Basic Roulette Rules

Published on 10 June 2024

Roulette is a popular casino game that involves betting on where a ball will land on a spinning wheel. Here are the basic rules:

The Wheel: A standard roulette wheel has 37 or 38 numbered pockets, depending on the version of the game being played. The numbers are typically arranged in a non-consecutive order, alternating between red and black, with a green pocket for the number 0 (and another green pocket for 00 in American roulette).

The Bets: Players place their bets on a layout covering various possible outcomes. These bets can be categorized into two main types: inside bets and outside bets.

• Inside Bets: These are bets placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers within the grid of the roulette table. Examples include straight bets (betting on a single number), split bets (betting on two adjacent numbers), street bets (betting on a row of three numbers), corner bets (betting on four numbers forming a square), and six-line bets (betting on two adjacent rows).
• Outside Bets: These are bets placed on larger groups of numbers or characteristics of the numbers (such as color or odd/even). Examples include red or black (betting on all red or black numbers), odd or even (betting on all odd or even numbers), dozen bets (betting on a group of 12 numbers), column bets (betting on one of the three vertical columns of numbers), and high or low (betting on numbers 1-18 or 19-36).

The Spin: Once all bets are placed, the dealer (or croupier) spins the roulette wheel in one direction and simultaneously spins a small ball in the opposite direction around the outer rim of the wheel.

Determining the Outcome: The outcome of the game is determined by which pocket the ball comes to rest in after the wheel stops spinning. The winning number is announced, and all winning bets are paid out accordingly.

Winning and Losing: If a player’s bet corresponds to the number or group of numbers where the ball lands, they win according to the payout odds for that specific type of bet. If the player’s bet does not match the winning number, they lose their bet.

House Edge: The house edge in roulette is determined by the presence of the green 0 (and 00 in American roulette), which gives the casino a slight advantage over players in the long run.

Remember that there are different variations of roulette with slightly different rules and betting options, such as European roulette and American roulette.