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Written by: , Head of Content August 16, 2021 at 5:13PM
Last Updated: December 28, 2023 at 11:43AM ()
Read Time: 11 min.

How to Play Roulette? Guide to Mastering the Game Basics for Beginners

By now you’ve probably got the idea of what roulette is even without learning anything about it. The game is another way of providing gambling opportunities using a wheel and a ball. Players hope for a ball to land where they expect it to land to grab some wins. To start enjoying the game, you just need to know a few more basics of how to play roulette.

Roulette Variations

Not many content providers work on expanding the collection of roulette types, but there are new titles along with three old classics: American/European/French. As the focus shifts towards greater risk and better payouts, we start seeing some twisted variations that offer up to 500x payouts that are huge compared to the standard 35x max roulette win.

Golden Chip Roulette by Yggdrasil is the RNG based title that offer 500x max potential. While other variations with similar payout are Lightning Roulette by Evolution and Mega Roulette by Pragmatic Play. Many different live dealer versions appear in casinos that are basically the same but differ in the way they are presented, while the core stays the same.

golden chip roulette variation

Double Ball and Instant Roulette are two the most distinctive nonclassical types. The former is about two balls that provide riskier betting options with payoffs being as high as 1,300 to 1. Instant Roulette is about speed and every player being able to play at their preferred pace. 12 auto wheels are synchronized and always in motion to provide a random number as soon as “Play Now” button is pushed.

How to Play Roulette

When the round begins, players are given time to place wagers. Then they wait for the ball to drop into one of the slots. That’s what determines winners and losers. One round lasts a single spin. These are the key rules that every roulette version follows.

It’s a very simple and intuitive game everyone has at least some basic knowledge about. So, it’s easier to grasp the rest of the key concepts and get first experience. Knowing how to place just one simple bet is enough to have fun.

Find the Right Table for Your Play Budget

Minimum roulette bets are quite small and many players can afford them. But when spending too much time spinning the wheel, even minimum bets can cost a lot. So, always spend within your means because roulette can make you go broke in no time if you aren’t spending within your means. One of the keys to responsible gambling is choosing tables with the appropriate limits and think of the bankroll management.

Purchase Chips from the Croupier

When approaching the table in the physical casino, the first thing to do to join the game is exchange cash for chips. In online casinos, you should upload some funds to risk real cash.

Place Your Bets on Your Preferred Spot on the Table

Roulette table layouts are generally similar.

As you learn how to play roulette, you’ll find that the game features 37 or 38 numbers, depending on the version. Likewise, some have 0 while others have 00. The difference directly affects your betting odds and how you place your bet. Games with a single zero—that’s European and French roulette—have a house edge of 2.7%. Alternatively, those with double 00, that’s American roulette, feature a 5.26% house advantage.

Once you get familiar with one of them, you’ll be confident in navigating other layouts. To place a bet, just pick the chip value and click on the corresponding part of the table. Online players will usually have tips telling them what type of wager they are about to place as they move their mouse over different segments.

Croupier Announces the Winning Number. Once a ball is firmly in a pocket, collect your winnings or say goodbye to your chips. A winning number will be announced and the table should be cleared for a new round.

Choosing a Roulette Table

Casinos usually offer multiple roulette tables to accommodate not only players who prefer different game variations but also those who have different budgets. That’s why you’ll usually have a number of options to choose from.

Remember about the house edge as it shows how much you are about to lose in the long run. Between French, which is the most lucrative, and American, which is the least lucrative of three classic variants, there’s a house edge difference of 3.91%. That’s a significant difference to ignore. So, when given a choice, pick variants with the lowest house advantage.

When it comes to table limits, think of your budget and how long you want it to last. Based on this, decide on what the minimum bet limit is that is good for you.

Kinds of Roulette Bets

The game offers numerous betting opportunities with varying risk levels and payouts. As usual, payoffs are correlated to risk level. Because higher risk is compensated by bigger wins, there are usually no better or worse bets since the house edge doesn’t change.

However, the American variant offers what is called Basket/Five-number Bet. It includes zero, double zero, 1, 2 and 3. It pays 6 to 1, but the house edge goes up from the standard 5.26% to 7.89%. It’s therefore recommended to avoid placing this bet.

Inside Bets

Chips are placed on the table divided into multiple segments. There are certain rules to where money should be moved when placing a certain wager, and when chips are placed within the main table with numbers 0-36, these are inside bets. Because they include fewer winning numbers, they are more generously paid, but riskier. There are five types of inside wagers, plus one that is specific to American roulette. Below we explain how to place certain roulette bets and payouts you can win.

  1. Money placed right inside one of the numbered segments means a single number wager is made. It shouldn’t touch any sector edges, otherwise, it can be considered as another bet. The wager will only be a winner when the selected number comes up. The standard payoff is 35 to 1.
  2. Chips on the border of two numbers indicate the Split bet. A ball landing in one of these pockets is a win. 17 to 1 payoff makes up for the high risk you take when choosing this type of wager.
  3. A three-number bet is called Street. Chips should be on the outside edge of the table right beside the selected column. There are 12 possible Street variations starting from 1, 2, 3 and all the way up to 34, 35, 36. The payoff is 11 to 1.
  4. A Corner bet includes four numbers that form a square. Move money to the intersection where these four segments meet. As the risk is twice lower compared to the Split, it pays 8 to 1.
  5. Six-number/Six-line includes two neighboring columns. Money should be placed on the outer edge of the table on the corner these two columns share. This bet is still quite risky and to encourage players to risk their money, there’s a 5 to 1 payout.

See the image below for the examples of bet placements. From left to right they come in order starting from the single-number to six-number.

how to play roulette inside bets

American roulette offers one extra inside bet, Five-number/Basket. We’ve mentioned it above as being a sucker bet known for its high 7.89% house advantage. There’s really no reason to place this bet, but it’s there and some gamblers probably take a chance.

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What is Provably Fair and How it Works?

Outside Bets

Whenever chips aren’t touching the numbered segments of the roulette table, these are called outside bets. They are located outside the main table and within extra segments that accommodate chips. To place a bet, you simply place money on the desired sector.

  • Even money is an 18 number bet that gives roughly a 50% chance of winning. This category consists of three types of bets based on the color of the sectors, their numerical order, and whether the number is even or odd. The payoff is 1 to 1 so that you get the amount of your bet on top of the bet itself if you win.
  • Column and Dozen are similar in that they include 12 numbers and pay 2 to 1. But the position of the sectors is different. The column is a single 12 number string arranged horizontally. The sector where chips should go is usually marked “2 to 1” on the table.
  • Dozen bet includes four rows each consisting of 3 numbers. Place your money on one of three sectors marked: “1st 12” “2nd 12” and “3rd 12”. For instance, one of the dozens includes numbers from 1 to 12.

how to play roulette and win outside bets

Other Bet Combinations

There are less common roulette bets that are available in some games. Basket, discussed above, is one of them. There is also First Four, which is a European version of the Basket that includes sectors 0 to 3. The most exotic of them is probably Snake type of wager. It’s another bet that covers 12 numbers, but they form a snake shape. Included are the numbers that come diagonally up and down. The first half of the snake is 1, 5, 9, 12, 14 and 16 then it goes down the same way.

How to Figure the Roulette House Edge

There’s no need to make calculations. Just download a special table that provides all the casino advantage values for different roulettes. It’s easy to simply memorize the values.

How to Play Roulette and Win

Plenty of betting systems are recommended that supposedly help increase return. But there’s no way the roulette house edge can be decreased. It is simple to win, and frequent wins are possible when choosing to place even-money wagers. In real casinos, there’s another answer to the question of how to win in roulette, and it’s called clocking. Players consider various factors before and after a ball is thrown to determine where it will land. But this method usually involves using gadgets that are prohibited inside gambling venues.

Best Roulette Tips for Beginners

While indulging in roulette for beginners and when you do not know how to play roulette, it’s common to go into the game without any strategy. But every seasoned roulette player will tell you how bad of an idea that is. You need to know how to deal roulette as a newbie.
Always remember that no skill is bulletproof. Many experts will recommend different roulette strategies, including the well-known Martingale system. But there’s always room for error; understanding this will help you approach unpredictable outcomes more soberly. Despite many answering, ‘Is there any skill in roulette’ in the affirmative, always remember that it’s a game of chance.

Don’t overlook the practice mode while playing roulette for beginners. Not only will it help you learn the ropes of the game, but it will also save you from making unnecessary losses. Luckily, there are tons of free play numbers game casino sites.

Another tip on how to play roulette is to always bet only what you can afford to lose comfortably. When using “roulette chips,” remember that this numbers game casino title is usually fast-paced. That means you can exhaust your bankroll in no time. So set a budget and appropriate deposit limits to avoid this.

Lastly, play European roulette instead of American roulette. That’s because it has a lower house advantage, meaning you’ll win more money in the long term. But remember that the only difference between the two is the table roulette layout. In the American version, the house wins if the ball lands on 0 or 00. Other than that, the same principles apply with regard to roulette chips and how to place your bet. 36 remains the highest number on the roulette wheel in both versions.

Best Roulette Strategies for Dummies

You can adopt several useful tips to play better and become a pro:

  • Small bets help you last at table roulette longer:
    Like any other table game, smaller wagers help you test your luck and try new strategies without depleting your bankroll.
  • Focus on outside bets:
    Although outside bets won’t land you millions, the high/low, red/black, and odd/even bets give you better-winning odds. What’s more is that 19 to 36, the highest number on the roulette wheel, form part of the outside bets.
  • Use some combination bets:
    Without a doubt, outside bets are the best wagers to place when learning how to play roulette and how to get the highest number on the roulette wheel. But combining these wagers with some combination bets can make the deal sweeter, potentially leading to more substantial wins in table roulette.

You can add some corner bets, split bets, or line bets to make the numbers game casino more interesting. But ensure that you know how these bets work and how they can best benefit you.

FAQs
Roulette is very easy to master. You just need to learn basic bets and know where to place chips. As you start feeling more confident, you can explore more betting options.
Casino has 5.26%, 2.70% and 1.35% house edge in American, European and French game variants, correspondingly. That’s how much on average is earned by the operator.
Because the outcomes are random and no strategy decreases the house edge, you simply make safer bets to win more frequently.