Wheel and Dice Games
How to Play Roulette
A numbered wheel with more than a dozen bet types, where the choice of wheel settles the house edge before a chip is placed.
Roulette is decided by a small ball on a numbered wheel. The wheel turns one way, the ball is released the other way, and the pocket the ball settles in decides every bet on the table. Once a bet is placed the player makes no further decisions.
The most important choice in roulette is not the type of bet but the type of wheel. A European wheel carries numbers from zero to 36 and leaves a house edge of 2.70% on every bet, while an American wheel adds a double zero and raises that figure to 5.26%. This guide covers the layout of the table, every bet type and its payout, and the effect of the special rules found on French wheels.
Three Types of Wheel and What They Cost
The difference between wheels lies in the number of zero pockets. Each additional zero widens the gap between the true odds and the payout offered by the table.
| Wheel | Pockets | Zero pockets | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| European | 37 | One, marked 0 | 2.70% |
| American | 38 | Two, marked 0 and 00 | 5.26% |
| French | 37 | One, with the la partage rule | 1.35% on even-money bets |
The la partage rule on a French wheel returns half of an even-money bet — red or black, odd or even, high or low — when the ball lands in zero. The en prison rule instead holds that bet for the following spin. Both apply only to even-money bets and cut their house edge in half.
Inside Bets and Their Payouts
Inside bets are placed on the number grid. They offer large payouts with small chances of winning, yet carry exactly the same house edge as every other bet on the same wheel.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Payout | Chance of winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 number | 35:1 | 2.70% |
| Split | 2 adjacent numbers | 17:1 | 5.41% |
| Street | 3 numbers in a row | 11:1 | 8.11% |
| Corner | 4 numbers in a square | 8:1 | 10.81% |
| Six line | 6 numbers across two rows | 5:1 | 16.22% |
A payout of 35:1 on a single number sounds generous, but the true odds are one in thirty-seven. That gap of a single unit is the source of the 2.70% house edge.
Outside Bets and Their Payouts
Outside bets are placed in the boxes alongside the number grid. They cover many numbers at once for a small payout and suit players who want long sessions with shallow swings.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Payout | Chance of winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red or black | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| Odd or even | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| 1 to 18 or 19 to 36 | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| Dozen | 12 consecutive numbers | 2:1 | 32.43% |
| Column | 12 numbers in a column | 2:1 | 32.43% |
Zero counts as neither red nor black, nor odd nor even. Its presence is what holds an even-money bet at 48.65% rather than a true half.
How a Round of Roulette Is Played
A single round of Roulette follows the sequence below. The same sequence applies at a physical table and at a live dealer table streamed to a screen.
- Buy table chipsRoulette uses chips of a distinct colour for each player so that bets are not confused. They are valid only at that table and must be exchanged before leaving.
- Check the type of wheelMake sure the wheel carries a single zero. A double zero nearly doubles the house edge on every bet.
- Place chips on the grid or the outside boxesBets may be placed until the dealer announces that betting is closed, called rien ne va plus at a French-style table.
- The ball is releasedThe dealer spins the wheel and releases the ball the other way. Bets may still be added until the ball begins to slow.
- Betting closesOnce the dealer calls no more bets, no chip may be added, moved or taken back.
- The ball settles and the marker goes downThe dealer places a marker on the winning number. Do not touch any chips while the marker is standing.
- Losing bets are cleared and winners paidThe dealer sweeps the losing chips, then pays the winning bets starting with the outside ones.
- The next round opensLifting the marker is the signal that chips may be collected and new bets placed.
Called Bets on a French Table
French-style tables offer bets organised by the position of numbers on the wheel rather than on the grid. They are announced to the dealer and use several chips at once.
- Voisins du zéro. The seventeen numbers around zero, requiring nine chips.
- Tiers du cylindre. The twelve numbers on the opposite side of the wheel from zero, requiring six chips.
- Orphelins. The eight numbers covered by neither of the above, requiring five chips.
- Jeu zéro. The seven numbers closest to zero, requiring four chips.
Called bets do not change the house edge. They simply make it easier to place several inside bets at once.
Betting Systems and Their Limits
Roulette is the game most often linked to betting systems. The Martingale doubles the stake after every loss, the d'Alembert raises it by one unit, and the Fibonacci follows a number sequence. Every one of them governs the size of the stake and not the odds.
Because each spin stands alone, the 2.70% house edge applies to every bet regardless of what came before. A doubling system does raise the chance that a session ends with a small profit, but it trades that for a rare large loss, and the table maximum cuts the sequence short in any case. Misjudging this is among the errors covered on the beginner mistakes page.
| Consecutive losses | Next stake | Total staked so far |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 50 |
| 3 | 400 | 350 |
| 5 | 1,600 | 1,550 |
| 7 | 6,400 | 6,350 |
| 9 | 25,600 | 25,550 |
Wheel Bias and Tracker Boards
On old mechanical wheels, a slight imbalance in a pocket or a spindle could make some numbers appear more often than others. Recording thousands of spins was once used to find such a flaw.
Modern wheels are tested and rotated regularly, the release point of the ball is varied, and the tracker board at the table shows nothing more than a record of past results. A number marked as hot or as overdue has exactly the same chance on the next spin as any other.
Roulette Terminology
The terms below are the ones heard most often at the Roulette table. A wider list is available in the casino glossary.
- Straight up
- A bet on a single number, paying 35:1 on a European wheel.
- La partage
- The French rule returning half of an even-money bet when the ball lands in zero.
- En prison
- The rule holding an even-money bet for the next spin after the ball lands in zero.
- Even-money bet
- A bet paying 1:1, namely red or black, odd or even, and the two halves of the numbers.
- Dolly
- The marker placed by the dealer on the winning number. Chips must not be touched while it stands.
- Rien ne va plus
- The dealer's announcement that betting is closed.
Roulette FAQ
What is the difference between European and American roulette?
A European wheel has 37 pockets with a single zero and a house edge of 2.70%, while an American wheel has 38 pockets with zero and double zero, giving 5.26%. The payouts are identical, so the American wheel is always the more expensive one.
Is a single-number bet worse than betting on red or black?
The house edge is the same, 2.70% on a European wheel. What differs is the spread of results: a single number wins rarely for a large payout, while red or black wins often for a small one.
Can the Martingale system beat roulette?
No. It governs the size of the stake and leaves the odds of each spin untouched. The doubling sequence ends at the table maximum or at the end of the bankroll, and one long losing run erases many small wins.
Why does zero not count as an even number?
On the roulette layout the zero pocket sits outside the outside-bet groups. That is what holds every even-money bet at 48.65% rather than 50%, and it is the source of the house edge.
Is a number that has not appeared for a long time more likely to come up?
No. The wheel keeps no record of past results, so the chance of each number remains one in thirty-seven on a European wheel at every spin.
What is the minimum bet at a roulette table?
Limits differ by table and are printed on a small sign at the side. The minimum for outside bets is usually higher than the minimum per chip on inside bets.