How to Play Roulette – Guide to Roulette Online

Roulette is one of the oldest casino games (dating back to France in 1842), and remains a favorite to this day. The players choose which bets they want and place their chips on the table. Then a metal ball is put onto a spinning wheel.

The number that the ball lands on will determine which bets win. Knowing  how to play roulette can give you access to one of the most popular games in the casino.

Some players boast a strategy for how to play roulette and win, but in all honesty your fate is more up to lady luck than any sort of system. Placing several bets in different amounts, and playing the wagers that have the best odds, can of course improve your chances of winning. For example, if you decide to play the number 11, it would be a good idea to play at least the minimum on black and odd as well. A win on 11 would also pay off for these bets as 11 is both an odd number and a black number. With this strategy, even if 11 is not the outcome but the ball lands on another black or odd number, you can still win back some of your money. This page outlines how to play roulette as well as which casinos offer the best roulette games online.

The Set-Up

There are three major components of any roulette game, the wheel, the ball and the table. The roulette wheel itself will differ per the country you are playing in. In European Roulette, there are 37 different numbers on the wheel from 0 to 36. American Roulette uses a 38-number wheel that includes a double zero as well. This makes the house advantage different depending on the kind of game you are playing. In European Roulette, the house has a 2.63 edge, but in American Roulette, the extra zero gives the house a 5.26 percent edge.

How to Place Bets

When you first step up to the roulette table, the dealer will change out your money chips for special roulette chips that you will use only for that game and at that particular table. These roulette chips are colored so that there is no question as to which player put down which chip. When you are ready to cash out, you can exchange your roulette chips for money chips to be taken to the cashier or used in other games. Of course when playing online, playing at Cherry Red Casino can help you learn easily and automatically.

When the new round of play begins, you will be allowed to place your chips onto the roulette table, which will represent the bet you are taking. The table is divided between two different sections – the inside bets and the outside bets. The inside bets are in the middle of the table and represent each of the numbers 1-36 on the roulette wheel. The outside bets represent more general bets such as betting on different columns of numbers or even on the outcome of the ball landing on an even or odd number. A crucial strategy for learning how to play roulette is knowing the difference between the two sections of the table and when to make bets accordingly.

Inside Bets

• Straight Up: (Pays 35 to 1) A bet made on a single number between 1 and 36. The player will win if the number they choose is the one the ball lands on.
• Split Bet: (Pays 17 to 1) A bet made on two numbers and placed on the line between them. The player will win if either number is the outcome.
• Street Bet: (Pays 11 to 1) A bet made on three numbers in a row and placed on the line between the outside betting area and the inside. The player will win if the ball lands on any of the three numbers in that row.
• Corner or Quad Bet: (Pays 8 to 1) A bet made on four numbers and placed on the corners where they intersect. The player will win if any of the four numbers is the outcome.
• Basket Bet: (Pays 6 to 1) A bet placed on five numbers and placed on numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. This is the worst bet in roulette as most houses have an advantage of 7.89 percent.
• Double Street Bet: (pays 5 to 1) A bet placed on six numbers and placed on the line between the outside line and the inside of two rows. The player will win if the ball lands on any number in the rows.

Outside Bets

• Red or Black Bet: (Pays 1 to 1) Players place chips in special boxes on the outcome of the ball landing on a black or red number.
• Odd or Even Bet: (Pays 1 to 1) Players place chips in special boxes on the outcome of the ball being an even or odd number.
• Dozens Bet: (Pays 2 to 1) Players place chips in special boxes representing the numbers 1-2, 13-24 or 25-36 as the outcome. Players will automatically lose if any zero is the outcome.
• Column Bet: (Pays 2 to 1) Players place chips in special boxes representing all twelve numbers in either of the three rows on the table.

Spin the Wheel

When learning how to play roulette, keep in mind that all roulette tables will require a minimum bet to be placed in order to play the game. A player must wager the minimum amount in either the inside or outside betting area. Players are allowed to place bets in both areas, but they must clear the minimum wager requirement in both betting areas. For example, if the table has a $10 minimum bet, a player can not place $5 inside and $5 outside. If the player wants to make a bet in both areas, it must be at least $10 in the inside and $10 in the outside.

There is a common misconception by people who are just learning how to play roulette that once the dealer rolls the ball onto the wheel, no more bets may be played. However, you can keep putting down chips until the ball is close to hitting the end of the wheel, at which point the dealer will let the table know that no more bets may be played. As soon as the ball lands on a number, the dealer will place a special marker on the winning number and collect all of the losing chips. The dealer will then award any winners and then play will resume once more when the special marker is taken off of the board.