How To Play Roulette: Guide to roulette

 Roulette is one of the really fun table games at the casinos, thanks to the camaraderie and the non-competitive nature between players at the roulette table. In addition, roulette is the easiest of all table games at the casinos, easier than even the mighty blackjack itself. The game is so simple – many people don't even go beyond placing the basic roulette bets, such as the red-black, odd-even or simply betting on a number. Of course, here we will touch basis with all the possible bets you can place when playing roulette, both at the online casinos and the brick&mortar casinos. Here is how to play roulette:

 The Roulette Table Layout

 The layout of the roulette table consist of the roulette wheel with the croupier next to it, the betting board and the players around it. Unlike blackjack, where the players have seats assigned and thus are limited to the number of players that can participate, roulette tables usually provide no sitting areas – players just congregate around the table and place their bets, making it a very fun game to be part of.

 The croupiers are the equivalent of the dealers other casino table games have, just try not to call them that. It's their responsibility to keep track of the wagers placed, to spin the wheel and let the ball in, as well as to pay out any winnings. Some casinos will have different color chips assigned to players, but this is very rare and usually only applies to very small and private tables, such as a VIP roulette table. Often, if you can nudge your way to the roulette table and put your chips on your choice of bet – you are in.

 Roulette betting and types of bets

 It's very easy to bet on roulette and fortunately for those gamblers not interested in learning anything too complicated, the number of bets you can place at the roulette table are quite limited. You can chose either to bet the numbers, called inside bet, or bet outside the numbers, also known as outside bet.

 If you choose to bet the numbers you can either place a single wager on a single number, on two adjacent numbers, three numbers which a part of a row, four adjacent numbers or six numbers (betting on two adjacent rows). Keep in mind that those are all single-bets. For example, looking at the picture of the roulette table layout, if you place a wager on both 1 and 2 (by placing your chips on the line dividing those two numbers), your bet will be a winner if the ball stops on either 1 or 2. We will take a look how you place roulette bets a bit later.

 Your second option for roulette betting is by betting outside the numbers. Your options there are the following:

•  Red-Black: you simply choose to bet that the number will come out black or red. Use the colors of the numbers on the roulette table as a reference. Half of the numbers are red and the other black, with the exception of “0” (zero), which is color-neutral and you would lose your wager regardless of whether you bet red or black. See the difference between European and American roulette for more info about the zero, as well as how you can save half or even your entire bet if zero comes out.
•  Even-Odds: similar to the red-black wager, the even-odds roulette bet is a wager made on whether the next number that comes out will be an even number or an odd number. Your odds to win the bet, as well as the payout is similar to the red-black bet.
•  Low-High: This roulette bet also splits all the numbers into two groups, one of the groups is “low numbers”, which are the numbers from 1 to 18, the remaining numbers being the “high numbers”. You will often see these betting options simply written on the blackjack table as “1-18” and “19-36”.
•  Twelve Numbers By Column: This bet gives you the option to wager on all the numbers under one of the three columns on the roulette table. If the roulette ball stops on any of those numbers – your bet is a winner. This twelve number wager goes by column, as opposed to:
•  Twelve by the Dozen: Another way to bet on 12 numbers at the same time, but this one goes by the dozen, i.e. you can place roulette bets on the numbers from 1 to 12 or from 13 to 24 or from 25 to 36.

 Luckily for you - you don't even have to remember any of this, since all the wagers are written on the roulette table and are quite self-explanatory. What you need to know is how to actually place the roulette bets. To place any of the outside wagers, you would simply put your chips within the outline of that bet. For example, if you want to place an Even-Odd wager and bet on "odd", all you have to do is place your chips in the rectangle that has the word "ODD" written on it. That's it.

 Wagering on the inside (the numbers) is just a little more complicated, but still quite easy to learn. If you want to place a bet on a single number, you just put your chips within the square outlining that number, being careful not to touch any of the outlines. By using the outline of the numbers is how players place roulette wagers on multiple numbers. So for example, if you place your chips on the line separating the numbers 1 and 2, you have effectively made a bet on both numbers. If you place your chips where the outlines of 1, 2, 4 and 5 meet - you have made a wager on all those four numbers, i.e. a four-number bet. You can make wagers on three and six numbers by placing your chips on the outside outline of a row. For example, if you place your chips on the left outline of the number 16 - you have made a three-number bet on the entire row (numbers 16, 17 and 18). Alternatively, if you place you chips on the left side where the outlines of both 16 and 19 meet - you have made a six-number wager on all the numbers from 16 to 21. Of course, you can place your chips on the right side instead of the left, since you cannot make a bet that is both outside and inside. In other words, you cannot bet on 16,17 and 18 (inside bet on the numbers) and at the same time on the second dozen (outside bet).

 As you can see, it's quite easy to play roulette. We recommend you take a look at our American vs. European roulette and Roulette Payouts articles to learn even more about this entertaining casino table game. Of course, you can always practice what you've learned for free by clicking here and launching our free roulette game.