Roulette Rules for Dummies. Roulette is an easy game to understand and play, which is why it is so popular worldwide. There are different variations of roulette, but they all share the same basic rules. I’ll explain the different games after but first lets start with the basics. Roulette: The Basics. Roulette Rules in a Nutshell Roulette is a simple game of chance. Players place bets on where they think the ball will land on the roulette wheel, and successful players are paid out accordingly.
A progressive game of roulette is linked to a central jackpot, the so-called progressive jackpot. The value of this jackpot will then increase rapidly. For every bet that is placed, extra money is added to the central jackpot. When the progressive jackpot is won, this usually means a large payoff. Roulette is a gambling game and is usually played for money. This means there are usually minimum and maximum bids allowed for each bet placed. THE ROULETTE WHEEL. The wheel looks different based on which country you are in. In most places the wheel is composed on the numbers 1 through 36 randomly placed throughout the wheel.
Roulette is a casino classic with three main variations – European, French, and American. The game is played with a numbered spinning wheel and a small ball marker. Players place their respective bets on the table and the outcome of each spin determines which bets should be paid out by the croupier.
The roulette table comes built-in with the spinning apparatus. Cash or casino chips are placed as bets within the gridlines drawn on the table. The wheel is spun, and a marker ball is dropped in to clearly mark the final outcome.
Players place their bets on the respective areas of the table marking their bets. Once all bets have been made the croupier spins the wheel and drops a marker ball into the wheel pocket. The dealer then pays out all winning bets and collects losing bets.
BETS
These are the bets that you can make when playing roulette.
OUTSIDE BETS
Outside bets are also known as even-money bets. These bet on odds rather than a specific outcome. The outside bets you can make include Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low, Columns, and Dozen.
INSIDE BETS
Inside bets are bets placed on the numbered squares of the table. There are 8 bets here – Straight Up, Split, Street, Corner, Line, Five-Number Bet, Basket, and Snake Bet.
CALL BETS
Call bets are only available for the French and European tables. These bets are called out to the dealer and not placed on the table, as with conventional roulette bets. There are 5 options here – Voisins du Zero, Jeu Zero, Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins, and Neighbors. The Neighbors bet can be paired with any of the other 4 available bet options.
FINAL BET
Final bets are bets placed on a number as well as all other numbers with the second digit corresponding to that number. Every final bet has 4 bets in play, with exception of 7, 8, and 9.
There are 3 main variations of roulette played at casinos and online casinos worldwide.
FRENCH ROULETTE
French roulette is played with a 37-pocket wheel, with a single, green “0” pocket. The gameplay includes two additional rules – “en prison” and “la partage”.
EN PRISON
This rule is open to strictly even-money bets. Should the wheel land on a zero, the player is presented with two move options :
LA PARTAGE
La partage is also applicable to even-money bets. In this rule, any player with an outside bet is compensated with half their bet value, whenever the wheel stops at “0”.
ADDITIONAL REGIONAL RULES
EUROPEAN ROULETTE
European roulette is also played with a 37-pocket wheel. The rules and odds are the same as French roulette. However, the layout of the betting grid is different. As for the “la partage” and “en prison” rules, these are offered at the discretion of the house for this variation.
AMERICAN ROULETTE
American roulette is played with a 38-pocket wheel, with two green pockets, marked “0” and “00”. The layout of the American roulette table differs greatly from that of the French and European tables. Among the rules for this variation are :
Any player that scores a winning bet will be paid out. All other bets are counted as a loss and surrendered to the house. Players can choose to play on or end the game.
Welcome to your first roulette class! In this part we will explain to your the basic roulette rules. What does a Roulette wheel and table look like? What are the possible bets? How can I win and how much do I win? All these questions will be answered on this page.
So, this lesson is all about how to play roulette. It is not a short lesson, but it is rather easy. After you’ve mastered the rules, check out our advanced Roulette strategy page and take a peek at our inside Roulette tips and tricks. Done reading and ready to try? You can play Roulette for free at casinogames.fun!
Roulette game process | What is roulette and how to play, from bets to winnings |
Roulette wheel | What does the Roulette wheel look like, and where to find each number |
Betting possibilities | What are the possible bets on the Roulette table |
Small series | Which numbers belong to the small series |
Big Series | Which numbers belong to the big series |
Orphelins | What is Orphelins and which numbers are part of it |
Zero (0) Game | What’s the zero game and how to bet on it |
Neighbors | The actual number, and the two, four, or six numbers next to it |
Final Game | All numbers ending with your final game |
In Roulette, the dealer is always called a croupier, because of the French origin of the game. The croupier will spin the wheel, and make the ball roll in opposite direction, against the side of the wheel. This is the moment you place your bet. All the betting options are listed below. Betting is possible until the croupier says 'Rien ne va plus' (no more), to indicate that it is no longer possible to place your bet. Now you wait for the ball to roll or jump in a certain pocket, and to see if you have won or not.
The European roulette has 37 numbered pockets. In American roulette, the wheel has 38 pockets, because of an extra 00. The pockets alternate between red and black, with a green pocket for number 0.
You place your bets on the table. The standard roulette table is devided into three columns of 12 numbered squares, 36 numbers in total. The number 0 has its own green box at the head of the three columns, at American Roulette tables, there is a 00 box next to it. Number boxes can be either red or black, and are seperated with lines. A little box at the end of every column tells you the color ratio (2 to 1). At the left or right side of the table, we find a couple of miscellaneous boxes or blocks:
So, you have: numbers, blocks, lines and columns. But there's more: between all those numbers, you find corners, splits, squares, and streets. These all make up your betting options. Roulette rules give you many betting options, but always keep in mind that you shouldn't bet on just one of these options. Always adopt a certain roulette strategy to make sure you actually win!
When you place your bet on a single number or a series of numbers (or on a line, split or corner between numbers), it's called an inside bet. Inside bets have pretty high risk, but also high payouts when you win. The bet with the lowest chance but the best payout (35:1) is called en plein in French, which means: straight on a single number. A lot of people think roulette is about this: gambling on one number with one color. But you see: you have a wide choice of betting options.
All bets outside the numbered area, like on red/black, a column or block, are called outside bets. Outside bets give you better roulette odds, but the payout is lower than an inside bet.
These type of bets are all fairly logical and easy to understand. In some online casinos, you can also place special bets at alternative roulette games, like the zero game, the big and small series, orphelins and the neighbors game. Read on to find more about these exciting roulette games.
The small series is often called Tiers, referring to the French name Tiers du cylindre. The literal translation is: one-third of the wheel, which makes sense considering you're playing with 12 numbers. You play with the numbers on the lower side of the wheel, from 27 to 33. In this game, you have to place six chips to bet. The payout of all chips is split, so you get 18 times your original bet.
The Orphelins game is played on two parts of the wheel. Orphelins is the French word for orphans, probably because the game is split in two. But it might also have something to do with the fact that it is not often played in the casino. Anyway, you play this game on a total of eight numbers, and you have to bet five chips to play. You bet one chip straight on number 1, the rest of the chips are bet as a split bet on boxes 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 and 31/34. Number 17 is also paid out as a straight number.
This game is called Voisins du zero in French, meaning: neighbors of the zero. The big series takes up almost half the wheel and is situated on the top side. You have to pay nine chips to play this game. Payouts differ for each number because you have to bet double on the combinations 0-2-3 and 25-29. So, if the roulette ball falls in pocket 0, 2, or 3, you will win 24 chips back (two times a payout as a street, and the two chips that you have bet originally).
The zero game is played with four chips on the seven numbers on and around the number 0 - as you have probably figured out. The chip is bet en plein (straight) on number 26, and the remaining chips are bet as a split bet.
In the neighbors game, there are different betting possibilities. Usually, you bet five chips and play with pne number, and the two numbers left and right of it. You always make a straight bet. It's also possible to play with only one neighbor, or with three neighbors. The bets are three and seven chips respectively.
In real casinos, you can also bet on, for example, a final-4 game. You will then place your bet on numbers 4, 14, 24, and 34; every number ending on 4. This option isn’t available in online casinos unless you place that bet manually. Final 0-6 will cost you four chips and finale 7-9 will cost you three chips.
Roulette rules are not rocket science; it's your betting behavior that determines whether you're going to be a roulette winner or loser. In order to achieve at least some profit, you need to stick to a roulette strategy.