Roulette Rules

Roulette is an incredibly simple game. A Croupier (or in the case of online play, the software program) spins a wheel with 36 numbered slots colored alternately red or black and either one green slot labeled 0 (in European and French Roulette) or two green slots, one labeled 0 and one labeled 00 (in American Roulette).

Essentially, you place your bet on a colored number - black or red, 0-36 (and sometimes 00) - and a wheel containing compartments with all those options is spun.

On your screen, you will see the roulette wheel itself and a felt-covered table with squares containing each of the colored numbers on the wheel. You place your bet by clicking on the square containing the colored number where you believe the little white ball will come to a stop when the wheel is done spinning.

Once all bets are placed, and you click "Spin", the wheel spins counter-clockwise and the ball rotates around the wheel clockwise.

There are 11 types of bets in a game of Roulette and the amount of money you can win is determined by the type of bet you place.

Inside Bets:

1 number: Pays out 35 to 1 (2.63% probability of winning)
Make sure your bet is securely inside the square for number on which you are betting. It cannot touch any of the lines bordering the square. Otherwise it may be considered…

2 numbers (or Split Bets): Pays out 17 to 1 (5.6% probability of winning)
In this case, you purposely place your bet on the line bordering two squares, thus betting on either of the numbers to come up.

3 numbers: pays out 11 to 1 (7.89% probability of winning)
Place your chip(s) on the line separating the inside and outside areas to bet on a column of 3 numbers.

4 numbers (or Corner or Square Bets): Pays out 8 to 1 (10.53% probability of winning)
Place your chip(s) on the intersection between 4 numbers to be on 4 numbers at once.

5 numbers: Pays out 6 to 1. STAY AWAY from this type of bet if you know what's good for you. The house gets a 2.63% advantage when you bet this way. It's not worth it. If you really want better than 10% odds of winning, try one of the methods below.

6 numbers: Pays out 5 to 1 (15.79% probability of winning)

Outside Bets:

You'll notice there are also several boxes outside of the numbered squares on the betting felt. These additional squares expand your betting options further and, though the payouts are significantly smaller here, the odds of winning are high.

12 numbers column bet: Pays out 2 to 1 (31.58% probability of winning). Place your chip(s) on one of the squares labeled "2 to 1", usually located at the bottom of one of the three columns opposite "0" and, when applicable, "00" You win if the ball comes to rest on a number in the vertical column above where you placed your bet.

12 numbers numerical bet (or the Dozens Bet): Pays out 2 to 1 (31.58% probability of winning). In this instance, you'd be betting on either numbers 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36. For 1-12, place your bet on the square labeled "1st"; for 13-24, place it on "2nd"; for 25-36, "3rd".

18 numbers red/black: Pays out 1 to 1 (47.37% probability of winning). Place you bet on the red or black diamond. Regardless of the number that comes up, if the color matches the color of the diamond beneath your bet, you win.

18 numbers high/low: Pays out 1 to 1 (47.37% probability of winning). Place your bet on the square marked "1-18" for Low, or "19-36" for High.

18 numbers odd/even: Pays out 1 to 1 (47.37% probability of winning). Place your bet on the square marked "Odd" or the one marked "Even".

Any Red or Black: Pays out based on the color where the ball comes to rest regardless of the number. If the ball stops on 0 or 00, you lose.

Minimum Bets:

Every casino has minimum bets you can place at their Roulette table. For Inside Bets, (1 Number - 6 Numbers) each individual bet can be less than the minimum as long as your total amount bet is equal to or greater than the casinos declared minimum. For Outside Bets, however, each individual bet must at least match the minimum.