John Ford | January 12, 2021 | Updated on: December 20th, 2023
Learning how to play roulette isn’t all that tricky. In fact, you can learn how to play in minutes using our easy guide. We’ve compiled all you need to know about playing roulette, including standard bets, rules, and strategies, below.
Roulette is one of the easiest casino games to learn how to play. However, it is not a game of skill, so there’s no guarantee you will win on every spin. That said, you can use a few tips and tricks to increase your odds of winning. We’ve included these below too!
Play Roulette Online Here
How to Play Roulette Guide Contents
- Play Roulette Online Here
- How to Play Roulette Step-By-Step
- Best Roulette Bets
- Tips and Tricks
- How to Play Roulette & Win
How to Play Roulette Step-By-Step
First things first, you’re probably still wondering how to play roulette. Well, the table game is relatively easy to grasp. We could probably even explain it in three steps (place a bet, spin the wheel, and wait to see if you won.)
However, if you’re planning to play at a land-based or online casino for real money, there is probably a tad more you should know, which we get into in our more detailed walkthrough:
Step 1: Choose A Game
There are three popular roulette variations: American, European, and French. While the gameplay in each of these variations is nearly the same, there are a few minor differences.
Firstly, the American roulette wheel has an extra “00” pocket. This means that the game has a higher house edge and that payouts are slightly higher on some bets. Secondly, French roulette has two unique rules in favor of the player, La Partage and En Prison.
Most online casinos offer all three versions of the game and more. We recommend stick with French or European roulette, but you can try your luck on American roulette if you want
Step 2: Decide on Your Stake
Choosing a stake is pretty crucial as it sets up your game. You need to practice sound bankroll management when deciding on your starting bet size. Our general rule of thumb is that you should never bet more than 10% of your stake on a single bet.
Anything higher and you risk burning through your bankroll very quickly. Also, you should never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.
Then, if you’re a low or high roller, you may have to search for a casino that offers a game that suits your betting range. This isn’t always easy if you’re looking at brick-and-mortar casinos.
Step 3: Place Your Bets
Decide which bet you would like to place. We go through your betting options below, but all you need to know is that there are inside and outside bets.
Inside bets focus on a single number and payout big because they are less likely to happen. Outside bets focus on a group of numbers and offer smaller, but usually more consistent payouts.
Generally, we recommend sticking with outside bets to give yourself the best chance of winning, but you can try your luck on inside bets too.
Step 4: Check All Bets
Confirm your bet. Ensure you are comfortable with the wager you want to place – both in the amount you want to spend and the odds you are up against. This isn’t a mandatory step, but it is good practice to prevent yourself from making terrible decisions.
It is also good to check your bet because you have to place it on the roulette table. Sometimes, it is confusing with the betting options and mistakenly placing your money on the wrong bet. Checking it will ensure that you don’t make as many avoidable mistakes like this.
Step 5: Spin the Wheel
With all the bets set on the table, the croupier will spin the roulette wheel. When you play online, you have control over when the roulette wheel is spun.
Step 6: Claim Any Winnings
Once the wheel has come to a stop, and the ball has fallen in a pocket, winning bets will be decided. In online games, you will be paid automatically after each winning bet. However, when you place in a real-life casino, you will need to wait for the croupier to payout winning bets.
There is nothing you can do here to ensure you win as the result has been decided. (Well, unless you resort to dumb forms of cheating in land-based casinos that will land you in prison.)
Step 7: Repeat
Repeat the process if you would like to keep playing. We don’t recommend you keep playing until you have busted your bankroll. Rather play with self-control in mind and always stick to your budget while gambling to prevent overspending.
Best Roulette Bets & Payouts
It’s time to talk about the bets you can make in roulette. The game features two sets of bets to choose from: inside and outside bets. These come from the bets’ positioning on the table. Here is an overview of both types of bets:
Inside Bets
Inside bets are bets on single numbers. Generally, these bets are harder to win because you have only one shot at getting the bet correct.
More often than not, you will lose on inside bets. Here is how the numbers will appear on the table and their color. Check out our payouts section for the odds on each type of single number bet.
| First Column | Second Column | Third Column |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 16 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 |
| 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Red Numbers | Black Numbers |
| 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 |
| 12 | 11 |
| 14 | 13 |
| 16 | 15 |
| 18 | 17 |
| 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 |
| 30 | 29 |
| 32 | 31 |
| 34 | 33 |
| 36 | 35 |
Outside Bets in Roulette
Outside bets focus on groups of numbers. These bets make it a lot easier to spread your odds and keep things moving. Although these wagers payout less, you are far more likely to win than with inside bets. Here is a list of the types of outside bets:
| Bet |
| 1-18 |
| 19-36 |
| Red |
| Black |
| Even |
| Odd |
| 1st Dozen |
| 2nd Dozen |
| 3rd Dozen |
| 1st Column Bet |
| 2nd Column |
| 3rd Column |
Roulette Payouts by Bet
When calculating your payouts, keep the house edge on each bet in mind. House edge states your likelihood of winning a bet. The higher the house edge, the likely you are to win.
| Bet | Payout |
| Single Number | 35 to 1 |
| Split Bet | 17 to 1 |
| 3 Number Combination | 11 to 1 |
| 4 Number Combination | 8 to 1 |
| 5 Number Combination | 6 to 1 |
| 6 Number Combination | 5 to 1 |
| Column | 2 to 1 |
| Dozen | 2 to 1 |
| Even/Odd | 1 to 1 |
| Red/Black | 1 to 1 |
| Low/High | 1 to 1 |
How to Play Roulette Like a Pro – Tips & Tricks
Roulette isn’t a hard game to learn how to play, nor is it a hard game to win. Although nothing is ever guaranteed in a game of chance, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to maximize your odds of success, including:
Play Games that Use a European Roulette Wheel
We already previously alluded to this above; European roulette games give you a better chance of winning. This is due to the wheel used in the game featuring only a single zero pocket. American roulette wheels have both a single zero pocket and a double zero pocket.
Although this is only one extra pocket, it increases the standard house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%, almost double. This means you even stand less of a chance of winning easy to win even money bets.
Focus on French Roulette
While standard European roulette is still a good option, you need to pick French roulette to maximize your odds of winning. As mentioned above, the game features two unique rules that increase your chances of winning: en prison and la partage.
The en prison rule gives you a chance to win back your bet if the ball lands on zero after an even money bet. If the ball lands in the correct pocket on the following spin, you get your bet back. This means fewer lost bets.
If the ball lands in the zero pocket following an even money bet, you only lose half your stake with the la partage rule. This again reduces the house edge you face.
Thus, to truly give yourself the best chance of winning, you need to play French roulette games. (Standard European isn’t as good, but is still better than American.)
Focus on Outside Bets
For the best chance of winning in roulette, you need to place outside bets. Most of these wagers are even money bets that give you a 50/50 chance of winning because you bet on almost half of the numbers on the wheel (half minus one to be precise.)
There are some that focus on fewer numbers, but you always bet on more than one number. Outside bets include:
- Red/Black
- Evens/Odds
- Hi-Lo
- Dozens
- Columns
Payouts for these bets are lower than inside bets, but can still see you at least double your money in possibly one of the safest ways to gamble.
Remember the House Always Wins
While roulette is a relatively easy game to win, you must always be wary of house advantage. In saying this, we mean never get greedy. If you’ve made a significant profit, consider retaining your money and calling it a day.
If you keep playing, you give your self extra chances to lose and ensure that you walk away from a gaming session with losses. So, before you start a gaming session, set a maximum limit of cash you are willing to lose should you strike it lucky and win big.
How to Play Roulette & Win
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can look forward to some nice wins and a bit of profit. As usual, we have to give a word of caution. Keep an eye on the time you spend playing and how much you spend.
Chasing losses is easy to fall into if you’re not careful. So, don’t forget to keep track of those wins and losses!
Check out our other roulette guides: