How to play Roulette

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Here at Wildz, we’ve got a massive collection of fun and exciting online casino games. Naturally, we love them all, but roulette is a particular favorite of ours and many of our players.

And for a good reason too! Roulette is one of the easiest games for newcomers to learn but it provides enough variety and challenge that very experienced players can continue to enjoy it for a lifetime.

If you’re a roulette rookie and you’d like to experience the rush that this game can deliver, then here’s everything you need to know.

Let’s start with the roulette basics

Roulette is one of several popular table games that can be found here at Wildz. This category comes from the fact that they are all played on a table, often one covered in green, blue, or red felt (though some casinos choose a different color).

Roulette Table

The roulette table contains a grid, each labeled with a number, group of numbers, or words. They correspond to the numbers and colors on the wheel (more on that shortly) so that you can place your chips on them to make your bets.

There are so many different options on the table that you could rarely run out of different combinations of bets to make. We’ll dive into betting options later!

Roulette Wheel

But the table is just one-half of roulette. The other is the all-important roulette wheel which is spun by the dealer.

It’s got 37 or 38 different pockets, each with its own individual number. Half are colored red and half are colored black, except the green 0 (and 00 in American roulette) pocket(s).

In each round of roulette, the dealer will spin the wheel and invite players to place their bets and then spin a ball in the opposite direction along the top of the wheel. After a short period, the dealer will then advise players that they can’t make any further wagers.

The ball will begin to lose momentum and eventually fall into one of the pockets on the wheel. If it lands in one that corresponds with your bet, then you win.

Inside and outside bets and their respective odds of winning

Most versions of roulette use the same table layout. The only difference between American roulette and European roulette is the addition of the 00 spot on the table.

They are grouped into two sections, “inside bets” and “outside bets”, which correspond with their position on the grid.

Inside Bets

Put simply, inside bets are ones placed on the numbers in the large grid in the center of the table. The easiest type of inside bet is merely placing a bet on a single number, but this isn’t the only type, as there are several others.

These inside bets are:

• Split - A wager on two adjacent numbers. They can be either vertical or horizontal, they have to be touching each other.
• Street - A bet on all three numbers in a horizontal line.
• Double Street - Like a Street, but the bet covers two adjacent horizontal lines
• Corner/Square - Wagers that cover four numbers that make up a square on the board.
• Trio - A bet that covers the 0 (or 00) and two adjacent numbers
• First Four - Like a Trio, but four numbers (only works in European and French variants).
• Basket - Like a First Four but contains both 0 and 00 as well as three numbers (only works in American Roulette).

Outside Bets

Outside bets are those placed on the outside portion of the board and are generally easier to win. That does, however, mean that they offer smaller payouts for when you do predict correctly.

Here are the main outside bets:

• Red or Black - A bet on either of these colors winning
• Even or Odd - A wager on whether the number will be even or odd.
• High or Low - Bets on whether the number will be low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36)
• Column - The inside portion of the board is split into three columns containing 12 numbers. This bet is placed on the winning number being in one of these columns.

Odds and Payouts

Players can place their chips anywhere on the table, though the odds of winning each bet vary. As a result, the potential payouts offered by each bet will also differ.

The best payouts are offered by a bet on a single number, but the odds of this winning are 1/37 or 1/38 (depending on the variant). At the other end of the scale, the lowest payouts are awarded by even-money wagers like red/black, even/odd, etc.

Here are the payouts offered by the main roulette bets:

• 0/00/Single - 35:1
• Split - 17:1
• Street - 11:1
• Double Street - 5:1
• Corner/Square - 8:1
• Trio - 11:1
• First Four - 8:1
• Basket - 6:1
• Red or Black - 1:1
• Even or Odd - 1:1
• High or Low - 1:1
• Column - 2:1

How to play the different roulette variants in casinos

As with most of the casino games we have here at Wildz, you’ll find a wide selection of different variants of roulette to choose from. These variants introduce different options to players to spice up their play.

In our online casino, you’ll find American, European, and French roulette, along with a myriad of mesmerizing live dealer versions like Immersive Roulette that offer an entirely new playing experience.

You don’t need to do anything special to enjoy any of these though, just browse our list of roulette games and choose the one you want. The process for playing them then remains the same throughout, as we’ll explain below.

Let’s walk you through a typical roulette round

Roulette is pretty easy to pick up, so you can be playing in no time. Here’s what to expect.

At the start of the game, the dealer will spin the wheel and invite players to begin placing bets. To do this, you place your chips on the table in the section that corresponds with the wager(s) you want to make. The dealer will then send the ball spinning around the wheel and ask players to refrain from placing any more bets. The ball will eventually fall into one of the pockets, with the number and color of that pocket deciding which bets win.

The only other thing worth remembering is that each table has a min/max wagering limit, so you will have to place bets within this range.

FAQs

How many bet types are there?

There are five types of bets, including Single numbers, Red/Black, Even/Odd, High/Low and Dozen wagers.

What is the house edge in Roulette?

The house edge in European Roulette is 2.7%. It's 5.26% in the American version, and in the French one, it can fall to just 1.35% (with even bets).

How are European and American Roulette different?

The American Roulette wheel has an extra 00. In European and French Roulette, the numbers on the wheel are in a different order, and there is no 00 segment, only a single green zero.

How do you play Roulette?

Players place their bets on a numbered layout on the table. A ball is then spun on a wheel with 37 (38 in American) pockets, and you win if the ball lands on the number(s) you've placed your bet on.