket on the wheel.

Bets and Betting Rules in Roulette

To play at a table in an offline as well as an online casino, you will need chips. Cash is not accepted at casinos. An important rule is that the bets must be placed before the croupier says all bets are closed and spins the wheel. If you are too late with placing your bets, then you can join in with the next round. In this case, you will simply have to wait until the ball has fallen, the wins are paid out, and the final round’s chips are removed.

roulette rules : betting options

Roulette rules: Pay-outs Roulette

While playing roulette, you will discover that you have multiple betting possibilities.

You can bet on one single number, or on a combination of numbers. When the ball falls on one of those numbers, the player wins. You will earn more on a single number than on a combination.

The player wins not only the payout of that bet, but also the betted amount back. So, you get the bet amount plus the won amount returned after the won bet.

If the ball does not fall on one of the best numbers or combinations, then the player loses the bet amount to the croupier. With online roulette, the payouts are automated, so you can’t make a mistake. When you win at online roulette, the won amount gets credited to your account…

Roulette rules: Bets and Payouts table

Bet Common NameWinning SpacesHow many pockets betPayoutOdds for Winning
Straight upAny single number (incl. 0)135 to 136 : 01 (2,70%)
SplitAny 2 adjoining numbers vertical or horizontal217 to 117.5 : 1 (5,4%)
Basket0, 1, 2 or 0, 2, 3311 to 111.33 : 1 (8,1%)
StreetAny 3 numbers horizontal (1, 2, 3, or 4, 5, 6, etc)311 to 111.33 : 1 (8,1%)
CornerAny 4 adjoining numbers in a block (ex 17, 18, 20, 21)48 to 18.25 : 1 (10,8%)
Six LineAny 6 numbers from 2 rows (ex 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)65 to 15.167 : 1 (16,2%)
1st Column1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
2nd Column2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 31, and 35122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
3rd Column3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
1st Dozen1 through 12122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
2nd Dozen13 through 24122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
3rd Dozen25 through 36122 to 12.083 : 1 (32,4%)
OddOdd numbers (1, 3, 5, …, 35)181 to 11.056 : 1 (47,4%)
EvenEven numbers ( 2, 4, 6, …, 36)181 to 11.056 : 1 (47,4%)
RedRed numbers181 to 11.056 : 1 (47,4%)
BlackBlack numbers181 to 11.056 : 1 (47,4%)
1 to 181, 2, 3, …, 18181 to 111.056 : 1 (47,4%)
19 to 3619, 20, 21, …, 36181 to 11.056 : 1 (47,4%)



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