Learning the rules to play roulette

Roulette is one of the more popular games of chance found at online casinos. Part of this popularity is undoubtedly down to the fact that it is a luck-based game. Players don't need to skill to play this game. All they need is an understanding of the betting options. Click here to learn!

Understanding the roulette wheel

The first step to playing is to understand the wheel. On the roulette wheel are 37 pockets. These are alternately coloured red and black. Each pocket has a different number from 0 to 36. The wheel is then spun and a ball is dropped onto the wheel where it spins before the ball lands in a pocket.

  1. The wheel has the numbers 0 - 36
  2. The ball lands in a pocketThe

The final part of playing roulette is simple. PLayers just need to guess which pocket the ball will land on. Bets are made on the betting table next to the wheel. These are all placed before the wheel is spun with any winning bets paid out after each spin. Read on for the betting options.

Roulette betting options

The first set of betting options are the outside bets. These are bets that are more likely to come to pass. However, this does mean that they will pay out a lot less. Outside bets include betting on odd/even, red/black or on large groups of numbers including dozens or columns. Bets are placed before the wheel spins.

Inside bets will pay out a lot more. However, the likelihood of these coming to pass is a lot lower, therefore, making this a riskier betting options. Some of the inside bets include placing a bet on a single number called a straight bet. This pays out the most of all the bets.

Types of roulette

There are actually three different types of roulette available. While they all follow much the same rules, there are a few subtle differences that can mean the difference between a win or a loss. Generally, French and European roulette work on the same lines with the same number of pockets. French just has a few extra rules.

American roulette on the other hand does differ in that it has an extra pocket. This is a 00 pocket. What this means is that the house edge for roulette is slightly increased in this version of the game. Therefore, it's actually a better option to choose one of the other versions when playing.

Roulette betting strategies

Though this is a game of luck, players can put into play some different betting strategies which can help to keep a bankroll going for longer. For instance, players just starting out would be better off placing outside bets. Though these payout small, they will keep happening on a regular basis ensuring the bankroll ticks over.

  • Martingale and Reverse Martingale
  • D'Alembert system
  • Fibonacci

The above are a number of different betting strategies. These all relate to how much a player should increase or decrease a bet after a win or a loss. None of these guarantee walking away with a profit, but they will help to manage a bankroll a lot better than simply placing any bets.

Additional roulette bets

For players that really want the best option when playing roulette, the aforementioned French version of the game is the way to go. This version has two additional betting rules that reduce the house edge to the smallest value. The La Partage rule sees all even money bets split in half if the ball lands on zero.

The En Prison rule sees all even money bets carried over from a spin if the ball lands in the green zero. Essentially players get a free turn. If this second bet does win, then players will simply receive their entire bet back in full. They won't gain anything but they won't lose anything either.