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Roulette Rules
When you enter a roulette pit, you’ll find a wheel, the central focal point, and players seated around a green felt table. Rules in this section refer to American roulette, the version you’ll find in American casinos and widely available online.
Roulette is a head-to-head game with the wheel. Players bet and play only against the house, not against other players. Each spin of the wheel is a game in roulette.
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to guess the number or some characteristic of the number (such as color, low/high, even/odd) on which the ball will land at the end of the spin.
Props
Roulette props include a wheel adjacent to a green felt table containing numbers and special chips. In American roulette, each player plays with different color chips to eliminate confusion. Typical roulette tables accommodate between six and eight players.
Cast of Characters
The roulette cast includes the players and a croupier or dealer who spins the wheel and controls the flow of the game.
Game Play Overview
On its face, the game of roulette is utter simplicity, with its straightforward sequence of game play, as outlined below:
- In a casino with American roulette, players purchase their chips from the dealer, because roulette uses special chips, and each player has his or her own color chips to eliminate confusion.
- Each player places his or her bets on the table in a numbered or labeled box or on a line that intersects two or more boxes.
- The croupier, also known as the dealer, spins the wheel in one direction and the ball in the opposite direction. Players may adjust their bets even after the spin begins until the croupier calls "no more bets." "No more bets" is called when the ball moves from the upper stationary rim down to the pockets. At that point, all bets are frozen for the duration of the spin. Online, the player acts as the croupier when he or she clicks the spin button.
- The ball lands in a numbered pocket, and the croupier places a marker on the winning number on the table layout.
- The croupier collects the losing bets and pays the winning bets.
It couldn’t be simpler. But wait, that only describes the mechanics of the game. The rest of this article introduces you to the nuances you need to know to play roulette with confidence.
The Roulette Wheel
In casinos, the wheel is three feet in diameter; online, of course, its size is dependent upon your screen size and resolution.
Thirty-eight numbered pockets line the perimeter of the wheel with the numbers facing outward. Half the pockets are red, half the pockets are black, and the colors alternate around the wheel. The 0 and 00 pockets, directly across from one another, are green. Note the separators between each pocket. Numbers appear random, but upon closer examination:
- Numbers directly across from one another are one number apart.
- Odd red numbers are usually placed directly across from the next higher even black number.
- Every other number added together equals 37 or 39.
Only a mathematical genius could have devised such a balance between color, even/odd and high/low placement!
Betting
Roulette includes 11 types of bets, each with its own odds and payout. Bets cover a wide range of options, including single numbers, black or red, even or odd, ranges of numbers, etc. You may place as many bets as you like on each spin, and the table minimum applies to the total of all your bets, not your individual bets. Refer to the table layout and the chart as you read through the betting options. Pay special attention to odds and payoffs for each type of bet.
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Roulette Inside Bets
Roulette Outside Bets
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Roulette bets are either inside or outside bets. Inside and outside refer to position on the roulette table.
Inside Bets
Placing bets on any of the 36 numbered boxes arranged in 12 rows and three columns constitutes an inside bet. You can also place bets on any line in the inside area of the table. Inside bets pay better than outside bets, but the odds are significantly higher. Higher risk equals higher payout. Odds range from 38:1 to 38:6 and payoffs range from 35:1 to 5:1.
- Straight Up � Place chips inside any numbered rectangle to bet on a single number, including 0 and 00. If the ball lands in the corresponding pocket, you win. If the ball lands in any other pocket, you lose. Straight up bets pay the highest payout, 35:1, and are the hardest bet to win with 38:1 odds.
- Split Bet � Place chips on the line that falls between any two numbers, and if the ball lands on either number, you win. Payout: 17:1, odds: 38:2.
- Street Bet � Place chips on the outside line at the end of a row (the far line of the highest number in the row) to cover all three numbers in the row. If the ball lands on any of the three numbers, you win. Payout: 1:11, odds: 38:3.
- Corner Bet � Place chips on the line at the intersection of any four numbers. If the ball lands on one of the four numbers, you win. Payout: 8:1, odds, 38:4.
- Five Number Bet � Place chips on the upper left-hand corner of the number 1 on the table layout. The chip rests between the numbers 1 and 0 and covers numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. If the ball lands on any of those five numbers, you win. Payout: 6:1, odds, 38:5.
- Line Bet (AKA Double Street Bet) � Place chips as you would for a street bet, except that the chips rest on the line that intersects two rows. Line bets cover six numbers, residing in two adjacent rows. If the ball lands on any of the six numbers, you win. Payout: 5:1, odds, 38:6.
Outside Bets
Placing bets along the outside of the numbered layout constitutes an outside bet. Outside bets are low-risk, low-payoff bets, and include column, dozen, red/black, even/odd and low/high bets. Odds range from 38:12 to 38:18 and payoffs are 2:1 or 1:1.
- Column Bet � Place chips at the end of a column in the corresponding 2 for 1 box to cover all 12 numbers in the column. If the ball lands on any of the 12 numbers in the column, you win. Payout: 2:1, odds: 38:12.
- Dozen Bet � Place chips in any of the "12" boxes (1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12) to cover the 12 low, middle or high numbers on the wheel. If the ball lands on any of the numbers covered by your dozen bet, you win. Payout: 2:1, odds, 38:12.
- Red or Black Bet � Place chips in the red or black boxes to cover all red or all black numbers. Each color covers 18 numbers. If the ball lands on any number that corresponds to your selected color, you win. Payout: 1:1, odds, 38:18.
- Even or Odd Bet - Place chips in the odd or even boxes to cover all odd or all even numbers. Each box covers 18 numbers. If the ball lands on any number that corresponds to your selected box, you win. Payout: 1:1, odds, 38:18.
- Low or High Bet - Place chips in the low or high boxes to cover all corresponding numbers. Each box covers 18 numbers. The low box covers all numbers between 1 and 18. The high box covers all numbers between 19 and 36. If the ball lands on any number that corresponds to your selected box, you win. Payout: 1:1, odds, 38:18.
Surrender Rule
Some American roulette tables allow the surrender rule. If you have placed an outside (column, dozen, red/black, even/odd, low/high) bet, if the ball lands in either 0 pocket, you surrender half your bet, instead of your entire bet. This reduces the house advantage significantly on even money, outside bets, from 5.26% to 2.63%.
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