From the mesmerizing experience of watching the red and black wheel spin to the sound of the ball rattling on the wheel to the rush you experience when you experience a win, there are few casino games which can rival roulette.
We’re going to show you how to play roulette and how to win it more often. If you’ve never played before, start at the beginning and read through this entire page. If you already understand roulette, feel free to skip ahead to the strategies sections.
How to Play Roulette for Beginners
Even if you’ve never played roulette before, it’s possible to master it in a single session. It’s an incredibly simple game. All you have to do is place your bets and hope for the best. Let us explain how to play roulette.
- First, look at the roulette table and decide which bets you want to make. You can place one single bet, or you can place multiple roulette bets. If you’re a new player, it’s probably best to start with something simple like odd/evens or red/black.
- Next, click ‘play’ or wait for the roulette live dealer to start the game. The wheel will spin, and the dealer will drop the ball onto it. When the roulette wheel stops spinning, you will get a payout if you guessed which pocket it would land in.
- Finally, bets will be settled, and the next round of roulette betting begins. If you’re playing live dealer roulette, you’ll need to place your bets before the betting window closes. At most casinos, this is around 30 seconds.
There are a few variants of roulette, and there are lots of different roulette bets which you can make. Whichever variant you play, and whichever bets you make, gameplay will unfold as described above. We told you roulette was simple.
American vs. European Roulette
As you gain more experience, you may begin to notice that there are a few different roulette variants. While top software companies like Playtech have come up with lots of interesting themed roulette games like “Age of the Gods roulette,” they will mostly use either the American or European roulette wheel.
So, what’s the difference between the two?
Take a moment to study the roulette wheel at your favorite casino. You’ll notice that the numbered pockets are all red or black, except for one, or possibly two, which are green. These are the zero pockets. In European roulette, there’s one zero pocket. In American roulette, there are two zero pockets.
The zero pockets determine the roulette house edge. They give the casino a small advantage which allows it to make a profit over hundreds of spins. Keep in mind that you can also bet on the zeros if you want to.
French Roulette
French Roulette is a variant of European roulette. The French roulette table looks different, and as you would probably expect, it’s laid out in French.
The table isn’t the only difference, though. French roulette games also have a unique rule called ‘En Prison.’ How does it work? In a standard roulette game, you would lose your money if you bet on red or black and a zero came up, but in French roulette, your funds are held ‘En Prison’ until the next spin. This means you have a chance to win the money back. We’re sure you don’t need a French dictionary to translate ‘En Prison.’
Penny Roulette
Penny roulette could be played on either an American or European wheel. We’ve seen and played both kinds. The point of penny roulette is that it’s made for players on a budget.
Whereas high-stakes roulette games will accept bets of up to $10,000 per spin, penny roulette games typically operate within a betting range of $0.01 to $5 maximum. It might be a good idea to play penny roulette when you’re still learning, and graduate to larger bets when you’ve fully mastered roulette.
Mini Roulette
Whereas a standard roulette game has 36 numbers plus either one or two zeros, mini roulette games have 12 plus the zeros. This is like bit-size roulette, and it’s a great version to play on your mobile device.
Obviously, the mini roulette table is different from standard ones. However, while there are fewer numbers, you’ll still be able to bet on lines, rows, columns, odds/evens, red/black, etc.
3D Roulette
As with the other roulette variants, we’ve seen both European and American versions of 3D roulette. Despite the name, you don’t need 3D glasses to play this game. Nothing will leap off the screen during gameplay as in 3D movies.
Instead, you’ll get an up-close view of the roulette wheel in 3D. You’ll see the roulette table with all of the betting options either at the top or the side of the screen. This gives you a view of the roulette wheel, which is closer to what you’d see in a brick and mortar casino.
Roulette Bets
New players often feel baffled by the roulette table. While it’s easy to understand a simple red/black or odds/evens bet, the other roulette bets can seem confusing in the beginning. Not to worry – that’s what RMOC is here for. Let us explain the bets and roulette payouts.
Red/Black – Each roulette pocket (except the zero) is either red or black. When you bet on red/black, you’re betting on almost half of the numbers. If you’re correct, you get a 1-1 payout. Bet $1 and win $2 if you’re correct.
Even/Odd – Again, excluding the zero, half of the numbers will be even, and half will be odd. You’re betting on almost half of the numbers when you place this bet. As with red/black, this is an even-money bet which pays 1-1. If you bet $100 and win, you win $200.
Low/High – Number 1-18 count as low, while numbers 19-36 are high. This is another even money bet which returns 1-1. Bet $50, and you’ll win $100 if you’re successful.
Dozens – There are 36 numbers, and if you split them into dozens that gives you three betting options – 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36. Dozens pay 2-1. If you bet $10 and win, you take home $30.
Columns – Study the roulette table, and you’ll see that the numbers are laid out in three columns of 12. Each column pays 2-1. Risk $100 and you could walk away with $300 if lady luck is in town.
Combos – You can bet on multiple numbers. If you land them all, you’ll get a payout. A six-number combo pays 5-1. A five-number combo pays 6-1. Four number combos win 8-1. Three number combos pay 11-1. Two number combos reward you with 17-1 payouts.
Single Numbers – If you manage to pick a single number and win, the payout is 35-1.
Remember that you don’t have to make one bet for each spin. It’s perfectly possible to mix and match. Many players do so in order to maximize their chances of winning. While it’s impossible to tilt the odds in your favor, there are some roulette strategies which players use to boost their chances and maximize potential payouts.
What is the best bet in roulette?
That depends on what you want to achieve.
If you want to learn roulette and have a chance to double your money, we’d recommend placing an even money bet like red or black.
If you want to maximize your returns, then you need to bet on single numbers. While it’s improbable that you’ll pick the exact right number, you could pick a few to increase your odds. Single number bets pay 35-1, so even if you lose five bets and win one, you’ll be in the money.
Live Dealer Roulette
You might be wondering where to play live dealer roulette, and what the benefits of doing so are. We’ve got a list of the best live roulette casinos, so that’s covered. Now, let’s take a look at what live roulette is and why it’s worth trying.
Live roulette is played with a real casino dealer in a dedicated games studio or from a real-world casino floor. The game is streamed via video link to your monitor.
You can interact with live dealers, tip them, and type messages to them. They can’t see you, but they can see your messages and tips. This gives live roulette games a more sociable feel. It’s just like a trip to the casino without the physical journey.
There are often extra live roulette bonuses. Casinos are keen to get players to try the games, so they might offer free roulette chips or extra deposit bonuses to get you interested.
You might be wondering if live dealer roulette games work on mobiles – they do. You’ll want to play on a device with a bigger screen for maximum enjoyment, such as an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. If that’s not an option, they work on iOS and Android phones, too.
How to Win Roulette
There are various roulette tips and tricks which you can use to maximize your chances of winning. Before reading on, you should understand that these don’t change the odds of roulette. The house will always have a slight edge. Instead, they boost your knowledge of the game and help you take advantage of winning streaks and other factors.
Use Roulette Strategies
Roulette strategies are methods of playing, which can help you to win more often. Each strategy has pros and cons. Read through them and see if any of them appeal to you.
The Martingale – This roulette strategy is risky, but it can work. To win roulette with the Martingale strategy, you double down on losing even money bets. For example, if you bet $10 and lose, you bet $20, and if you lose again, you bet $40, doubling up each time. If you do the math, you will find that you win back everything you have lost plus your original bet. Just be careful of table limits because they are the fatal flaw in this strategy.
The Reserve Martingale – This strategy is the same as above but in reverse. You double up after a win instead of a loss. By doing so, you take advantage of roulette winning streaks. After three consecutive wins, stop and reset to your original bet size.
The D’Alembert Strategy – If the risk-factor involved in the Martingale strategies is too much for you, the D’Alembert is worth considering. When you lose, you increase your bet size by one unit, and when you win, you reduce it by one. This is a much more conservative approach which focuses on winning back losses rather than maximizing wins.
The Masse égale Strategy – While the three roulette strategies outlined above are known as “progression betting systems,” there are strategies like this which depend on looking for patterns. You bet with the same amount every time, and you bet on single hot numbers which have come up more often than can be explained by chance. You’ll need to watch for a while and see if you can find any patterns before using this strategy. We don’t put much stock in this system and advise against using it, even if some experienced players believe in it.
Take Advantage of Roulette Bonuses
Online casinos with roulette bonuses offer you a chance to either play roulette for free (no deposit bonuses), or play with a bigger bankroll courtesy of the house (welcome bonuses).
We recommend taking all of the bonuses you can get your hands on, but be aware of two things. First, high wagering requirements can make it difficult to have a fair chance of withdrawing your bonus cash, and some bonuses will have terms of use which forbid roulette or live dealer games. We’ve checked all of the roulette bonuses on this page to make sure they’re both fair and can be used to play gratis roulette.
Roulette bonuses won’t tilt the odds in your favor, but they will allow you to have more spins of the wheel. Probability dictates that you’ll win at least some of those.
Choose European Roulette Games
We’ve already mentioned the key difference between American and European roulette variants, but what are the implications of that extra zero? After checking the roulette odds in detail, we found that European versions have slightly better odds on all bets.
We advise you to play European roulette when you have a choice. The difference in the odds is minuscule, but it adds up over hundreds or thousands of spins.
For example, your odds of landing a single number of in European roulette are 2.7%, whereas in American roulette they are 2.6%. You might not think that matters, but it does. Why would you want to give the casino an extra inch when it already has a built-in edge on every game? European roulette is the way to go.
Conclusion
Now that you have a full understanding of how to play roulette and different ways to win, why not choose a top roulette casino and claim a welcome bonus to get you started? With so many different variants and regularly reload bonuses to claim, you’ll never get bored. Enjoy playing roulette.