How to Play Roulette: Everything You Need for Your First Spin

With your chips peppered across the board, the roulette wheel spins in a red-and-black blur. As it slows to a crawl, your heart pounds as the ball settles into a pocket. It’s a winner; I can feel it.

Roulette takes the crown for the simplest and most satisfying casino game, and that includes “I Spy: Inappropriate Bachelorette Headwear” in Vegas. If you’ve never played before, rest assured it’s one of the quickest games to pick up. (Both of them).

In this guide, we’ll show you how to play roulette. You’ll learn how to decipher the wheel and table layout, the available bets and their payouts, and how to play roulette online.

• What is roulette?
• The roulette wheel and table layout
• How a round of roulette works
• Roulette bets and payouts explained
• American vs European roulette
• How to play roulette online
• Tips for your first spin
• FAQs

What Is Roulette?

Roulette is a casino game where you bet on where the ball will land on a numbered spinning wheel. You win if it lands on a number your bet covers.

Each spin is independent of the last, and no spin can predict future results.

• Single-zero roulette uses a wheel numbered 1-36 with one green zero (0).
• Double-zero roulette also uses numbers 1-36, but it has two green pockets: zero (0) and double zero (00).
• Live dealer roulette streams a real dealer spinning a physical wheel while you place bets online. This can come in both single and double zero.

The Roulette Wheel and Table Layout Explained

When you roll up to a roulette table (too easy), you’ll encounter three essentials: the wheel, the betting layout, and chips and table limits. You might also encounter Hawaiian shirts with cargo shorts, but that’s not official business.

The Wheel

All roulette wheels have numbered pockets from 1 through 36, alternating red and black. The numbers follow a fixed sequence, but not numerical order.

On top of that, some have one green pocket with a zero (European), and others have two green pockets with two zeros (American).

The Betting Layout

You don’t place your actual bets on the wheel. Instead, you’ll find a flat betting layout on the table.

Inside the main rectangle are straight rows of numbers from 1 to 36, representing the numbers on the wheel. Hanging off the left end are one or two zeros. Surrounding the main numbered area are multiple labeled boxes where you can bet on larger groups of numbers.

When you place a bet on the betting layout, you place your chips on the number/s you’d like to bet on. Placing your chip on a line or intersection between numbers means you’re betting on all that intersect there.

Chips and Table Limits

At a physical table, you buy in by placing cash or regular casino chips on the felt between rounds. The dealer usually assigns you a distinct chip color so everyone can identify their bets, and you agree on each chip’s value. A sign at the table displays the minimum and maximum bets.

If you’re playing online, check the info screen to see the betting limits.

How a Round of Roulette Works, Step by Step

Now let’s walk through a complete round of roulette, from initial bet to joyful fist pumps, so you know what to expect.

1. Betting opens. The dealer invites players to place their bets. In live dealer roulette, a countdown shows how much betting time remains.
2. You place your chips. Choose your chip value and place your chips on the numbers or outside boxes you want to bet on. As long as bets remain open, you can adjust your bets. But don’t dilly dally!
3. Betting closes. The dealer announces “no more bets,” or the online timer expires. Leave your chips alone from this point. You can’t make any adjustments now.
4. The wheel and ball spin. The dealer spins the wheel. The ball rolls around the rim in the opposite direction. Everyone holds their breath.
5. The ball lands. The dealer calls the winning number and places a marker on its box. If you’re playing online, the result will be highlighted on your screen.
6. The dealer settles the bets. The dealer clears losing chips and pays out winning bets. Keep your hands off the layout (no touchy!!) until the dealer finishes and removes the marker. Online roulette will automatically settle your bet, and you’ll see it reflected in your balance instantly.
7. Betting opens again. And on and on it goes. The next round comes quickly, so if you’re not prepared, feel free to sit that one out while you think about your next bet.

Roulette Bets and Payouts Explained

Every roulette bet falls into two categories: inside and outside bets. Every bet has a tradeoff. The easier it is to hit, the less it pays. The more difficult a bet is to hit, the more it pays.

Inside Bets

Inside bets are those within the main rectangle of numbered squares on the betting layout. Multiple bets fall within the “inside bet” category.

• Straight-up means you bet on one single number. Place your chip directly in the center of the numbered square.
• Split is a bet on two side-by-side numbers, either horizontally or vertically. Place your chip on the intersecting line between the two numbers.
• Street is a bet on a row of three numbers (e.g., 1-2-3). Place your chip on the row’s outer edge to cover all three.
• Corner is a bet on a square of four numbers. Place your chip in the very center where all four numbers intersect.
• Six line, or double street, bets on two adjacent rows of three numbers. Place your chip on the grid’s outer edge where the line separating those rows meets the border.

Outside Bets

Outside bets are the boxes surrounding the numbered grid. You can back a color, a number, a category, or a group of 12.

• Red or black: Covers all 18 numbers of that chosen color.
• Odd or even: Covers all 18 numbers in either category.
• High or low: Covers either numbers 1-18 or 19-36.

Red or black in roulette, along with odd/even and high/low, are called “even money” bets because they each pay 1:1.

Dozens and columns are also outside bets, though they cover fewer numbers and pay slightly more at 2:1.

• Dozens divide the numbers into three groups of 12: 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. Place your chips on the box with the number range you’d like to bet on.
• Columns cover one of the grid’s three vertical columns, each containing 12 numbers. Place your chips on the box at the outside right edge.

Zero and double zero don’t belong to any of these groups. They’re different from all the others, and you might find them listening to My Chemical Romance alone in their rooms on weekends.

Call and Neighbor Bets

Some roulette types use an oval racetrack-style betting layout, most commonly in French roulette. This layout displays the numbers in the order they appear on the wheel.

• Call bets cover preset groups of wheel numbers, with names such as Voisins du Zéro, meaning “neighbors of zero”, and Tiers du Cylindre, meaning “thirds of the wheel.” As of today, Meule de Fromage, “wheel of cheese”, is not an option; only an aspiration.
• Neighbor bets cover a number you choose plus two numbers on the left and right side of that number, so 5 in total.

The roulette payout table below is based on the double-zero American roulette wheel.

Bet type	Numbers covered	Standard payout	Approximate chance of landing
Straight up	1	35:1	2.63%
Split	2	17:1	5.26%
Street	3	11:1	7.89%
Corner	4	8:1	10.53%
Six line	6	5:1	15.79%
Column	12	2:1	31.58%
Dozen	12	2:1	31.58%
Red or black	18	1:1	47.37%
Odd or even	18	1:1	47.37%
High or low	18	1:1	47.37%

American vs European Roulette: Which Wheel Are You Playing?

The difference between American and European roulette is the number of green pockets, which are the zero/s.

American roulette has two green pockets (0 and 00), while European has just one (0).

The green pockets are the party poopers that break up even-money bets, such as red and black, so those numbers aren’t a clean 50/50. That’s where the house edge comes from.

As a result, American roulette, with two green pockets, has a 5.26% house edge, while European roulette, with one green pocket, has only 2.7%.

American roulette is more prevalent in land casinos, but you can easily play European roulette online.

For a more complete breakdown of their differences, our American vs. European Roulette guide delves into more detail.

How to Play Roulette Online

You can play roulette games online in the same way you would at a land casino, although there are a few key differences.

Regular online roulette runs on software, so there are no timing constraints or humans leading the game. With live dealer roulette, a real human leads the game, and you must place your bets before the timer.

In both cases, you place your chips by selecting your chip value and clicking on where you’d like to place it. The actual placements on the betting layout are the same.

In most online roulette games, you can keep track of your betting history and past winning numbers with a record on the top right.

Regular online roulette also offers a free version, called Practice Play or demo mode, where you can practice with a pretend balance without risking real money.

Tips for Your First Spin

If it’s your first time playing roulette, welcome to the game. We’re wheel-y happy to have you here. More importantly, focus on outside, even-money bets. They’re the easiest and have the highest chances of winning. Slowly but surely experiment with other bet types.

Set a budget before you join the table. Know in advance how much you’re willing to win and lose, and quit when you reach that limit. Be aware of the table limits and remember that each spin is independent of the last.

Try a few betting systems to help manage your bankroll, but don’t expect any system to change the outcome of your spins. Even the best roulette strategies cannot change the odds; they only help you manage your risk.

Play online with money you’d be okay with losing. If gambling ever feels more stressful than fun, you can get confidential help at the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-522-4700 | ncpgambling.org).

Take Your Seat at the Wheel

You’re now an old hat at the roulette wheel, and that’s not just a positive spin. You understand the betting layout, how to place bets, and how a round plays out.

The next step is to put your skills to work for free in online roulette with Practice Play, then switch to Real Money once you’ve built your skills.

FAQs

Is roulette hard to learn?

No, roulette is one of the easiest casino games to learn. As a beginner, you only need to know where the even-money bets are, avoid betting on a straight-up number, and choose European roulette over American roulette when given the choice.

What is the highest number on a roulette wheel?

The numbers on a roulette wheel run up to 36. On the European wheel, there’s one additional green zero (0) pocket, for a total of 37, and on the American roulette wheel there are two green zero pockets (0) and (00), for a total of 38.

What is the best roulette bet for a beginner?

Beginners should start with the even-money outside bets, like red/black, odd/even, and high/low. These offer the highest odds of winning, though they pay the least (1:1).

What does a straight-up bet pay?

A straight-up bet pays 35:1, but it has the lowest odds of winning: 2.6% or 2.7% for the European and American wheels, respectively.

What is the difference between American and European roulette?

European roulette has one green pocket (0), while American roulette has two (0 and 00). See the section above for a more complete comparison.

Do roulette strategies actually work?

Roulette strategies manage your risk and bankroll, but they don’t change your odds of winning. No system changes your odds of winning on any spin. The house edge is always present.

Can you play roulette with a real dealer online?

Yes. Live dealer roulette is a popular way to play roulette with a real casino experience without leaving your home.