The basic roulette game rules
Let’s start with the basics, as one always should. The basic rules for roulette are quite simple; you bet on either a number, a combination of numbers or black/red. A single number pays 35:1 whereas either colour pays 2:1, which can also be combined in your bet. The ball will be spun by the croupier, leaving chance to see if you win or not.
Gameplay rules
As previously mentioned, the roulette game rules are quite simple to understand – for your convenience, we’ve compiled a little, easy to follow list.
- Players place their bets
- Croupier spins the ball
- Ball lands and croupier announces the winning number.
- A new round is started
Roulette rules for betting
When playing roulette online, there really aren’t many differences to, say, a brick and mortar casino. Nonetheless, there are a few things to look out for, as per usual.
The first thing to know as noteworthy, are a few of the roulette bets you can take. We’ll list some of the most basic rules down below, to prepare you for your first exciting online roulette bet.
Note, that while roulette is a very basic game, some of these can really make your life a lot easier if you understand them. Take a look.
La Partage rule
Another French phrase – not surprisingly so. La partage translates to “the divide” in French.
Only used in even money bets in French Roulette, this rule takes effect when the wheel spin comes up with a zero.
In this case, the croupier divides all even money bets in half, keeping half for the house and returning one half to the player, cutting the house edge in half – to 1.35%, to be precise.
En Prison rule
This really is just a variation of the same rule explained above. En Prison means – you guessed it – “in prison”.
In this rule, as soon as the ball hits the 0, the croupier places a “marker” by the bet, indicating that it is in fact en prison.
On the next spin, if the player wins, he receives his original bet back – in its entirety. As rare as this occurrence is, it truly is part of the reason, why roulette is so thrilling.
Roulette Zeros
The zeros in roulette do one thing, and one thing only; creating the casino’s house edge.
In European Roulette (single zero), this is 2.7%, increasing to 5.27% in American Roulette, which by default possesses two zeros.
Obviously this version also increases the number of pockets to 38, which decreases the payout, so most players – even in the states – look for the European version.
Payout Rules
| Bet Name | Odds | Payout | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | 2.70% | 35:1 | 2.70% |
| Split | 5:41% | 17:1 | 2.70% |
| Street | 8.11% | 11:1 | 2.70% |
| Square/Corner | 10.50% | 8:1 | 2.70% |
| Six-Line | 15.80% | 5:1 | 2.70% |
| Dozen | 32.40% | 2:1 | 2.70% |
| Red/Black | 48.60% | 1:1 | 2.70% |
| Odd/Even | 48.60% | 1:1 | 2.70% |
| High/Low | 48.60% | 1:1 | 2.70% |
Avoiding common rule misconceptions
To beginners, even a simple game such as roulette can seem daunting, especially when rules are misunderstood; here are some of these misconceptions:
- Lucky numbers don’t exist – the only way, a roulette table (virtual or land-based) can gravitate towards certain numbers, is if the table is rigged – and that won’t happen with the live casinos we review, that’s a big promise.
- The next spin is not influenced by the one before – many players believe in some sort of pattern when playing roulette, but this is, of course, utter nonsense. Each spin is its own entity and has no correlation to the spin before.
- There is no real strategy when playing roulette – as opposed to games like blackjack, where skill really is required, roulette is a pure game of chance. So no spin counting, number crunching or other “strategies” commonly advised by other sites; just good old luck.
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel was invented by a French physicist – Blaise Pascal. Or so some people believe. Pascal tried to invent a perpetual motion machine, meaning a machine that with one physical input keeps on spinning indefinitely.
That, of course, wasn’t to be, instead, we have the red and black wheel with its 37 pockets that are spun by the croupier; whereas the ball spins in the opposite direction while doing so.
History can be so exciting, right?
Minimum and maximum stakes
The roulette game rules specify minimum and maximum stakes which vary from casino to casino. You can find joints that allow stakes as low as 10 cents per spin and up to $100 or more.
The limits are in place so the casino protects itself. Players have been known to get very lucky with special roulette betting strategies that beat the house. Although we wouldn’t condone such behavior, casinos must watch their backs from such players.