The Casinos.com Ultimate Guide to Roulette

A small white ball bouncing around a wheel before settling in a numbered pocket is one of the enduring images of casino gaming. This is roulette, one of the most iconic games played in casinos. 

Instantly recognizable, roulette is one of the most popular games in casinos across the globe and online. It’s a game of pure chance that is both fun and very easy to learn how to play. Roulette was the first game I played when I first began visiting casinos in the 1990s. Its simplicity and visually stimulating mechanics were part of the draw. 

Roulette is a game of chance in which a ball is released into a spinning wheel with numbered pockets. Players bet on where the ball will land, with a variety of different wagers to choose from with varying odds. These include bets on specific numbers, groups of numbers, the colour of the pocket of the winning number, or whether it is odd or even.

Roulette had been a casino classic for over 200 years when it found a new digital home in the late 20th century. Online development has taken roulette to new heights, incorporating gameplay elements that were not previously possible in a live environment. Low stakes and availability via tablets and smart phones have helped increase the appeal and demand for roulette.

Here are some reasons why this game's popularity has endured for so long:

• Accessibility and Convenience: Online development has taken roulette to new heights, incorporating gameplay elements that were not previously possible in a live environment. Low stakes and availability via tablets and smart phones have helped increase the appeal and demand for roulette.
• Historical Legacy: Games of chance have been a part of the human story for a very long time. The first recognisable gambling activities took place before recorded history, as evidenced by archeological finds in China, Egypt, Rome and Greece. People have been drawn to gambling games for thousands of years and those with spinning mechanics have always been fascinating to humans. 
• Emotional Nostalgia: The enduring appeal of roulette is perhaps due to a familiarity that begins in early childhood. The party game “pass the parcel” not only exposes children to the concept of chance and reward at an early age, but it also mimics the mechanics of roulette. Spin the bottle is played by teenagers seeking to overcome the awkwardness of the dating game, where the reward is a kiss. Roulette is simply a modern version of the eternal game of chance that humans have been playing throughout their existence.
• Inclusive Gaming Experience: Real life and online casinos are the places to play roulette today, with many different options providing varied gameplay. With 24/7 access online, low stakes action and the ability to play demo versions for free, it’s easy for anyone to start playing.

Perhaps you’ve googled this just as you’re entering a casino for the first time and this guide is TLDR?  If that’s you, the first few sections will adequately suffice as a quick-start guide to playing roulette.

Roulette is a casino game played on a low friction spinning wheel, which indented pockets numbered 1-36, 0 and in some variations of the game, also a 00 (double zero). The object of the game is to correctly predict which number (or group of numbers) a small ball will land on, after being spun into the wheel.

A variety of different bets are available, including predicting the precise number the ball lands on, for a reward of 35-1 on the original stake. For much lower odds, players can bet on whether the winning number will be odd or even, or its colour (red or black).

Bets are placed directly onto the layout of the roulette table, each player using different coloured chips. A croupier then spins the wheel that sits at the top of the table and releases in the opposite direction into a track that sits above the numbered pockets.

The ball slows and leaves the track, eventually coming to a standstill in one of the numbered pockets. This number of the pocket the ball lands in is declared the winner. This is signified by the croupier placing a marker called a dolly onto the winning number on the betting layout. 

The Wheel. Roulette’s name derives from the French word for “little wheel,” which aptly describes the apparatus used to play it. The wheel was initially built into the table at the same depth as the layout, but later moved to a prominent position above it. The reason for the change was transparency, as putting the wheel on top reduced suspicions of rigged wheels.

There are two parts to the wheel: a fixed upper track area, where the ball initially spins and a lower track with pockets, which spins. European roulette tables have 37 numbered pockets, 1-36 and 0 (zero). 

The numbers are red or black, with an equal number of each, while the zero is green. American roulette tables have 38, with the extra pocket numbered 00 (double zero).

The Layout (Betting layout). This is the grid that occupies the greatest proportion of the table. It is large enough to enable 8-10 players to surround and comfortably place bets on it. 

The numbers are arranged in a 3 x 12 grid in descending order, with a space at the top of the grid for the zero. The American Roulette layout differs, including an additional box for the 00 next to the 0. 

There is also an inside track printed on the felt, which shows the numbers in the order they appear on the wheel. This is used for ‘neighbours’ bets.

The Ball used in roulette is a small smooth white ball of about 2cm in diameter. Originally roulette balls were made of ivory, but nowadays they are made out of material like  teflon, nylon and ivorine. They are all hard and durable, but some bounce more than others. Casinos have several different balls and alternate their use, to further randomise the predictability of a spin.

Chips are the currency of the casino, but for roulette there are two different kinds that can be used. Regular casino cash chips can usually only be used for outside bets or called bets. To place inside bets, players are issued chips of different colours. 

Coloured chips have table stakes values, meaning that each one is worth whatever the minimum stake of the table is, e.g. £1. Coloured chips can only be used on the table they are issued at and must be exchanged for casino chips at the end of a session.

The Dolly is a small marker that is used by the croupier to signify the winning number. Usually black and about the size of a chess piece, the dolly is placed on the layout on the winning number at the end of each spin. A second dolly is also placed on winning number on the inside track, if there are any neighbours bets that need to be settled.

Rake Sticks are only used at French Roulette tables, which is a much more elegantly conducted game than European roulette. Croupiers use the t-shaped sticks to rake in losing bets and to push out winning bets to players.

Roulette has two main types of bet: inside bets and outside bets. Most casinos also allow called bets (also known as French bets) on predefined sections of the board, which require the assistance of the croupier to place.

Inside bets are wagers placed on individual numbers, or groups of adjacent numbers. Outside bets are those placed on large groups of numbers that share the same properties, such as their colour (red or black) or whether they are odd or even.

The odds on inside bets are bigger than those on outside bets, purely because they include a maximum of 6 numbers in any single grouping. Outside bets are usually even money or 2-1 shots, as they contain much larger groups of numbers.

Minimum bet size is larger for outside bets than it is for inside bets, e.g. a table with £1 minimum on inside bets would typically have a £5 minimum for outside bets.

Called Bets, including French bets, are more specialised offerings, including bets on certain sections of the wheel or specific combinations of numbers. 

More details on specific bets and how to place them can be found in the Types of Bet and How to Place Them section.

The main versions of modern roulette are known as American Roulette, European Roulette and the less commonly found French Roulette.

American Roulette is played using a wheel with 38 pockets, numbered 1-36, 0 and 00. European Roulette has only 37 pockets on its wheel, lacking the double zero of its American counterpart.

French Roulette uses the same 37 pocket wheel as the European version, however it includes unique rules for even money outside bets when the result of a spin is a zero. 

When this happens, the player will either receive half their stake back (La Partage) or be forced to let it ride for the next spin (En Prison), only getting their stake back if the next spin is a winner. Some French roulette tables employ the La Partage rule, others En Prison.

American Roulette is typically found at bricks and mortar casinos in America, Canada, South America and the Caribbean, while European Roulette is the standard in the rest of the world.

French Roulette is unsurprisingly found in France, but is also spread in a few other casinos, mostly in Europe. It’s an elegantly operated game and is usually reserved for higher stakes in the venues where it is still available. 

The most significant difference between these variants that players should be aware of is that the house edge in American roulette (5.4%) is double that of its European counterpart (2.7%). As such, if a choice exists, the American version should be avoided. This will mostly be relevant at online casinos, as live casinos tend to spread one or the other. 

French Roulette offers the best odds to the player, coming in at 1.35%, due to the La Partage/En Prison rule.

In poker, blackjack and many other card games, a round of play is known as a hand. In roulette a single round of the game is known as a spin, a term that slot machine players will also be familiar with. 

It can even be as simple as pushing a button, as many casinos have automated roulette machines, or terminals linked to a live dealer table somewhere in the casino. However, if you’re at a real life table, this is the procedure for how a game of roulette unfolds.

• First of all, players make bets by placing chips on the layout. This includes making called bets that the dealer helps to place on the board.
• Once most of the bets have been placed, the dealer spins the wheel and releases the ball in the opposite direction. Betting is still allowed for the first few rotations of the ball in the wheel, then the dealer will close the action by announcing ‘no more bets.’
• Once the ball has settled in one of the pockets of the wheel, the dealer puts a dolly marker on the number on the layout and clears all losing bets from the table.
• Winning bets are then paid out, after which the dolly is removed and players may start to place bets for the next spin.

Let’s take a look at the specifics of each type of bet and how to place them. If you are playing online, most sites have easy-to-follow guides on how to place bets. If you’re going to a real life casino you can always ask the staff, who will be happy to help explain. 

But if you’d rather not bother anyone, or appear like you’re a beginner, here’s the info you need to confidently get started.

Inside Bets

Inside bets are wagers on the ball landing in the pocket of a specific number or a group of adjacent numbers on the roulette table layout. Bets are placed either directly onto numbered boxes or on the lines and intersections of the grid that separates them.  

In a real-life casino, several players share the same table, therefore each uses a different coloured set of chips. This helps to distinguish players' bets from each other and ensure the correct payouts are made at the end of each spin.

Odds for inside bets range from as little as 5/1 for a double line bet (6 numbers) to as much as 35/1 for bets on an individual number. Minimum stake sizes are usually much lower for inside bets than they are for outside bets. This makes it possible to cover multiple numbers in one spin. 

Outside Bets

Outside bets are those placed on the outside of the layout, with shorter odds, of either evens or 2-1. 

Even money bets are the easiest wagers to understand for those new to the game. They are simply propositions about the properties of the winning number and if you win, you double your stake. 

• High or Low: whether ball lands on a low number (1-18) or a high number (19-39)
• Red or Black: whether the ball lands in a red or black number
• Odd or Even: whether the ball lands on an odd or even number

The other category of outside bets split the numbered pockets of the wheel (not including any zeros) into three. Each group contains 12 numbers and winning bets are paid out at odds of 2/1.

There are two basic types of 2/1 shot bets that are standard to all roulette tables: dozen bets and column bets.

• Dozen Bets: whether the ball lands on the first dozen (1-12), second dozen (13-24) or third dozen (25-26)
• Column Bets: whether the ball lands in the first column (1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22,25,28,31 or 34), second column (2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32 or 35) or the third column (3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33 or 36).

Some players like to make a novelty 2/1 outside bet, known as a snake bet. It’s an arrangement of 12 interconnected red numbers that creates a shape similar to a snake lying across the layout of the board. 

Casinos generally don’t offer the snake bet as a simplified wager, so to make it you actually have to place 12 inside straight up bets yourself on these numbers: 1,3,9,12,14,16,19,23,27,30,32 and 34.

To be a roulette hero, you don’t have to avoid the zero, you just have to choose the right table to play on. I’m referring to the fact that in French Roulette, you get half your stake back when the ball lands on zero. In American Roulette and most European Roulette tables, you lose it all.

“There’s a fine line between clever and stupid” is a quote from the legendary Spinal Tap singer David St Hubbins, and it’s very relevant here. If you have a choice of roulette games to play and French is on the list, make sure you stand on the correct side of the line.

It’s rare that you will ever see a choice of both games side by side in a real-life casino, but if you do, the French tables will be for much higher stakes. However at online casinos such a choice does sometimes exist. If there’s an opportunity to play at a table which returns half the stake on a zero for even money shots, do it.

French Bets & Called Bets

Originating in French Roulette but sometimes available on European Roulette tables, French Bets are special bets that can only be placed by verbally telling the croupier. Also known as Called Bets, they cover specific sections of the wheel using unique combinations of wagers. 

Voisins du Zero, meaning neighbours of zero is a bet that covers a total of 17 numbers on the wheel. It costs 9 units to make this bet, which is made using a combination of different bet types. The numbers covered in a Voisins du Zero bet are: 0,2,3,4,7,12,15,18,19,21,22,25,26,28,29,32 & 35.

Tiers du Cylindre, meaning a third of the wheel does exactly what it says on its metaphorical tin. Yes, it’s a bet on one third of the numbers on the roulette wheel, 12 numbers in total: 5,8,10,11,13,16,23,24,27,30,33 & 36. 

It costs six units to make a Tiers du Cylindre bet, which is achieved by making six splits.

Orphelins, meaning orphans, is a bet on the remaining numbers on the wheel not included in either the Voisins du Zero or the Tiers du Cylindre bets. Those numbers are 1,6,9,14,17,20,31 & 34. The Orphelins bet costs 5 units to make.

Jeu Zero translates as zero game and is a speciality bet on zero and the six other numbers closest to it on the wheel: 0,3,12,15,26,32 & 35. It costs 4 units to place a Jeu Zero bet.

Neighbours bets are wagers on a number and the two numbers on either side of it on the wheel. It costs 5 units to make, used for straight up bets on each of the numbers. 

To make such a wager simply call out to the croupier the number you wish to bet on followed by “…and the neighbours,” plus the size of the bet you wish to make. 

E.g. “17 and the neighbours, by 5” means that you wish to place a bet of £5 on the number 17 and the four numbers closest to it: 2,6,25 & 34. The total cost of this bet would be £25.

Odds are used to describe the size of payouts for roulette wagers, as a way of expressing the probability of an outcome. The bigger the odds, the lower the probability of winning and vice versa. Outside bets in roulette, with odds of either 2/1 or evens are more likely outcomes than inside bets, which have higher odds of between 5/1 and 35/1.

House edge is a term that is mentioned a lot in guides to casino games, because every game has one built into it. It’s the way that the casino ensures they make a profit. Essentially, the way that it works is that the odds offered for any bet is worse than the true probability of it winning. 

In roulette, the presence of the zero (and double zero) ensures the house edge. There are 37 pockets on a European roulette table, therefore the true odds of the ball landing in one of them is 36/1. However, the payout for a straight up bet is only 35/1. This difference accounts for the house edge of 2.7%.

In American Roulette the house edge is even bigger. The inclusion of the double zero means there are 38 pockets on the wheel, which has true odds of 37/1, yet the payout is still 35/1. This represents a house edge of 5.26%.

French Roulette offers the best deal to the players, as the La Partage/En Prison rule reduces the house edge to 1.35%, but only for even money outside bets.

Return To Player (RTP) is another way of expressing the house edge. It’s simply the converse of the house edge and to calculate it, deduct the house edge from 100 and add a % sign. 

The RTP for American Roulette comes in at 94.74% with European Roulette at 97.3%.

While there is no possibility to use skill to overcome the house edge when playing roulette, there are a few methods that have been used to successfully turn the odds in favour of the player. However these have only been possible due to imperfections in wheel mechanics or illegally by using prohibited technology.

Biased wheels are rare today as computerised testing ensures they remain fair. However,  in the past, wear and tear may have unintentionally created some biased wheels. 

The most famous example of a biased wheel being exploited for profit dates back to 1873 when Joseph Jagger noticed wear in the frets between the pockets, making some pockets harder to land in. He won £65,000, but operators closed the loophole by replacing the wooden frets with metal ones, which did not wear down over time.

Other methods of beating roulette have been devised, such as computers that can, with varying degrees of success, predict sections of the wheel that the ball is likely to land in. The earliest wearable versions of this were devised in the 1950s, however use of such equipment is banned today by most casinos.

Regular players of roulette soon develop their own style of playing and this often includes staking strategies. While staking strategies cannot overcome the house edge, they can help players to manage their levels of risk and reward and add structure and goals to a roulette session. 

New players often like to experiment a little with betting strategies, while experienced players may use the same method at every session. 

There are essentially three different kinds of staking strategy: negative progression, positive progression and flat stakes systems. 

Negative progression strategies require stakes to be increased after each losing spin of the wheel. They chase losses until a modest win is achieved.

Positive progression strategies do the opposite, as stakes are increased after a win rather than a loss. 

Such systems seek to spin up profit by hitting a lucky streak of consecutive wins. 

Flat betting strategies seek to do neither of these and simply require players to have enough self control to keep their bet sizing constant, whether winning or losing. Easier said than done.

All have their upsides and downsides, but which approach you take depends on your personal approach to risk and reward. 

Are you looking to eke out a small profit? Are you willing to sacrifice small wins for a chance to hit big when you get a hot streak? Or do you prefer to simply bet the same amount every time and see what happens?

There’s no wrong or right advice when it comes to choosing a staking strategy, but none of them can guarantee you a win. Some minimise initial investment, others require deeper pockets, therefore bankroll size is one of the most important considerations when it comes to choosing a staking strategy.

If this all sounds a little confusing, here’s some more details to help find the right staking strategy for you. Some are quite complicated, but I can assure you, they’re all easier to understand than a mobile phone upgrade contract (which nobody reads anyway). 

Negative Progression Staking Systems

The basic premise of negative staking strategies is to increase the size of one’s wager after every losing bet. They are designed so that when a win (or series of wins) eventually occurs, losses have been recouped and the player is in profit. 

Examples of such systems include the Martingale, the Fibonacci and the D’Alambert. But do they work?

Negative staking strategies can work quite well for short periods of time, as long as there isn’t a long streak of losing spins. But they often require a large initial bankroll, as losses can mount quickly and the return isn’t massive.

Theoretically they do work, but the risk to reward ratio is questionable and casinos set maximum stakes low enough to limit the usefulness of such systems. 

Nevertheless, negative staking strategies remain the most popular type of system employed by casino gamblers, especially roulette players. 

Positive Progression Staking Systems

Positive progression staking systems take the opposite approach, with bet sizes increasing after winning bets, not losing ones. This means that the player wins more when there is a hot streak of consecutive wins, but only loses the minimum per spin when things aren’t going so well. 

Positive progression staking systems also have their drawbacks, as players need to decide when to stop increasing stakes or they will be resigned to suffering a losing spin eventually. It is also easy to fall behind using a positive staking strategy, as sometimes results are balanced and there aren’t many long streaks to catch a ride with.

But not all staking strategies used for roulette are progression systems that require stakes to be increased or decreased on subsequent spins. Some are designed simply to most effectively cover specific numbers on any given spin. The James Bond system is an example of this.

Now let’s investigate some of the more common staking systems in use, learn how to implement them and rate their suitability for roulette. But above all (and at the risk of repeating myself) remember that no matter what staking strategy you choose, the odds will never be in your favour. In case you missed it, the previous section of this guide will enlighten you further on the house edge.

Martingale

Negative Progression Staking Strategy

The well known Martingale system is a classic gambling strategy where the size of the bet is doubled after every losing spin of the wheel. It was devised for even money bets (e.g. odd or even) and when a win is eventually achieved, the player will be one unit in profit.

It works well in theory, but in practice it fails for two rather important reasons. Firstly, it doesn’t take many losing spins for losses to stack up. Secondly, even if you have the bankroll to keep increasing your stakes until you get a winner, the casino has limits and you will hit them pretty quickly.

To use the Martingale in roulette, you need to place a minimum stake on one of the even money outside bets, such as red or black. In most real life casinos the minimum will be $5 on the lowest stakes table in the house. 

It doesn’t matter which outcome you bet on and you can change this after every hand, it’s not important. What is important is that you double your stake when you lose and keep doubling it, until you win…or hit the table maximum…or drain your entire bankroll…arghh!

Although a lot of people disregard their inner voice and still use the Martingale, it’s not one that is recommended, especially for those simply looking for a bit of fun. 

It’s certainly no fun at all to be on the 7th losing spin and have to bet $320 just to make a $5 profit on the sequence. That’s one heck of an expensive ‘free cocktail’ and one I suggest you don’t order liberally.

The main considerations should be simplicity of use and ensuring the game stays fun. For this reason, huge sweats to chase a single unit of profit are better avoided. The Martingale may seem appealing, but it’s best avoided, unless you really like the idea of ruining your day very quickly. 

Positive progression strategies offer the best shot at winning big and can be attempted even with small bankrolls. However be aware that such strategies will often end in failure, even if it’s not spectacular.

Roulette is one of the most popular games of chance at real-life and online casinos all over the world. Modern day roulette has been in existence since 1796, however key elements of it go much further back in time. These are the key milestones of roulette’s historical timeline.

Roulette is a casino game that has been played in its modern form for over 200 years. While this is still a relatively short period of time, the current incarnation is merely a modern version of one of the most ancient gambling concepts. To be specific, that of a game of chance using a spinning object with a pointer to determine a winning outcome.

The earliest examples of such activities yield from the dawn of recorded time, suggesting that the concept of gambling may predate written history by quite some time. Ancient Roman soldiers gambled as a distraction from the horrors of war and one of the games they played could be an early precursor to modern roulette. 

Roulette’s history began over 150 years before the game was first played, when in 1645 mathematician Blaise Pascal invented a wheel similar to the one that would eventually be used for the game. 

He had been trying to develop a perpetual motion machine and while this failed, the type of low friction wheel he constructed was later used to create what is now perhaps the most iconic of casino games. 

In its modern recognisable form, roulette was first played in Paris in 1796. However, it was by no means the first game of chance of its kind. The Italian game Biribi predated it. 

Biribi was a simplified banking game with 70 numbers, drawn from a bag, but was prone to cheating and was eventually outlawed in the 1830s. The utilisation of the wheel made roulette a more transparently fair game of chance.

The original 1796 version of roulette had a wheel with 38 slots, numbered 1-36, 0 and 00. It was not until 1843 that a wheel with a single zero was introduced, by a casino in Germany. This was done purely to gain a competitive advantage over casinos that operated with a double zero. 

The removal of the double zero cuts the house edge in half, however the 2.7% edge of single zero roulette still ensures a healthy profit for the casino. This version of the game became known as European roulette.

The version that made its way to the New World via French migrants to Louisiana stuck with two zeros and became known as American Roulette. Casinos did try to increase the house edge further by adding a third zero, disguised as an American Eagle, but this didn’t catch on. 

The development of roulette has been both hindered and forwarded by attempts to cheat at the game. Rigged wheels and corrupt operators were partly responsible for roulette being banned throughout France from the 1830s until the 1930s, surviving only in Monte Carlo, in the principality of Monaco.

Roulette features frequently in both classical and contemporary literature. It also crops up liberally in a film and popular culture world that is obsessed with Las Vegas. Hundreds of movies have been set in Las Vegas and a vast number of them feature scenes at the roulette table. 

In literature, perhaps the most famous description of the game is from Fedor Dostoevsky’s ‘The Gambler.’ The eponymous hero of the book becomes obsessed with roulette and falls victim to the gambler’s fallacy that he can beat the odds of the game.

Although fictitious, it was semi-autobiographical, as the author Dostoevsky himself had fallen victim to gambling addiction while traveling in Europe.

There are dozens of iconic movies set in Las Vegas and many of them feature scenes at the roulette table. Some of these are merely background establishing shots, but in others the wheel makes a more memorable appearance. 

The 1993 movie Indecent Proposal features a character losing everything at a Vegas roulette wheel, before accepting a $1m offer from a stranger for a night with his wife.  

James Bond plays roulette on more than one occasion, most notably in Diamonds are Forever, where he employs the flat betting system described earlier in this guide. 

There is also a great scene in the 1942 classic Casablanca, where Humphrey Bogart’s character rigs a roulette game. Roulette even made an appearance in the animated classic Toy Story 3.

As roulette is a game of chance, there are no actual pros, like there are for gambling related pursuits, such as poker. There are however a few players who have become legends of the game and should be members of a roulette hall of fame. 

Unlike in the literature of Dostoevsky, these modern-day protagonists of the game are famous for winning at the roulette table. Their legendary status is cemented by their resolve to go for broke and bet big. Their approach was foolhardy and not advisable, but their bravado was heroic, when making their immortal punts on the roulette wheel.

• Ashley Revell: In 2004, British entrepreneur Ashley Revell sold all his possessions and bet his entire life worth on a single spin of roulette. He staked $135,300 on red and when the ball landed on 7 red, he had doubled his worth to $270,600. One little known fact about Ashley’s gamble is that before making the journey to Las Vegas, he sought sponsorship, to boost his net worth. Blue Square (then an online betting site) offered a five figure amount, if he would officially change his name to Ashley ‘Blue Square’ Revell. After shaking on it, Revell officially changed his name by deed poll and added to his net worth.
• Jake Cody: Poker player Jake Cody became a legend of the roulette table in 2018, when he bet his entire winnings from a poker tournament on black. What had started off as a joke while celebrating his win in the UK Championship High Roller soon became a reality. During the alcohol-fuelled celebrations Cody, a sponsored pro at PokerStars, staked the entire £42,670 on black. It took place at Nottingham’s Dusk Till Dawn poker club and it was owner Rob Yong who spun the wheel for this monumental gamble. It came up black 22 and Cody then had even more celebrating to do, having doubled his poker winnings to £83,340.
• Sean Connery: Another supposed legend of roulette was Sean Connery. In 1962, while filming the James Bond movie Dr No, Connery visited a casino in Italy and bet on the number 17. It won and he let the bet and the winnings ride. The bet won again and to the astonishment of the onlookers, Connery left it all on and rode his luck to the cash desk when 17 black fell for the third time in a row. He had scooped over £10,000 worth of Italian Lire, defying odds of 50,000/1 on a number hitting three times in succession. While it’s a great story, it was just that, as it turns out it was a publicity stunt for Dr No and a rigged wheel had been used to pull off the feat. Connery returned the winnings to the casino and that was that. Even though it was faked, he’s still a legend for pulling this off.

When online gambling first began in the mid 1990s, roulette was one of the first casino games to be developed for play over the internet. Ease of access to online casinos from home helped roulette to rapidly grow in popularity, enabling many to experience it for the first time.

By the late 1990s, advances in technology led to live dealer versions of roulette being introduced. These were more entertaining and immersive, augmenting the online gaming experience further and expanding the game’s appeal further.

 The emergence of crypto currency payment methods in the 2010s led to a further explosion of online casinos. With roulette often at the forefront of digital casinos, its popularity has grown steadily. Forecasts suggest demand will increase further, as internet access continues to rise and crypto currencies expand the range of available payment methods.

Playing Roulette Online vs Live

While online roulette may look similar and gameplay may resemble its live counterpart, it’s not really the same game. Games developers haven’t actually constructed a virtual wheel, nor do they release a virtual ball.

As there is not really a ball or wheel, the non-existent ball can’t take a late bounce and end up in a different pocket like the ball will sometimes do on a real table.

In fact, there is no actual ‘spin’ in online roulette at all, instead the winning number is determined by a random number generator (RNG). 

Licensed and regulated operators use audited RNGs to ensure they are random and fair. However the visuals used in online roulette are simply pre-designed animations, not true representations of the journey of the ball to the pocket. 

One of the most noticeable differences between most online roulette offerings and live versions is that online it is mostly a solo pursuit. While some multi-player online roulette tables do exist, they are few and far between, most are single player games.

When mobile gaming grew rapidly in the first decade of the 21st century, roulette was at the forefront of that revolution. New technology paved the way for innovation, enabling new game formats to be developed, which would be impractical in a real life casino. 

Game studios such as Evolution Gaming, NetEnt and Microgaming have created so many gamified versions of roulette, that it would be impractical to list them all. 

As most variants of roulette have been developed exclusively for online play, only a few have found their way into bricks and mortar venues. These are some of the more commonly found variants.

Mini Roulette

Mini Roulette is one of the better known variants and it is simply a paired down version, using a wheel with just 13 pockets. It’s easy to understand, but at 7.89%, Mini Roulette has a higher house edge than regular versions of the game. 

The pockets in Mini Roulette are numbered 1-12 and 0. As per regular roulette wheels, the numbers are arranged non-sequentially on the wheel. 

Wagering options are very similar to regular roulette, with lower odds for some selections due to the smaller number of pockets on mini roulette wheels. The one unusual bet in Mini Roulette is the options to bet on middle numbers (4-9), as well as low and high numbers. 

Outside Bets:

• Red/Black, Odd/Even: 1/1 (Even money)
• Low Numbers(1-6)/Middle Numbers (4-9)/High Numbers (7-12) : 1/1 (Even Money)
• Column bets (4 numbers in each): 2/1

Inside bets

• Straight Up (single number): 11/1
• Split (2 numbers): 5/1
• Street (3 numbers): 3/1
• Corner/0-1-2-3 Bet: 2/1

Mini Roulette began life as an online game in 2016, however there is a live precursor, La Boule

La Boule is another version of roulette, which has just nine numbers on its paired down wheel. Numbers 1-4 are the low numbers, 6-9 are the high numbers, while the number 5 takes on the role of the zero. The wheel itself does not spin and the ball used is larger than a regular ball and made of hard rubber.

La Boule was created in France in 1923 and still exists in many French casinos today, plus some in Asia. Although rare to find online, it does exist in a few places, with at least two versions of the game from different providers in existence.

If you do find this game, you should probably give it a miss, as it has an even bigger house edge than Mini Roulette, at a staggering 11.1%.

Multi wheel roulette is more or less what you would expect it to be, an online version of roulette with more than one wheel. There are several different versions of this game from different game studios, most featuring 6 to 8 wheels, that spin simultaneously. 

Although there are several wheels (usually the 37 numbered European version), there is only one layout. Gameplay is exactly the same as regular roulette and the betting options are identical. The only difference is that the bets made apply to more than one wheel.

Before play begins, players choose the number of wheels they wish to play on, anything from 1 to the maximum allowed, which is usually 6 or 8, however some 3-wheel versions also exist. Any bets made will apply on all the tables selected to play on. As per regular roulette, you can make a variety of bets each spin, but stakes will be multiplied by the number of tables chosen. 

The benefit of multi-wheel roulette is that it gets to the point quickly. It will likely appeal to the kind of casino player who jumps around placing bets on several live tables at the same time. However it may be too much to keep track of for the majority of punters, who prefer slower paced action.

Another downside of speeding up the process is that it can make a session end too quickly and reduce the entertainment factor. Even though there are eight wheels, it doesn’t feel eight times as exciting.

In Double Ball Roulette there is just one wheel, but two balls are released during every spin. As releasing two balls into the wheel at the same time would be difficult for a real-life dealer to achieve, an automated solution has been devised to keep the path of each ball separate. 

This entertaining twist on roulette was developed in 2016 as an online live dealer game, however real life versions have been staged. 

The novelty of double ball roulette extends beyond the visual spectacle of two balls spinning at the same time. There are also betting opportunities that do not exist in single ball roulette, with outcomes of both balls to wager on. 

Inside bets are the same range as usual, with wagers on single number, splits, streets available, however these are half the usual odds.  If both balls land in the same number, the payout is doubled.

• Straight Up(single number): 17/1
• Split (2 numbers): 8/1
• Street(3 numbers) 5/1
• Corner (4 numbers): 7/2
• Line (6 numbers): 2/1

Outside bets however are very different, as they are options involving both balls.

• Red, Black, Odd, Even, Low Numbers (1-18), High Numbers (19-36): 3/1 if both balls land in the same selection
• 1st 12 (1-12), 2nd 12 (13-24), 3rd 12 (25-36): 8/1 if both balls land in the same selection
• One Red, One Black: 1/1, pays evens is one ball lands in each colour
• Double Ball Jackpot Bet: 1,300/1 if both balls land in the same selected number

Multi ball roulette, with not one or even two balls, but up to 10 being released per spin sounds like it could be a fantastic game. However the reality is more mundane, as unlike in double ball roulette, there are no unique new betting opportunities. It’s really just the same as multi wheel roulette, except that the balls all drop onto the same wheel.

Players can choose how many balls they wish to release per spin and bet size will be multiplied by the same number of balls chosen. Despite taking place during the same spin, each ball represents a separate event and bets are settled on each ball separately, at the same odds as you find in regular European roulette.

There are no fancy-odds combos for getting two or more balls in the same pocket, it’s purely a way of playing more tables at the same time. As per multi wheel roulette, multi ball roulette will appeal to some playing styles, but not all.

Some game providers have roulette tables with jackpot style prizes. These can be triggered by unlikely events, such as a number being hit five times in a row, as is the case with Microgaming’s Roulette Royale. Jackpot trigger methods vary from game to game.

Roulette Variants with Bonus Features

Some online roulette variants use arbitrary methods of deciding winners. These include games with mystery prizes, or bonus rounds that trigger by landing on special additional pockets on the wheel. Such variants are likely to appeal to slots players, as similar mechanics are used to award the big prizes.

Roulette variants that offer bonus payouts or have special jackpots usually have reduced odds for many of the regular bets. The odds of hitting a single number straight up can be as low as 29/1 in some games, to help pay for the enhanced payouts of special features.

Lightning Roulette 

A good example of an online variant that uses bonus features is Evolution Gaming’s Lightning Roulette, which uses a random multiplier feature to spice up the action. Before every spin, five of the numbers on the wheel are ‘struck by lightning’ and their odds are increased to anything from 50/1 to 500/1.

The amplified odds are only applicable to straight up bets on individual numbers. However, to compensate for these ‘jackpot’ style wins, the usual odds for hitting a single number are reduced from the usual 35/1 to 29/1. The house edge is similar to European Roulette at 2.7%.

3D Roulette/Immersive Roulette

Most online sites have fairly adequate graphics, showing players the spin of the wheel, using quite realistic sounds. However, some game providers have gone a step further, enhancing the experience further.

Many different versions of 3D roulette exist, creating a more immersive experience than regular online roulette offerings. These include 3D animations of the ball in motion and a choice of camera angles to watch the action unfold. But apart from fancy visual effects, these games are exactly the same as regular roulette. 

VR Roulette

Taking immersive experiences into another realm is VR roulette. Using a virtual reality headset, players can enjoy a full casino experience, with the ability to explore the gaming floor and join different games, including roulette. 

VR is still relatively new and not that many casino games have yet been developed for it, but it’s likely to be a busier space in a few years' time.

Online games with regional flavours have broadened the range of live dealer roulette available. German Roulette is not only conducted in German language but is streamed from tables with a Germanic theme.

Novelty Roulette Variants

Other roulette variants make more significant changes to either gameplay or presentation, although these have not always been particularly successful and many were simply marketing gimmicks. 

• Mouse Roulette: Everett MacDonald’s 1930s one-night only spreading of Mouse Roulette at Harolds Club in Reno is an often-cited example. These days, the only mice involved in roulette are the ones being clicked to place bets at online casinos.
• Cowpat roulette: This game is a thing of legend. For sure makeshift games of this type have been played by farmers for many generations, but it’s usually just for a laugh at county fairs and such like. A cow is released into a field divided into sections and people bet on which one will get cow-patted first. However, during the internet gaming boom of the early 2000s, one enterprising site launched a short-lived online version of this named Moo-lette. It didn’t last long and there’s no trace of it ever having existed in google search results.
• Pinball Roulette: In this unusual variant, the wheel is replaced with a basic old-fashioned style pinball game, with 37 empty slots at the bottom. The ball is released and makes its way down through a series of barriers and pegs, before settling (randomly, apparently) in one of the slots at the bottom. Winner, winner, pinball dinner!

Most online casinos offer first time deposit or reload bonuses, however some are better suited than others for playing online roulette. In general, casino bonuses are usually better for slots players, as operators often put higher play through requirements on table games such as blackjack and roulette.

Some bonuses are usable for online roulette, but there is a lot of variation in terms and conditions. It’s advisable to check what you’re signing up to before making a deposit, as there can be hidden terms. Most online casino deposit/reload bonuses work something like this:

• Make a deposit and receive a bonus, which can be 100%, 500% or even 1,000% of the amount deposited, with minimum and maximum amounts that apply. 
• You may have to sign up using a specific bonus code, or you might have to enter it when making the deposit, always check first.
• Once you have made the deposit, you usually have to meet playing requirements before its released into your account, although this is usually done in small amounts rather than all at once. 
• It’s usual for deposit bonuses to have play-through requirements of around 20-30x the amount of the deposit. What this means is that if you deposit £10, you would have to turn it over 20 or 30 times before the bonus amount is released. In this example, with a 20x requirement, you would have to make total stakes of £200 in order to clear the bonus.
• However, at some sites, roulette may not fully count towards play-through requirements, perhaps only accounting for 20%, which in the same example, would mean that £200 x 5 = £1,000 would have to be staked to clear the bonus.

If you are intending to play roulette, the things to look out for when signing up to a deposit bonus include:

• Whether and when a deposit code needs to be entered.
• Whether roulette counts towards releasing the bonus and if it does, what percentage roulette contributes
• If all games count towards clearing bonuses or not - sometimes live dealer games are left out
• Whether the bonus is released in increments or all at once
• How long you have to clear the bonus before it expires
• If there are any further play-through obligations for released bonuses, or whether they can be withdrawn

Playing roulette live in casinos is usually very fun. However as with all walks of life, people don’t always get along well with each other and frustrations can emerge at the table. 

It’s always best to be polite and friendly to ensure a pleasant gaming session, however there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed, in order to balance having a good time and respecting the privacy of others. Gambling is a superstitious activity for many and crossing these lines, even inadvertently, can at best annoy others at the table. 

And by “others” I don’t just mean other players. First and foremost, the staff that run the game (croupiers, shift managers, casino managers and valets) need to be respected. Here are some tips about roulette etiquette, starting with some general rules about how to behave in a casino environment.

Plan your visit. Especially if it’s your first time at a venue, there are some things you need to check before you visit. These include dress code, whether there is a loyalty program and even the table stakes, as some casinos cater exclusively for high rollers.

Finding a table.  When you want to join a table, you can’t just rock up and slap your cash on the table, you have to wait for an opening. 

If it’s an empty table or if there are only one or two players, you can join as soon as you get there, unless a spin is already taking place. If it’s a full table with several onlookers, you should skip it, as there may be others waiting to play ahead of you. 

How to join a table respectfully. Once you have found a table that can accommodate an additional player, you should wait until the current round is over before signalling to the croupier that you wish to play.

To start playing, put your cash down on the table. The croupier will then ask you whether you would like ‘colour’ or cash chips.

Colour chips or cash chips? Inside bets on the roulette layout are made using coloured chips. The casino will usually have 6-8 different colours available, to enable several players to participate at the same time. 

Each player uses differently coloured chips, which enables the croupier to easily distinguish who to payout winning bets to.

If you want to make inside bets, choose an available colour. If you don’t want to make inside bets and only wish to make outside bets, regular casino cash chips can be used for these.

Betting Limits. Each table has a small sign next to it, indicating the minimum and maximum stakes that can be placed. The minimum outside bet is usually at least five times bigger than for inside bets. 

For example, on a table which has minimum stakes of £1 on inside bets, the minimum on outside bets will likely be £5.

Placing bets on the layout. Wait until the dealer has finished making payouts for the previous spin before placing your bets for the next one. The dealer will remove the dolly from the layout after bets have been paid out, which is when betting can begin for the next round. 

Place chips clearly on the layout. If you are making a straight-up bet and there are already chips of other players on the box, place yours next to them, but clearly inside the grid lines. Bets on splits, streets and corners should be placed carefully on the lines and intersections. Badly placed chips can cause disputes.

Remember that roulette has a built in house edge and is therefore only a reliable source of income for the house. If you’re winning frequently, it’s just luck, not the foundations of a career. There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo…or a professional roulette player.  

Maximum bet sizes. Note that as well as there being maximum bets per box, there is also a table maximum, which means that all the bets placed by one player must not exceed a cumulative total per spin. 

It’s the player’s responsibility to stick within these limits, as breaching them can void any winnings on a spin.

Avoid Disputes and Disruptions. When mistakes happen at the roulette table it holds up play. If there is a dispute about a bet, the floor manager will alert the security manager, who will check cameras to assess the situation. It can cause a delay in play of a few minutes, especially if the dispute involves badly placed chips. 

To avoid disputes in the first place, ensure that you place bets clearly and on time. However sometimes disputes are unavoidable and when it happens, be patient, respectful and don’t make a fuss. Simply point out any perceived error calmly and the casino staff will handle it as efficiently as possible.

Watch Your Belongings. Sadly, you can’t always trust the strangers that you choose to play with in casinos. The vast majority of the time casinos are quite safe when it comes to your belongings, as there are cameras almost everywhere. 

However, the roulette table is one of the least safe places in the casino, especially a busy and bustling one. The cameras can’t pick up everything, especially with players leaning over the table to place chips. 

There are pickpockets in some casinos who exploit such situations. Watch out for handbags, phones and other possessions as well as your chips on the table.

Etiquette for Live Dealer Online Roulette. While much online roulette is single player, some games are multi-player and there is often a social element, via a chat box. 

Live dealer roulette is an increasingly popular choice for many in today’s online gaming landscape and most have chat boxes. These can be used to communicate with the dealer and other players. 

Always behave respectfully in multi-player and live dealer roulette chat windows. Such games are moderated and those who abuse the feature can have chat privileges removed. This includes posting spam and generally being annoying as well as being rude.

As with many other games of chance, there are several myths and misconceptions surrounding roulette. One of the commonly recurring falsities is that the results of previous spins have an impact on future results. 

This misplaced belief is known as the Gamblers Fallacy and centres around the belief that if a number hasn’t been hit for a while, it must be ‘due’ to hit soon. 

In fact, the odds remain the same for every spin, as each is an independent event and previous results have no bearing on the outcome.

Other myths surrounding roulette include claims that using a system can guarantee a win. It’s merely wishful thinking, if there was actually a system that worked, casinos would no longer exist.

It is also claimed by some that skilled croupiers can hit specific sections of the wheel on demand. However no evidence to prove this exists. It is most likely an urban legend propagated by egotistical or deluded croupiers overestimating their own abilities.

Online roulette also has some myths related to it. The most common being that the game is rigged in favour of the house. While there may indeed be some unscrupulous online operators out there, the vast majority are regularly audited for fairness.

Once you’ve played roulette a few times you’ll quickly become familiar with most of the terminology relating to it. However much of the lingo used at the roulette table can seem like a foreign language to the uninitiated. 

To avoid feeling like a newbie, familiarise yourself with the words of the wheel before you hit the casino. Here is a glossary of terms related to roulette.

General Roulette Terms

• American Roulette 

One of the most common versions of roulette with 38 slots, including 0 and 00. It has a higher house edge than European Roulette due to the additional zero. The standard version of roulette that is played in North and South America and the Caribbean.

• Croupier

Also known as a dealer, the croupier is a casino employee who operates the roulette table, including spinning the wheel and paying out winning bets.

• European Roulette

The prevalent version of roulette in Europe, using a wheel will 37 slots. It has a lower house edge than American Roulette due to only having a single zero.

• Fibonacci Betting System

A staking strategy that can be used when playing roulette, using the Fibonacci number sequence to determine how much to bet on each spin.

• French Roulette

A variant of European Roulette, which also uses a wheel with 37 pockets. At 1.35%, French Roulette has the smallest house edge of the three main versions of the game (for even money bets only), due to the inclusion of “La Partage” or “En Prison” rules.

• House Edge

The House Edge is the undisputed heavy weight champion of the casino industry, which wouldn’t exist without it. Yeah, those “on the house” cocktails and complimentary buffet tickets aren’t actually free. Someone has to pay and the nature of the business world dictates that that person is you, the customer. 

Every hand of blackjack, every roll of the dice and every spin of the wheel earns the casino its living. Put simply, the house edge is a mathematical advantage that the casino holds over players, expressed as a percentage (per event). 

• Let it Ride (Parlay)

A gambling term relevant to roulette, whereby the player leaves their winnings from one spin on the table for another, usually in addition to the original stake.

• Martingale Betting System

A betting strategy where the player doubles their bet after suffering a loss and repeats until a win is achieved. Despite being a high risk-low reward strategy, it remains one of the most commonly used staking systems used to this day.

• Mini Roulette

A version of roulette with only 13 numbers, 1-12 and 0.  Mini Roulette is found both live and online and has a bigger house edge than American roulette.

• Negative Progression

A type of betting system, such as the Martingale and the Fibonacci, where bets are increased after each loss.

• Odds

The return on a winning bet, usually expressed in roulette ad a ratio, e.g. 35/1 for a straight up single number.

• Positive Progression

A betting system where bets are increased after a win. Profits, or some part thereof, are reinvested to make larger bets after each subsequent win. 

• Ball-Track

Situated just below the outer rim, the ball track is the part of the roulette wheel where the ball is initially released from at the start of a spin.

• Bottom Track

The inner, lower slanted part of the wheel which the ball descends into when it leaves the ball-track, before settling in a pocket.

• Double Zero (00)

This extra green pocket is the 38th slot, found only on American Roulette wheels. The presence of a double zero significantly increases the house edge when compared with single zero variants.

• Marker (Dolly)

A small device which is placed upright on the winning number, to indicate the result of a spin.

• Pockets

Individually numbered indented slots on the roulette wheel which the ball lands in at the end of a spin.

• Layout (Table Layout)

Refers to the felted betting area on the roulette table, upon which the numbers of the wheel are printed, arranged into a grid. Bets are placed directly onto the layout, on boxes and grid lines that separate the numbers.

• Tracking Board

An electronic display showing recent winning numbers and their colours. Most tracking boards show results of the last 10 spins, with some displaying as many as 20 previous results.

• Wheel

The spinning device used to play roulette, containing 37 or 38 numbered pockets.

• Zero

The green pocket marked “0” on the wheel, found in all roulette variants.

“There’s a fine line between clever and stupid” is a quote from the legendary Spinal Tap singer David St Hubbins, and it’s very relevant here. If you have a choice of roulette games to play and French is on the list, make sure you stand on the correct side of the line.

Rules and Types of Bet in Roulette 

• Basket Bet

A three-number wager in American Roulette which includes at least one zero. It is also known as a Trio bet and pays out at odds of 11/1.

• Column Bet (Colonne)

An outside bet on one of the three columns of 12 numbers, with odds of 2/1

• Corner Bet (Carre, Quarter Bet, Square Bet)

A bet on four adjacent numbers forming a square on the layout, with odds of 8/1.

• Dozen Bet (Douzaine)

An outside bet on one of three groups of 12 numbers: 1–12, 13–24, or 25–36, with odds of 2/1

• En Plein (Straight Up Bet)

The French term for a straight up bet on a bet on a single number, with odds of 35/1

• En Prison

A rule in French Roulette which is applied to even money bets, if the result of the spin is a zero. When this happens, the bet is “imprisoned” for the next spin. If it wins, the original bet is returned; if it loses again, the bet is lost. If another zero is rolled, the bet is also deemed a loser.

• Even Money Bet

Any outside bet with odds of 1/1, such as red/black, odd/even and high/low.

• Inside Bet

A wager on the numbered section of the layout, either on single numbers or small groups of adjacent numbers.

• La Partage

A rule in French Roulette where half the stake is returned to the player on even money bets when a zero hits La Partage is more common than the alternative En Prison rule, which is sometimes used in the same circumstances.

• Line Bet (Six Line, Sixain)

An inside bet on the six numbers on two adjacent row, with odds of 5/1.

• Orphelins (Orphans)

A speciality bet in French Roulette. Please refer to the Roulette Bets and How to Place them section for the full definition.

• Outside Bets

Bets placed outside the numbered grid on even money and 2/1 shots such as red/black, odd/even, high/low, column and dozen bets. 

• Split Bet (En Chaval)

A bet placed on two adjacent numbers, with odds of 17/1.

• Street Bet (Transversale, Trio Bet)

A bet on a single row of three numbers, with odds of 11/1.

• Tiers du Cylindre

A speciality bet in French Roulette. Please refer to the Roulette Bets and How to Place them section for the full definition.

• Voisins du Zero

A speciality bet in French Roulette. Please refer to the Roulette Bets and How to Place them section for the full definition.

Roulette is one of the most enjoyable games in the casino. A good session at the table can include suspense, drama, camaraderie, banter and hope. A bad session should also feature much of the same, as positive experiences aren’t defined simply by profit or loss.

The key is to approach roulette in the same way that you would for any gambling based activity. Aim to enjoy the experience and don’t expect to win every time you play. If you’re playing purely out of a desire for another win, a dose of reality is possibly more needed than another winning session. 

If you’re new to roulette, take advantage of the demo modes in online casinos, try Casinos.com's free roulette games, or find play-money casino apps. Learn the game and try out betting strategies or staking systems for free, until you’re ready to give it a go for real money.

Once you’re ready to play for real, set a budget and stick to it. Chasing losses isn’t good for either your bank balance or your health. There’s no need to try and win it back again immediately, the game will still be running next time you visit.

Remember that roulette has a built in house edge and is therefore only a reliable source of income for the house. If you’re winning frequently, it’s just luck, not the foundations of a career. There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo…or a professional roulette player. 

Place your bets, spin the wheel, hope to be lucky, but most of all, enjoy it! 

Playing roulette can be fun, but with any form of gambling, a toxic approach can risk addiction and financial harm. Most reputable online casinos offer tools to help players stay in control, such as deposit limits and play time reminders, with take-a-break and self-exclusion options available as a last resort.

Be aware of your own state of mind and look out for signs that you might be developing a problem. If you’re always chasing losses, or if gambling is affecting your personal or professional life, you may have a problem. Recognising that you have such a problem is the first step. 

Denial is an easier path at first, but not a solution, so don’t be ashamed or afraid to reach out for help if things are getting out of control. There are people who can help when gambling stops being fun, such as organisations like GamCare or BeGambleAware.