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How To Play Roulette | Roulette Rules | LeoVegas NZ

How to play Roulette: Beginners Guide

Summary

Roulette, a popular casino game, can be played live or online. This guide covers the game's basics, bet types, odds, payouts, house edge, and strategies. Players place bets on numbers, colors, or sections of the table before a croupier spins the wheel. The table and wheel layouts, chip usage, and various bet types are explained, including inside and outside bets. Additional rules like Surrender, La Partage, and En Prison are discussed, impacting potential losses. The house edge, reflecting the casino's advantage, is explained, and basic strategies for improving chances are outlined. FAQs provide insights into the number of roulette numbers, optimal bets, timing for placing bets, and minimum/maximum bet amounts.

Table of Contents

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the world and can draw big crowds to watch it if people in the casino are on a winning streak. Named after the French word meaning ‘little wheel’, it is a casino game that was traditionally played in casinos, but can now also be played online through casino websites.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at the step-by-step process of playing Roulette, describe the different bet types you can wager on, explain the different odds, and payouts available for each bet type, and clarify what is meant by ‘the house edge’.

PLAY ROULETTE

Roulette Rules

Roulette is a very straightforward game to participate in and follow, whether you are playing it live, or online. The first step is to place your bet using chips. You are betting on what the ball is going to land on once the wheel it is thrown into has stopped spinning.

You can place chips on certain numbers, on the colour of the number, on whether the ball lands on an odd or even number, or on which section of the Roulette table the ball’s number corresponds to on the table.

Once bets are placed, the croupier or dealer will throw the ball into a spinning Roulette wheel, where bets can still be placed until signalled not to by the dealer. The ball will land on a number and players will win money depending on whether the number, colour, or section that the ball has landed on, corresponds with where they have placed their chips.

Roulette Table Layout

All roulette tables have the same basic layout, however, there are a few variations. Because you're still learning how to play live roulette, we recommend starting with the European roulette table before branching out.

The normal roulette table layout divides the arrangement into 37 separate regions, each with a whole number ranging from 0 to 36. The number 0 is always green, whereas the others are reds and blacks. If you look closely outside the grid of roulette board's perimeter, you'll notice 12 more divisions known as the Outside Bets.

The table layout for French roulette is the same as for European roulette, whereas American roulette (also known as Double Zero Roulette) features double zeros.

There are other interesting versions of traditional roulette games, such as mini roulette, multi-wheel roulette, and multi-ball roulette, which we will not cover in this article.

Roulette Wheel Layout

The roulette wheel is made up of various components and physical factors that combine to determine the outcome of each spin. The wheel’s mechanics are expertly designed to provide randomness.

The randomness of a roulette wheel ensures the game’s integrity. If the game isn’t fair, then players won’t play. Moreover, the casino will receive a poor reputation.

Players wager on where the roulette ball will land once it is spun around the rim of the wheel. The wheel has various components that contribute to the roulette’s mechanics and randomness. There are nine main components of the roulette wheel. These components include:

  • Ball track
  • Wheel head
  • Central rotor
  • Diamonds
  • Wheel spindle
  • Apron
  • Ball
  • Colours and numbers
  • Pockets

Roulette Chips

If you are learning how to play roulette, it is crucial to be able to tell how to use roulette chips properly, as these are what represent your money. In an online casino with live roulette, your chips can be found towards the lower part of the screen, and are what you use to represent your bet (like they do in land-based casinos).

The chips are colour-coded, with each colour representing a different value.

Since chip values often vary from provider to provider, you should never rely on the colour of the chip when betting - always check the displayed value on the table interface.

In general, the lowest chip value in an online roulette game is usually between $0.10 and $2 - far lower than the average at regular land-based casinos!

Roulette Bet Types

There are many different Roulette bet types that can be wagered on when playing the game, each with a varying chance of winning and each with a different payout level. Here are some of the most commonly played roulette bet types.

Inside bets

These types of bets are placed inside the main numbers section of a Roulette table and are as follows:

STRAIGHT UP, any single number 35/1 – this is where you can bet on one or more single numbers for the ball to land on. If it does, you win 35 to 1. So, if you placed 1 chip on number 18 and the ball landed on 18, you win 35 chips back.

SPLIT, any one of two numbers 17/1 – this is when you place a chip on the line between two numbers. This type of bet increases your chance of winning but halves your full payout odds. For example, if you place a split bet on 28 and 31, and the ball lands on either of these numbers, you win at 17 to 1.

STREET, any one of three numbers 11/1 – this bet is one on three numbers and sees you placing your chips on the outside border of the three numbers with a winning bet paying off at 11 to 1.

CORNER, any one of four numbers 8/1 – this bet is placed on the intersection where four numbers meet on the Roulette table and can only be accepted if the numbers form a square. If the ball lands on any of these four numbers, your winning bet pays at 8 to 1.

LINE BET, also known as six number bet, any one of six numbers 5/1 – this bet is placed on the outside borders of the six numbers you want to bet on and pays out at 5 to 1 due to the higher chance of winning.

FIVE LINE, 6/1 – this bet, also known as the ‘Monster’ or the ‘Beast’, can only be played in American roulette. It incorporates five numbers, 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 with the chips being placed in a similar way to the ‘Six line’. A winning bet will pay out at 6 to 1.

Outside bets

These types of bets are placed outside the main numbers section of a Roulette table and are as follows:

COLUMNS, 2/1 – this bet sees you wagering on one of twelve numbers in a vertical row, hoping that the ball lands on one of the numbers within that column. The 0 or 00 do not count in any columns, so if the ball lands on these, the bet is lost. If it lands on one of the numbers in your column you will be paid out at 2 to 1.

DOZENS, 2/1 – here you are betting on the ball landing on one of a ‘dozen’ numbers on the table. These are not 12 consecutive numbers, but one’s that sit under ‘First Dozen’, ‘Second Dozen’ or ‘Third Dozen’. You can also bet on a single zero or two of the dozens in one play. The pay out for a winning bet it is 2 to 1. Again, the 0 and 00 will not be counted.

LOW, 1/1 – this type of bet is when you place your chips on the 1-18 section of the table in the hope that the ball lands on a number between 1-18. A winning bet is paid out as even money. Landing on 0 or 00 is a losing bet.

HIGH, 1/1 – this type of bet is when you place your chips on the 19-36 section of the table in the hope that the ball lands on a number between 19-36. A winning bet is paid out as even money. Landing on 0 or 00 is a losing bet.

RED & BLACK, 1/1 – with this type of bet you are wagering on the colour of the number that the ball lands on. With 36 numbers in total, 18 are red numbers and 18 are black numbers. If you have bet on ‘red’ and the winning number is red, you win and are paid out at even money. The same is true if you bet on ‘black’ and the number is black, you win at even money. Landing on a different coloured number or 0 or 00, will be a losing bet.

ODD & EVEN, 1/1 – wagering on this type of bet means you are betting on whether the number that the ball lands on is an even or odd number. With 36 numbers in total, 18 are even numbers and 18 are odd numbers. If you have bet on ‘even’ and the number is even, you win and are paid out at even money. The same is true if you bet on ‘odd’ and the number is odd, you win at even money. Landing on 0 or 00, will be a losing bet.

Roulette Additional Rules

There are some additional rules to Roulette where players can only lose half their bet if the ball lands on 0 or 00. This can be done in three ways.

SURRENDER

Particularly in the US, this can be offered on even money bets, such as Red & Black, Odd & Even. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, the dealer will take half your bet, but return the other half. It is always best to ask the dealer if this is offered.

LA PARTAGE

This is the same as the US ‘Surrender’, just played on European Roulette wheels, but it does reduce the house edge by even more.

EN PRISON

If the 0 hits on the European wheel, the even-money bet is ‘locked up’, so is neither won or lost. For example, if you bet on ‘red’ and the ball lands on 0, your ‘red’ bet stays for the next round. If red then hits, you get your bet back, but if black hits you lose the bet. Should another 0 hit, your bet continues to remain ‘En Prison’.

Roulette House Edge

The Roulette house edge refers to the advantage the casino or ‘house’ has over the players. The term reflects the difference between the odds of winning a bet type and the payout for a winning bet type.

Make no mistake, all casino games are designed so the house comes out on top, but games like Roulette do offer a player a better chance of winning, despite Roulette being based on luck.

Roulette Strategy

Roulette is a game of chance and therefore, it’s next to impossible to predict where the ball will land after every spin. However, certain strategies may increase your chances of a winning roulette over time.

Most of the strategies in roulette include bankroll management and the number of bets ( like the Martingale strategy or the $150 Roulette strategy) or betting using certain patterns of bets ( such as column bet strategy, red or black betting layout or bet strategy).

Learn more about various roulette strategies in our roulette strategy guide.

How To Play Roulette FAQ

How many numbers are in roulette?

European and French roulette wheels have 37 numbers that range from 0 to 36. For American Roulette which has double and single zero wheel, it is the same but with an additional 00.

What is the best bet in roulette?

For bigger payouts, the best bet is on a single number or a ‘Straight up’. However, the chances of this winning are less likely, hence losing bets have the odds of 35/1.

How much time do I have to place my bet?

The dealer will instruct you to place your winning bets just before he spins the wheel. Bets can still be placed as the wheel spins until the dealer declares ‘no more bets.’

Are inside bets better than outside bets?

Inside bets carry higher odds, so if you win, you’ll enjoy a bigger payout. Outside bets can be more likely to land but offer smaller payouts.

Which roulette bets offer the highest odds?

Straight up bets offer the highest odds at 35/1.

What are the minimum and maximum bets in roulette?

Roulette bets can start from as low as 0.1 to an astonishing 50,000NZD!

Learn more about roulette in other guides: