Roulette is one of the most iconic casino games in the world and can be found on the floors of most bricks and mortar establishments. It’s also widely played online with numerous variants offered by virtual casinos.

Basic Rules of Roulette

Roulette is played with a large wheel that comprises either 37 (European) or 38 (American) pockets. Both variants feature 36 numbered stops although the American version also contains an extra 00 pocket. Each of the 36 stops are evenly coloured either red or black while the pockets are green.

A dealer or croupier spins a ball on the outer rim of the wheel which eventually falls into a numbered stop. Prior to each spin, the player predicts the number on which the ball will land.
Bets are made on a table which represents each number through a grid layout. Players can place bets on single numbers and/or combinations as well as number colours, rows and columns.

American roulette is far worse for the player, which means that if you want to play roulette, try to find a casino that operates the single zero variant of this game, ideally using some of the rules that decrease the house edge in roulette. At American tables, the '00' slot increases the casino's advantage even more. On a roulette table with a single zero, the casino has an advantage of 2.7%. On a roulette table with a double zero, the casino has an advantage of 5.26%. Some French tables will employ rules that generally help out the players.

Once the ball has landed in a stop, the croupier will place a marker/dolly on the corresponding table number. Any bets on that number are then paid out.

History of Roulette

The game is thought to have originated in 17th century France with mathematician Blaise Pascal. However, the actual roulette mechanism derives from an earlier Italian game called Biribi.

Modern roulette has been played since at least 1796. We know this because of a novel penned that year by Jaques Lablee, entitled La Roulette, Ou Le Jour. In it the author describes in some detail, a roulette wheel used in the Palais Royal.

During this period, French incarnations of roulette featured a red single zero and black double zero. Both of these were considered house pockets so any bets placed on red or black were lost should the ball land in either. To prevent confusion, green colours were eventually used from the 1800s onwards.

In 1843, French brothers Francois and Louis Blanc introduced a single zero roulette wheel in order to compete with the double zero house pockets used by most casinos of the time. Both versions of the game became wildly popular across Europe during the 19th.

But it was the single zero game which eventually gained supremacy after Prince Charles of Monaco III requested it be adopted by his tiny principality in the late 19th century. And it was here that modern French roulette became firmly established in Europe as the most fashionable casino game of its era.

It was during this period, that the double-zero variant was introduced to the United States. Starting on the Mississippi, the game quickly spread westward as more and more gambling dens adopted the well-established European game.

Online Roulette Variants

As with other traditional casino games, there exist numerous variations of online casino roulette. Some of the most popular include, but are not limited to:

• European Roulette – Single Zero Pocket
• French Roulette – Single Zero Pocket, Different Table Betting Options
• American Roulette – Double Zero Pocket
• Mini Roulette – 13 Number Wheel, Single Zero Pocket
• Double Ball Roulette – Self-Explanatory

Roulette Terminology – Betting

Basket Bet – bet placed on five numbers with one chip

Bet on the Layout – bet placed on any numbers

Black Bet – bet on next number being black

Carre – French term for corner bet

Combination Bet – bet with one or more chips on two or more numbers

Corner Bet – bet placed on the corner of four numbers

Dozen Bet – bet placed on three groups of twelve numbers: 1 – 12, 13 – 24, 25 – 36

Double-Up – player increases bet by two after loss to regain lost money on previous bet

Even Money – any bet that pays 1 to 1

En Plein – French term for straight bet

Five Number Bet – bet placed on 0, 00, 1, 2 or 3 (American Roulette)

High Bet – bet placed on numbers between 19 and 36

Inside Bet – bet placed on individual/small groups of numbers

Line Bet – bet placed that one of six numbers in two rows of three will win

Low Bet – bet placed on a number between 1 and 18

Orphans – European term referring to bets on neighbouring numbers: 6, 34 and 17

Outside Bet – bet placed outside of number layout covering large sections of roulette wheel

Parlay – doubling one’s bet after a win

Red Bet – bet on next number being turquoise

Six Line Bet – bet placed on two adjacent lines

Split Bet – bet placed on two adjacent numbers

Straight/Straight-Up Bet – bet that covers just one number

Street Bet – bet placed on three consecutive numbers on the same line

Transversale – French term for Street Bet

Trio Bet – bet placed on three numbers that include the zero or zeros

Voisins du Zero – French term for bets on a group of numbers next to the zero

Roulette Terminology – Miscellaneous Terms

Backtrack – outer rim of roulette wheel

Biased Numbers – numbers on the roulette wheel which are statistically proven to hit more often than others

Bottom Track – inner area of roulette wheel

Chameleon – player who copies strategies of other players

Check Rack – tray where chips are kept

Double Zero – refers to roulette wheel pocket marked as “00”

Marker/Dolly – apparatus used by the croupier to mark a winning number on the table

No Action – term used by croupier during wheel spin to signify that all bets are cancelled

Pockets – the numbered spaces on a roulette wheel

Visual Tracking – permitted process in which the player follows the ball and wheel to predict where it lands

Zero – refers to pocket on roulette wheel numbered with a 0

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games played by thousands of people throughout the world. The game has several variants, in which slightly different rules apply. If one wants to learn how to play roulette and be successful at it, one would have to get familiar with the table layout, the various options concerning colour, odd/even, the areas on the table, the type of bets and how the game unfolds. It should be noted that the way the numbers are set on the wheel (the word roulette actually means “a small wheel” in French) is not the same as their arrangement on the table.

The Roulette Wheel

The layout of the roulette wheel depends on whether we are talking about American or European roulette, which are the two main variants of the game. The American roulette features a double zero in addition to the single zero. Both zeros are green and the colours of specific numbers don’t differ between American and European roulette. For example, 32 is red in both of them and 24 is black in both of them. However, their position on the wheel isn’t the same. In French roulette the numbers are aligned more randomly, although it should be said that there are 8 black odd numbers and 10 black even numbers in comparison to 8 red even ones and 10 red odd ones. In American roulette, two neighbouring numbers are placed in diagonal opposition. Thus, one is placed opposite to two, 35 is opposite to 36 and so on. The different and slightly random alignment in European roulette allows the placement of the so-called announced bets.

The Roulette Table

The roulette wheel takes the central place on a roulette table in European roulette, but it’s usually positioned on one end of it in the American variant. The table is designed in a way that will allow from 6 up to 8 players to be able to play at the same time. The croupier is always close to the table, observing the moves of the players. In contrast to the layout of the wheel, there isn’t that much of a difference between American and European roulette when it comes to the table layout. The two main areas that can be distinguished on a roulette table are the inside and the outside.

The inside is the part of the table where the fields for the individual numbers 0-36 are placed. The zero is placed in a single row on top, while the other rows contain three numbers each – 1-3, 4-6, etc. Below each column there is a field where you need to place a chip if you want to bet on that column and these are part of the outside area. On the side there are fields for odd/even, the three different dozens, red/black and the called/announced bets in European roulette.

Types of Bets

The bets in roulette differ mainly depending on how simple the criteria or winning possibilities are. They are also inside (or placed on specific numbers and groups of numbers), outside (being marked at the sides of the table) and announced (that are different from these two groups). The following paragraphs will clarify in more details.

Outside Bets

The outside bets are the right type for you if you want to play it safe and aim at a more probable win. Needless to say, the winning payouts aren’t very high. The high winning probability attracts a lot of players, especially rookies who are reluctant to risk it at first. Probably the most common type of outside bet is the colour, or the red or black bet. Here, you bet whether the number on which the ball will land is going to be red or black. The winning chances are slightly lower than 50%, because of the zero(s), and the winning payout is one-to-one. If the ball drops on zero, you lose irrespective of whether you have placed a bet on red or black, unless the “En Prison” rule is enforced. In addition, you can bet on whether the number is going to be even or odd. Again, the chance of winning is a bit lower than 50% and the payout is 1:1. The Low/High bet is another type with 1:1 payout and the point is to guess whether the number will be higher or lower than 19. The zero doesn’t count as either low or high.

• 1. You bet on either black or red.
• 2. You bet on either even or odd.
• 3. You bet on either low (1-18) or high (19-36).

The dozen and the column bets are also outside ones, but the chances with them are not so straight. They have 2:1 payouts and winning odds slightly lower than 33%.

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Inside Bets

The inside bets, on the other hand, are the ones that will give you large payouts. Of course, with inside bets, the winning chances are much smaller and you can expect fewer wins if you keep placing them. There are plenty of varieties of the inside bets. You can always combine your stakes, or place more than one chip on a single bet.

• A. Plein: The first bet, with the highest possible payout is the straight-up. This is when you place a bet on an individual number. For example, you can bet on 3-red, or 15-black, or zero. You only win if the ball lands on that exact number and the payout is 35:1.
• B. Cheval: Then, there is the split, when you split one chip on two neighbouring numbers, for example 14/15 or 17/20. The payout here is 17:1.
• C. Transversale Plein: The street bet is placed on 3 numbers that form a single horizontal row, like 4/5/6 and the payout is 11:1.
• D. Les Trois Premiers: The trio is a similar bet, also placed on three numbers, but in this case the numbers are 0, 1 and 2 or 00, 2 and 3 if you’re playing American roulette. The winning payout is the same as for a street – 11:1.
• E. Carré: The corner bet is placed on four numbers that form a square on the table, such as 16, 17, 19 and 20 and the payout is 8:1.
• F. Les Quatre Premiers: This bet means putting your chip on the first four numbers – 0/1/2/3. The payout is the same as in the corner bet, 8:1.
• G. Transversale Simple: In the six line bet, obviously, you place a bet on six different numbers which are arranged in two rows. Practically, this is a double street bet. The payout is 5:1.

Announced Bets

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The called or announced bets are only available in European roulette, which is sometimes called French roulette, so it’s not surprising that the names of these bets are often enlisted in French. There are two main types of called bets – fixed and variable. The announced bets are based on the position the numbers have on the wheel and not on the table.

• 1. Voisins du Zero: “Neighbours of zero” is the bet that covers all the numbers in the proximity of the zero on the wheel – 0, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 35. The payout varies and you may win different amounts depending on which of the neighbours of zero the ball lands on.
• 2. Zero Spiel: The “zero game” is a similar called bet, which covers the seven numbers which are closest to the zero, so it’s a smaller version of the neighbours of zero.
• 3. Tiers du Cylindre: “Thirds of the wheel” covers the 12 numbers which are on the opposite side of zero. Here the payout is fixed at 17:1.
• 4. Les Orphelins: The “orphans” are the 8 numbers that aren’t covered by the Neighbours of Zero and Thirds of the Wheel bets.
• 5. Neighbours: This is one of the two variable announced bets. In it, you choose a number and bet on that number and its neighbours.
• 6. Finals: In this case you bet on the ending digit on a number – say 5, where it covers 5, 15, 25 and 35. Different final bets have different payouts because not all final digits cover an equal amount of numbers.

Gameplay – Sequence of Events

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The game of roulette is pretty simple and straightforward and it’s not difficult for new players to get the grip and start playing. First of all, you need to know that all the chips in roulette have the same, generic value, unlike poker or blackjack. Each player on the table has chips in a different colour in order to avoid any unnecessary confusions. Before the wheel is spun, the croupier asks the players to place their bets. There is a certain time limit for that. The bets have to be clear, for example you have to place the bet on the exact corner of four numbers if you want it to be a corner bet and not a split. Then the croupier says “No more bets” and you’re not allowed to place any more bets after that point. If you do, the bet will be void. Once the ball lands in a numbered pocket, the croupier announces the winning number, checks if any player has won and then pays out accordingly.