Roulette is played on a roulette table, which is marked with all the numbers that are also on the roulette wheel, as well as with the various betting options. Players purchase special roulette chips (French: jetons) at the entrance. They can also change them into smaller or larger denomination at the dealer (French: croupier). The players then place their bets on the roulette table.
The croupier spins the roulette wheel. One second before he throws the ball into the wheel, he (or she) shouts “no more bets, the stakes are set”. From this moment on, players are not allowed to add or remove chips from the table. If you play online, you place the chips on the layout on the screen. After the roulette ball has stopped on a certain number, the croupier calls the winning number, marks it on the roulette table and clears the chips of all losing bets. He then begins to pay the winners their winnings.
These are the players who bet on the winning number or those who played outside bets (see below) where the winning number was represented. In online variants of the game, the computer does all calculations – much faster than any human could. While this is happening, players can already place their bets for the next round.
Players are free to choose what type of bet they want to make, or they can combine different bet types. The bets are divided into two categories: Outside bets and inside bets.
These bets are placed outside the roulette table number layout. A bet here is made on a large number of numbers or red/black or even/odd. These bets have a higher chance of winning, but the payouts are lower.
Dozens bet – A bet on one of three groups consisting of twelve numbers (1–12, 13–24 and 25–36). If a number in this group wins, the bet is paid 2:1.
Colour bet (red or black) – Cover all the number slots of the respective colour on the roulette wheel. If a number of the colour the player has bet on wins, the bet is paid 1:1.
Even or odd bet – These two bets cover all even or odd numbers. If one of the numbers the player bets on wins, the bet is paid 1:1.
Column bets – There are three column bets marked on the table as ‘2 to 1’. The first column covers 1–34, the second covers 2–35 and the third 3–36.
High or low bet – Numbers 1–18 are the low numbers, 19–36 are the high numbers. A low number bet, e.g. would cover the low numbers – not including zero.
These are the bets on single numbers or small groups of numbers. They owe their name to the fact that they are placed inside the area where the numbers are found.
Straight up bet – Bets on a single number. Players can bet on any number by placing chips on the desired number. If this number appears on the next spin, the bet is paid out at 35:1.
Split betting – The player bets on two numbers next to each other. Chips are placed on the line between the two numbers. If one of the two numbers appears on the next spin, the bet is paid at a 17:1 ratio.
Street bet — A bet placed on a line (consisting of three numbers) on the roulette table. The chips must be placed at the edge of this line. If one of the three numbers wins, the bet is paid 11:1.
Corner bet – In this bet type, the player bets on a square with four numbers on the roulette table. Chips are placed on the cross that connects all four numbers. If one of the four numbers wins, the bet is paid 8:1.
Six line bet – A bet on two adjacent rows of numbers. This bet is placed by putting chips on the side of the field at the intersection between the two rows. If one of the six numbers appears, the bet is paid 5:1.
The best casinos to play roulette online are the ones where you can play [online roulette for real money]
Martingale – A betting progression where you double the bet size after losses. You can do well with this strategy, but if you hit the maximum table bet your losses will quickly compound.
Tier et Tout – A betting progression combined with a money management strategy where the player makes various bets of different sizes. Can be fun to play, but is no different to random bets.
For more in-depth info about this topic see: [How to Win at Roulette?]
European roulette – A very common version which can be found in many online casinos all over the world. It comes with 36 numbers and a single zero.
French roulette – Features two additional rules that improve the odds for the players when the ball lands in the zero pocket: ‘la partage’ and ‘en prison’.
American roulette – Has less favorable odds than the other two due to the fact that there is an extra pocket for the double zero. The total number of pockets is 38.
Mini roulette – Based on the standard roulette model – with a significant difference: the roulette wheel has only 13 colored pockets (twelve numbers and a single zero).
Multi-ball roulette – Players can play three or more balls on the same wheel simultaneously (only online). You can bet on several numbers and thus hedge your bets.
Multi-wheel roulette – Developed by online gaming provider Microgaming, the players wager on the outcome of not one, but up to eight roulette wheels at once.
Live dealer roulette – You play with a real croupier at a real casino table. The action is broadcasted through a live-streaming video link to your home.
You play with a live croupier, it feels like you’re playing in a real casino. You can chat with the croupier and others persons at the table, making the whole experience more social and pleasant.
Most online casinos offer some sort of promotion for new players. In short: The best ones are a combination of high welcome bonus and low wagering requirement.
We’ve done all the hard work for you, reviewed different sites and compared their offerings. Whithout further ado, [here are our recommendations]
Whenever you deposit money into your playing account for the first time (sometimes also at the second time) you are eligible for the sign-up bonus. Typically, a casino will offer to match your deposit 100%.
However, every bonus comes with its terms. After collecting your bonus, a casino might require you to wager a certain amount to be able to access your winnings.
Unless you meet these conditions you will not be able to cash out your winnings – so be careful. Again, read [our recommendations] and save yourself some time.
Three interesting facts:
Playing roulette for money has several advantages over playing it just for fun. Most importantly: You have the chance of winning money – few things come close to this feeling, believe me.
Playing roulette for free not quite offers the same thrill as playing it for real money, but it is an excellent opportunity to learn how things work – and check out one of these [roulette systems].
A good strategy in our opinion is to start with some free online rounds to get accustomed with the rules and the flow of the game and then pick a [casino with a good bonus] and play for real.
Passionate players and mathematicians are constantly looking for systems for roulette to make a profit in the long run. They found several strategies.
We’ve already talked about Martingale and Tier et Tout [here]. What other strategies are there for roulette?
Paroli – Similar to Martingale where the bet is always doubled if you have made a loss. Here the bet is always doubled if you have made a profit.
D’Alembert – Named after a French mathematician. Safe and easy to execute. The bet progression is flatter than the doubling down of Martingale.
Labouchere – The player decides how much money he wants to win, then writes down a list of positive numbers that sum to the predetermined amount.
The Hollandish – A wait-and-see approach. The betting amount changes only every three spins instead of every spin, making it less aggressive.
Oscar’s Grind – Aims at winning a single-unit profit after each session, making it one of the safest betting systems for casino games.
Kavouras Bet – You never have to make changes to the stake regardless if you win or lose. You always play the same stake and repeat the same pattern.
Select a roulette table with a high max bet and a small minimum. Then bet this minimum amount on black/red, even/odd or high/low.
Keep your wager on the same bet, e.g. always red, until you hit it. Then bet the same small wager again. Rinse and repeat. If you lose, double your bet on the same spot for the next round.
But be aware of the fact that because black has won 24 times in a row doesn’t mean that red is now more likely to appear on the next spin.
The first order of business is to decide upon a budget and stick to it. Knowing the odds and probabilities also helps. Finally, you should always know when to stop.
That said, Martingale is probably the most profitable roulette strategy because it allows you to reclaim any of your previous losses – if you have enough money to pull it off.
From a statistical point of view the best strategies in terms of expected profit are basically those that require higher volatility stakes, e.g. straight up bets, split bets, corner bets.
Here are a few useful tips and tricks when playing roulette (online or in a land-based casino):
Take what you have won. Start with $10 and when you’ve made $40 quit because you’ve already made 300% profit. Do not become greedy.
Never bet more than you can. Only gamble money you can afford to lose. Never spend it all in one session, never leave a casino in despair.
Learn the game before you start. This helps you to avoid placing irregular bets (bets that are sub-optimal) and increases your chances of profits.
Safe roulette sites can be found on our [list of recommended online casinos]. They are all licensed and use trusted casino software providers.
If you want to have some fun, you definitely should try Martingale or its cousin Paroli which we both cover (shortly) [in this section of the website]
There are several systems in online roulette. We mention a few of them [in this section of the website]
Yes. Not only that, we recommend doing so. One of our favorites is this [online casino offering free roulette]
Roulette offers a wide range of betting options, from low risk (low payout) to high risk (high payout). This has made it popular with various types of gamblers. See also the section [The Basics of Online Roulette] where we cover different betting options and their payouts.
Roulette (including its online variants) does not require any skill as the outcome of spinning the wheel only depends on luck. So anybody can win at roulette!
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