What is Roulette?
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, whether the number is odd or even, or if the numbers are high (19–36) or low (1–18).
To determine the winning number, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the outer edge of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum, passes through an area of deflectors, and falls onto the wheel and into one of thirty-seven (single-zero, French or European style roulette) or thirty-eight (double-zero, American style roulette) or thirty-nine (triple-zero, “Sands Roulette”) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. The winnings are then paid to anyone who has placed a successful bet.
Roulette has offered glamour, mystery, and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. The game is popular worldwide in part because its rules are relatively simple and easy to understand. However, roulette provides a surprising level of depth for serious betters. And the right strategy can reap high rewards. If you want a quick and easy guide to this game before betting it all on black, keep reading. We’ll break down all the basics so you know exactly where to place your chips at the table and how to handle your winnings.
Things You Should Know
- To make money playing roulette, correctly guess the number or type of number the ball will land on when the dealer spins the wheel.
- In a roulette round, play starts after the dealer clears the table of the previous game. At this time, place your bets on your desired number slots.
- Start by wagering on “outside bets” (groups of numbers instead of individual digits). These bets are often cheaper and have a higher likelihood of hitting.
- Avoid using grandiose or complicated strategies for roulette, because it’s mostly a game of luck. Just have fun and know when it’s time to walk away.
Roulette Bets & Payouts
- Single number bet pays 35 to 1. Also called “straight up.”
- Double number bet pays 17 to 1. Also called a “split.”
- Three number bet pays 11 to 1. Also called a “street.”
- Four number bet pays 8 to 1. Also called a “corner bet.”
- Five number bet pays 6 to 1. Only one specific bet which includes the following numbers: 0-00-1-2-3.
- Six number bets pays 5 to 1. Example: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Also called a “line.”
- Twelve numbers or dozens (first, second, third dozen) pays 2 to 1.
- Column bet (12 numbers in a row) pays 2 to 1.
- 18 numbers (1-18) pays even money.
- 18 numbers (19-36) pays even money.
- Red or black pays even money.
- Odd or even bets pay even money.
Roulette Rules
Roulette players have a variety of betting options. Placing inside bets is either selecting the exact number of the pocket the ball will land in, or a small range of pockets based on their proximity on the layout. Players wishing to bet on the ‘outside’ will select bets on larger positional groupings of pockets, the pocket color, or whether the winning number is odd or even. The payout odds for each type of bet are based on its probability.
The roulette table usually imposes minimum and maximum bets, and these rules usually apply separately for all of a player’s inside and outside bets for each spin. For inside bets at roulette tables, some casinos may use separate roulette table chips of various colors to distinguish players at the table. Players can continue to place bets as the ball spins around the wheel until the dealer announces “no more bets” or “rien ne va plus”.
When a winning number and color is determined by the roulette wheel, the dealer will place a marker, also known as a dolly, on that winning number on the roulette table layout. When the dolly is on the table, no players may place bets, collect bets, or remove any bets from the table. The dealer will then sweep away all other losing bets either by hand or by rake, and determine all of the payouts to the remaining inside and outside winning bets. When the dealer is finished making payouts, the marker is removed from the board where players collect their winnings and make new bets. The winning chips remain on the board.
The types of wager or wagers for the game:
1. “Straight” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in the compartment of the
Roulette wheel that corresponds to a single number selected by the player. The player shall
select a number by placing a wager within the box on the Roulette layout that contains the
selected number.
2. “Split” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette
wheel that corresponds to either of two numbers selected by the player. The player shall
select the numbers by placing a wager on the line between the two boxes on the Roulette
layout that contain the two selected numbers, except that a split wager on “0” and “00” may
also be placed on the line between the “2nd 12” box and the “3rd 12” box called the courtesy
line.
3. “Three numbers” (also called street) is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a
compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of three numbers in a single
row on the Roulette layout selected by the player. The player shall select a row of numbers
by placing a wager on the outside line of the box on the Roulette layout that contains the first
number in the selected row.
a. “Three numbers” shall also include a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in
a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of the three
numbers contained in one of the following groups of numbers: “0”, “1”, and “2”; “0”,
“2”, and “00”; or “00”, “2”, and “3”.
b. The player shall select one of the “three numbers” wagers identified above in section
3(a) by placing a wager on the common corner of the three boxes containing the
selected numbers.
4. “Four numbers” (also referred to as four corners) is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of four numbers in contiguous boxes on the Roulette layout selected by the player. The player shall select the four numbers by placing a wager on the common corner of the four boxes containing the selected numbers.
5. “First five numbers” (also referred to as the hot corner) is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of the
numbers “0”, “00”, “1”, “2”, or “3”. The player shall bet on the “first five numbers” by
placing a wager on the common corner of the boxes on the Roulette layout that contains the
label “1st 12” and the numbers “0” and “1”.
6. “Six numbers” (also called double street) is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of six numbers contained in two contiguous rows of numbers on the Roulette layout selected by the player.
The player shall select the two rows of numbers by placing a wager on the outside common corner of the boxes on the Roulette layout that contains the first number in each of the rows being selected.
7. “Column” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of 12 numbers contained in a single column on the Roulette layout selected by the player. The player shall select a column of 12 numbers by
placing a wager in the box on the Roulette layout that is at the bottom of the column being
selected.
8. “Dozen” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of 12 consecutive numbers from “1” through “12”, “13” through “24”, or “25” through “36” selected by the player. The player shall select the 12 4 numbers by placing a wager in the box on the Roulette layout labeled “1st 12” (“1” through “12”), “2nd 12” (“13” through “24”), or “3rd 12” (“25” through “36”).
9. “Red” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in any compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to a number with a red background on the Roulette wheel. The player shall bet on “red” by placing a wager within the red box on the Roulette layout used for such wagers.
10. “Black” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in any compartment of the
Roulette wheel that corresponds to a number with a black background on the Roulette wheel.
The player shall bet on “black” by placing a wager within the black box on the Roulette
layout used for such wagers.
11. “Odd” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in any compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to an odd number. The player shall bet on “Odd” by placing a wager within the box on the Roulette layout that is labeled “Odd”.
12. “Even” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in any compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to an even number. The player shall bet on “Even” by placing a wager within the box on the Roulette layout that is labeled “Even”.
13. “1 to 18” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of 18 consecutive numbers from “1” through “18”. The player shall bet on “1 to 18” by placing a wager within the box on the Roulette layout that is labeled “1 to 18”.
14. “19 to 36” is a wager that the Roulette ball will come to rest in a compartment of the Roulette wheel that corresponds to any one of 18 consecutive numbers from “19” through “36”. The player shall bet on “19 to 36” by placing a wager within the box on the Roulette layout that is labeled “19 to 36”.
