How to Play Roulette

Roulette was first played in the 17^th century in France – it means “little wheel” in French – and became popular across the USA and Europe in the 19^th century. Today, it’s one of the most iconic casino games and is played in casinos across the world. And the trend right now is all about online roulette!

But how do you play roulette? In this guide, we’ll run through everything you need to know to get to grips with the game. You’ll soon know all the different types of bets and the variations of roulette. Then you’ll be ready take your seat at the table.

Types of Roulette Bets

Roulette is in essence a simple game, that’s what makes it so popular. Pick a number or colour, place your bet, and spin the roulette wheel. After the wheel has been spun and comes to a stop, winnings will be paid based on which pocket the ball lands in.

But in reality, it’s a little more complex than that. You have a variety of options when it comes to how to bet on roulette. We’re talking inside bets, outside bets and even called out bets.

Let’s have a look at the different types and what it could mean for your winnings.

Roulette Inside Bets

An inside bet is when you place your chip on the inside section of the roulette table, which is basically where all the numbers are. A bet on a single number would be considered an inside bet. One thing to note is that inside bets offer a higher payout with a lower chance of winning. Inside bets include:

Straight Up: Also called a classic bet, this is where you wager on a single number, for example red 7. The ball needs to land on that exact number and colour for you to win. Yes, it’s a simple bet to make, but not an easy one to win. The payout on a straight up bet is 35:1.
Split Bet (double): With a split bet, also called a double straight up bet, you bet on any two numbers that are adjacent on the table. For example 15 and 16. The winning payout for this kind of bet is 17:1.
Street Bet (trio): When you bet on three numbers in a row, for example 7, 8, 9, this is called a street bet. It has a payout of 11:1.
Corner or Square Bet: Here you bet on four numbers, with the chip placed on the corners where the four numbers touch each other. A winning payout on this type of bet is 8:1.
Basket Bet: Available in American Roulette, a basket bet involves the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 with the chip placed at the corner next to the 0 and 1. A winning payout with this type of bet is 6:1.
Double Street Bet: Also called a six-number split, a double street bet involves two adjacent rows with three numbers each, with the chip placed in the middle at the end of the rows. A winning payout for this kind of bet is 5:1.
Snake Bet: This involves betting in a snaking line of bets on 12 straight numbers. To create the snake shape you need to bet entirely on red, focusing on the following numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34. A winning payout for this kind of bet is 2:1.

Roulette Outside Bets

Whilst you might think that going for the numbers is the easiest way to play roulette, it’s one of the hardest ways to win.

Outside bets are actually the simplest kind of wager and are most suitable for inexperienced players. You have better odds of winning with an outside bet, but the payouts aren’t as big. Making an outside bet involves betting outside the area where the numbers are on the table. The different types of outside bets include:

Red/Black: As you might have guessed this one is super simple. All you need to do is wager on either red or black. There’s a 50:50 chance of this happening meaning it pays out at 1:1.
Odd/Even: Again this is an easy bet to make, as all you’re doing is betting on either odd or even. There’s a 50:50 chance of this, so this bet has a payout of 1:1.
Low or High (1-18 and 19-36): With this kind of bet, you’re placing a wager on whether the ball will land in a pocket between 1 and 18, or between 19 and 36. Once more there’s a 50:50 chance.
Dozen bet: When you make a dozen bet, you bet whether the ball will land in one of the three dozens on the table – either 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36. Winning dozens bets pay out 2:1.
Column bet: The 36 numbers on a roulette table can be split into three columns of 12. A column bet means you wager that the ball will land in the pocket of a number located in one of the three columns. Winning column bets pay out 2:1.

Called Out Roulette Bets

Now this is where things get harder to follow.

As well as betting on the inside and outside of the table, you can also make called out roulette bets or announced bets. This is where you make a bet covering a section of the wheel. They are most common on French and European roulette tables. Called out bets include:

Voisins du Zero (Neighbours of Zero): As the name suggests, this kind of bet focusses on the numbers that surround zero – 17 of them in fact. The bet covers the numbers between and including black 22 and red 25 with the green 0 roughly in the middle. There’s a 45.9% chance of winning on this type of bet.
Jeu Zero (Zero): This is a smaller version of the Neighbours of Zero bet. This time, the bet covers the numbers in between and including black 15 and red 12. It has an 18.9% chance of winning.
Le Tiers du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel): Covering one third of the wheel exactly, this bet focuses on the numbers roughly opposite the Neighbours of Zero. It runs from black 33 to red 27 and has a 32.4% chance of winning.
Orphelins (Orphans): Not to be left out, an Orphans bet covers the eight numbers that aren’t included in either a Neighbours of Zero or Third of the Wheel bet. This type of bet effectively fills the gaps between the other two and has a 21.6% chance of winning.
Finale (Final Bets): This is where you place straight bets on numbers that end with a digit of your choice, for example 5. Here you would bet on 5, 15, 25, and 35 with a 10.8% chance of winning.

Roulette Odds and Understanding the House Edge

Knowing how roulette pays out is important as you want to make the most of your bets. Payouts in roulette are based on odds, which vary slightly between European and American roulette.

The table below should help.

Type of Bet	Inside or Outside Bet	Payout	American Roulette Odds	European Roulette Odds
Straight-up	Inside	35:1	2.6%	2.7%
Split	Inside	17:1	5.3%	5.4%
Trio	Inside	11:1	5.26%	2.70%
Street	Inside	11.1	7.9%	8.1%
Corner	Inside	8.1	10.5%	10.8%
Five Number Bet	Inside	6:1	13.2%	–
Line	Inside	5:1	15.8%	16.2%
Snake Bet	Inside	2:1	31.58%	32.43%
Column	Outside	2:1	31.6%	32.4%
Dozen	Outside	2:1	31.6%	32.4%
High/Low	Outside	1:1	47.37%	48.65%
Even/Odd	Outside	1:1	47.37%	48.65%

You also need to know about the house edge. Roulette is what we call a “bankers game” which means it’s a game of unequal chance, with the structure of it giving an edge to the casino.

In European roulette, the house edge comes from there being 36 pockets on the roulette wheel, plus the green zero. This makes 37 pockets that you can bet on, but you will only win at odds of 35/1, rather than 36/1. In European roulette, this effectively means that you have 2.63% less profitability, which is the house edge.

In American roulette, this is even higher at 5.26% due to the extra 00 on the wheel (there are 38 pockets in American roulette).

Different Types of Roulette Games

You’ll also want to understand the difference between the different types of roulette. This what you need to know:

European Roulette: You’ll see 36 numbers and one zero on a European roulette wheel, so 37 pockets in total. When you play European roulette, the house edge is 2.63%.
American Roulette: The biggest difference with American roulette is that there is an extra pocket, so 38 in total. This comes from there being a 00 as well as 0. The American roulette wheels are ordered slightly differently too, but the odds are roughly the same.
French Roulette: In this version, you’ll find the same number of pockets as European with the main difference coming in how the table is set up. You can still place the same outside bets as in European roulette, however.
No-Zero Roulette: Here, as the name suggests, there is no zero at all – just the 36 numbers. This means that it’s an even playing field and there’s no house edge.
Roulette Royale: This online game is based on your standard European roulette game but enables you to play for four separate jackpots. The last of which is a progressive jackpot.
Mini Roulette: When you play mini roulette online you’ll be faced with a small wheel that features online 13 pockets. Just look out for the 7.98% house edge.
Multi-Wheel Roulette: With this online roulette game you get to bet on the outcome of eight separate roulette wheels at once. You get to choose which wheels are active during each spin, but as there’s only one betting table your bet is the same for all active wheels.