Roulette Rules – Learn The Rules of Roulette

Roulette is a casino game played with a wheel. A small ball is spun into the wheel by a croupier (or dealer), after which the ball will fall into one of the wheel's numbered pockets. The object of the game is to predict which pocket the ball will fall into. In this article we will explain the rules of roulette.

Basic Roulette Rules

The following roulette rules will refer to live roulette. However, the rules of online roulette are extremely similar; the only real change is that rather than using a physical wheel, all results are simulated by a computer program. In addition, many of the functions of the croupier are automated, leading to faster game play.

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A game of roulette is played with a wheel that has either 37 or 38 different pockets. These pockets are numbered 0 through 36; in American roulette, there is also a 00 pocket. The zero and double zero pockets are colored green, while the rest of the pockets are split between red and black.

Before each spin, players are allowed to make any number of bets on the roulette table, with all of those bets outlined in the "Roulette Bets" section below. Players are permitted to make as many or as few bets as they like on each spin, and it is common for players to dot the table with numerous bets covering most of the possible outcomes.

The main restrictions to betting come in the form of table minimums and maximums. The minimum bet sets the amount players must bet on any outside bet, or on the total of their inside bets. Maximum bets similarly set an upper limit to the betting.

Because a roulette table may have many players placing bets on various parts of the table, most roulette games give special roulette chips to players. Each player has a different color chip, which allows the croupiers and players to accurately track which bets belong to which players.

Players may continue to place bets until the croupier places the ball into the wheel. At that point, players can make their final bets; after a few seconds of the ball traveling around the wheel, the croupier will wave off all further bets.

Once the ball begins to slow down, it will fall off the outer edge of the wheel and begin to bounce around before settling in one of the pockets. Once it has landed in a pocket, the croupier will announce the result and mark it on the table.

At this point, all losing bets will be swept from the table, after which the winning bets will be paid out. Players are not to place new bets until after all winning bets from the previous spin have been paid, and the croupier has removed the marker (known as the dolly) from the table.

Roulette Bets

Since guessing exactly which number will be hit on each spin is very difficult, roulette has a variety of betting options that cover varying amounts of the wheel. These bets also vary in the odds they will pay out at if a winning number is hit.

Inside Bets

Inside Bets are bets on the numbers themselves, and are named because they are placed on the "inside" of the roulette table. These bets generally cover either a single number or just a few numbers, and as such, pay out at fairly high odds.

The inside bets are as follows:

Single Number: 35-1
Split/Two Numbers: 17-1
Street/Line (Three Numbers): 11-1
Corner/Square (Four Numbers): 8-1
Two Lines (Six Numbers): 5-1
"Top Line" (Five Numbers – American Roulette Only): 6-1

Outside Bets

Outside Bets are bets on larger segments of the wheel that are made on the outer parts of the roulette table in specially marked areas. These bets pay out at lower odds than the inside bets, but are also more likely to win.

The outside bets are as follows:

Odd/Even: 1-1
Red/Black: 1-1
1-18/19-36: 1-1
Dozens Bets (12 Numbers): 2-1
Columns Bets (12 Numbers): 2-1

For more information about the bets used in roulette, check out our roulette bets article, or try for yourself at 888 Casino.