Roulette rules

Although slot machines clearly dominate the selection of today’s online casinos, the queen of gambling games is most certainly the roulette table. The oldest, most popular, and according to us also the most fun casino game that was ever dreamed up.

On mitmeid põhjuseid, mis me nii arvame. Sellel on hästi simple rules. When playing, you get a ton of fun and every single round brings a dose of excitement. The cherry on the top is the joy you get from winning when you manage to hit a specific number. On top of that, this joy is different than with slot machines. You have a much bigger feeling that you’ve earned your prize on the roulette table because you chose the winning numbers yourselves. In contrast to the mentioned slot machines where the results can’t often be affected and achieving a winning combination is 99% based on luck.

For hundreds of years, the roulette game has been the best cocktail of emotions for everyone that likes to play and feel some one-of-time emotions while doing it.

The goal of the roulette game

The games of roulette will get in your blood immediately, all you need is 2 – 3 bets. Your target is a simple thing. To choose on the betting field a number value or a characteristic that you think the roulette ball might land on in the end.

You have a selection of various bets and it’s only up to you what you choose. But you have to account for the fact that the roulette table is, after all, a game and luck plays a big role in it. Plus, each bet has a different winning ratio, and a percentage of winning do you’ll always need a bit of luck.

Many more experienced players spend a lot of time thinking of how they can turn luck to their side and they won't give up various roulette systems, or rather playing strategies. Whether you’ll believe in them or not, is up to you.

What roulette version to choose? Mind the House Edge

Maybe you know and maybe you don’t but all roulette games aren't the same. There are several types of this game with slightly different rules. And we don’t mean just differences in playability that are brought by some new types of alternative roulette games. Even the classic roulette game has several versions rising from its rich history.

In European casinos, you’ll most commonly encounter the European, or French roulette. Don’t look for any fundamental rule difference between them. The biggest one is perhaps that in French roulette, all the labels on the table are French, whereas in the European roulette they tend to be English or translated to your country’s language.

But then there’s the American roulette. And it differs quite substantially. And let’s be honest, it's to the player’s disadvantage. There's one extra field on an American roulette table. And this field is, unfortunately, two zeros thanks to which the casino has a slightly bigger advantage than usual.

The explanation isn't hard at all. An online casino always has a certain advantage against the players. The payout ratio is always smaller than the actual probability of winning. If you’re playing a roulette game with a single zero, the casino’s advantage is only 2.7%. That’s also why if you add another zero, it’s suddenly 5.26%. Which is why we recommend playing the European or French roulette and avoid any ocean-crossing experiments.

What is a roulette table

Let’s move on to the roulette and its rules. The most critical part of the game is the roulette table. You can’t play without one. In casinos, you’ll usually find a dealer and players by the table. The dealer represents the casino and moderates the game, accepts the bets, and pays out the wins. They also announce what’s happening to the players. Players don’t play against each other nor are they cooperating. They each play for themselves and their wins or losses are independent of the bets of the others. In online casinos, the principle is, of course, identical.

The roulette table is composed of two parts - the roulette wheel and the playing field. The game begins on the playing field also called a canvas, where you place your bets. The roulette wheel comes into play afterward and determines who will walk away as the winner.

How to play the roulette

The game begins the moment you place your chips on the canvas. By doing so, you select your bet or bets. According to the rules of the roulette game, you can place several bets during one game. As many as your chips and the table’s limit will allow you to. That’s why you need to be careful about the value of the chips you are placing on the table.

After you and the other players place their bets, the dealer announces the end of bets. They spin the roulette wheel and throw the ball into the wheel. A correctly thrown ball should orbit in the opposite direction to the spin of the roulette wheel.

The game ends when the ball falls into one of the boxes on the roulette wheel and the wheel stops. The box determines the value (number) and color of the winning combination. The dealer will place the so-called “dolly” on the playing field on the spot where the winning value is located. Then he rakes the lost bets and also pays out those that are winning. At this moment, the round is over and the dealer will call out a new round so that players can once again place their bets.

Types of bets

Roulette clearly falls among the favorite casino games of women. The fact that it’s simple doesn’t mean the rules offer few chances of winning. Not at all. Trust us that in those few centuries that it was played, people came up with a large number of opportunities.

The main division of bets that you can select is inside and outside bets. This division method dictates which part of the canvas you will place your bets on.

Inside bets

Inside bets are all betting opportunities on numbers from 0 to 36. These are bets that offer a higher win and also a higher risk.

Straight bet

• A bet where you select a specific number that you think might fall.
• Payout ratio: 35:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 36 €)
• Winning probability: 2.70 %

Split bet

• A bet on two neighboring numbers on the canvas. The chip is placed between them on the dividing line.
• Payout ratio: 17:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 18 €)
• Winning probability: 5.41 %

Street bet

• This bet is made on three neighboring numbers; it is signified by placing chips on the edge of the table or on the end of the table (where the zero is located).
• Payout ratio: 11:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 12 €)
• Winning probability: 8.11 %

Square bet (also called corner bet)

• A bet on 4 neighboring numbers on the field. The chip is placed on the center between 4 numbers or the edge of the table near the zero, when placed on 0, 1, 2, 3.
• Payout ratio: 8:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 9 €)
• Winning probability: 10.81 %

Top line bet (also called basket bet)

• This bet is only possible in American roulette due to it having the double zero field. You place the bet, by putting your chips on the edge of the table near the zero; you will be betting on 0, 00, 1, 2, 3.
• Payout ratio: 6:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 7 €)
• Winning probability: 13.16 %

Six line bet (also called double street bet)

• A bet on two groups of three numbers. Place the chip on the edge of the table on the line between the two groups of threes.
• Payout ratio: 5:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 6 €)
• Winning probability: 16.22 %

Outside bets

Outside bets allow you to place bets on the outside part of the playing canvas. These mainly contain combination bets. They might offer lower payouts but the risk is also small than with inside bets.

Color bet (red/black)

• A bet in which you’re betting the specific color.
• Payout ratio: 1:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 2 €)
• Winning probability: 48.65 %

Odd / even bet

• To place the bet, put your chips in the Odd or Even fields.
• The payout ratio is 1:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 2 €)
• Winning probability: 48.65 %

Low / high bet

• As above, simply place your chips on the field 1 to 18 or 19 to 36.
• The payout ratio is 1:1 (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 2 €)
• Winning probability: 48.65 %

Dozen bet

• The classic roulette has 36 numbers. With this bet you can bet on the first (1 to 12), second (13 to 24), or third (25 to 36) dozen.
• 2:1 payout ratio (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 3 €)
• Winning probability: 32.43 %

Column bet

• Similarly as in the case of the dozen bet you will also be betting on 12 numbers. This time on one of the three columns on the playing field. For this reason, the number don't follow each other.
• 2:1 payout ratio (A bet of 1 € means a payout of 3 €)
• Winning probability: 32.43 %

Special rules

Before you start playing the roulette, find out whether your chosen game has any special rules. We mean, for example, En Prison or La Partage. Both of these options can save you money on your playing account.

The En Prison rule

The En prison rule can be used only with a certain type of bets where you have the option of two choices. For example, a color bet. In case you hit the double zero in such a bet, the En Prison rule allows you to keep half of your bet so you won’t lose the entire sum. The rest of your bet has to stay on the same spot for the next round. But, if the double-zero falls again, you will definitely loose.

The La Partage rule

The La Partage rule is very similar to the En Prison rule. The only difference is that if the ball stops on 0, then you're not forced to leave one half of your bet on the field - instead, the casino will simply give it back to you.

Now you know the rules, play it in a casino

In this article, we haven’t listed everything that a roulette game has to offer. Various roulette games contain several alternative bets or bets on the popular Racetrack.

But if you’re only starting with playing, you will be happy with the selection of bets on the basic canvas. We recommend trying out special bets later, only to experienced players. Always set clear rules so that you’re responsible for your playing budget. Don’t let emotions or the euphoria of higher wins take you.

We recommend starting with bets on less risky opportunities, meaning mainly Outside bets (color, odd/even, 1 to 18 / 19 to 36). After several games, when you correctly understand the roulette rules, you can move on to inside bets or perhaps one of the bigger opportunities.