Beginners Guide to Roulette Rules

Understanding the Roulette Wheel

Roulette revolves around a spinning wheel with numbered slots or ‘pockets’. The dealer will take bets from gamblers before dropping the ball onto the spinning wheel.

Whichever players correctly guess the color, number or section the ball lands in, wins. In online roulette, the wheel and pocket the ball lands in are controlled by a Random Number Generator (RNG) mimicking the randomness of real-life roulette and ensuring game fairness to online players.

Placing Bets on the Roulette Table

With over 20 different types of bets available, betting on roulette is both varied and exciting. Inside and outside bets are the two main types of wagers; each one has its own range of varying payouts and odds, ranging from even money all the way up to 35:1.

Inside Bets

To break it down simply, inside bets are placed within or ‘inside’ the roulette table and include bet names such as street, corner, straight up and split. These types of bets are high payouts, long odds. This means you have a much lower chance of winning than with outside bets but the amount you win is much higher.

Outside Bets

Outside bets cover the rest of the roulette table, or the ‘outside’. They feature the more recognized bets such as red/black, odd/even, dozen and high/low. Since these are bets with low payouts, you probably won’t score huge wins with them. However, you will have higher chances of hitting than inside bets, so you can maintain your bankroll for longer.

American Roulette

American roulette is one of the most popular versions of the game, played on a 38-pocket wheel numbered 1-36 plus 0 and 00. The extra 00 creates an extra pocket on the wheel which doesn’t exist on European roulette and increases the house edge to 5.26%.

This roulette variation offers unique five-number (or “top line”) bets on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. This option pays out at 6:1 but has a house edge of 7.89% and the worst odds on the table. The usual inside and outside bets we described above are also still available.

European Roulette

European roulette only has a single 0 on its wheel, making its house edge 2.7% - one of the lowest of all the roulette variants.

Players can also play with ‘call’ and ‘announced’ bets on the European table, ensuring fast and exciting gameplay online or in a physical casino.

Royal Roulette

Royal roulette has the same rules and format as European roulette, with the addition of a progressive jackpot bet. Alongside your main bet, you have the chance to make a second wager on either inside or outside bets, or singular numbers. To win the progressive jackpot bet, the number you choose must land five times in a row.

Multi-Ball Roulette

Using a European roulette wheel and table, multi-ball roulette adds as many as 10 balls at once. This increases the number of betting options players can make, making it an exciting and modern update to the classic roulette format.

French Roulette

French roulette uses the same single 0 wheel as European roulette and therefore has the same house edge. However, the French roulette table layout does differ slightly. In this game, the outside bets are split between the two long sides of the board. The bet types are the same as European roulette although of course in French; odd and even are ‘pair’ and ‘impair’, high bets are ‘passe’ and low bets are ‘manqué’.

Also on the board are 12 P (premiere douzaine), 12 M (moyenne douzaine) and 12 D (dernier douzaine). These refer to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd 12s (respectively) on the American or European roulette table.

French roulette includes the ‘En Prison’ rule, which means that your full stake is ‘imprisoned’ and carried over to your next spin if 0 hits on an even-money outside bet. If the next spin wins for that bet, you get your stake back (though with no profits), but you will lose the whole stake if the next bed loses. Another rule is ‘La Partage’, which means you immediately lose half your bet if the ball lands on an even-money outside bet. Some casinos offer a choice between these two rules.

Mini Roulette

Few online casinos offer this scaled-back version of roulette. Only half the size of a regular roulette table and with fewer betting options, it's a good game for new gamblers to practice their betting and wagering skills.

Multi-Wheel Roulette

Keep the fun going with multi-wheel roulette. This version of the game gives you even more chances of winning by playing with more than one wheel. The game also uses the same rules and set-up as European Roulette allowing you to bet on sections of the wheel and the table.

Live Dealer Roulette

Players can enjoy the energy and thrill of roulette games online in the comfort of their own homes. The house edge, bet types and rules will be the same in live dealer online roulette games as those in land-based casinos. While these appear less often on casino sites, the best online casinos for roulette will offer live dealer games.

Choose the Best Strategies for Winning Roulette Online

Using a roulette strategy can be a tempting option when you're new to playing roulette or want a fast way to win big on the wheel. However, like with all gaming systems and techniques, there can be a level of risk that doesn't always pay off in the long run.

To help you navigate the world of roulette strategies, we’ve created a dedicated guide explaining popular techniques such as the James Bond and Martingale strategies, as well as the Paroli and the Fibonacci techniques. Complete with details of how to use them and their pros and cons, this guide will allow you to make the smart choice for you and your bankroll.