To play roulette, place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table has had a chance to place their bets, the dealer starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the dealer says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the dealer places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the dealer pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.
En prison: This is a roulette rule applied to even-money bets only, and by some casinos (not all). When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his/her bet or leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for another roulette spin. In the second case, if the following spin the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.
La partage: The la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero roulette table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% House edge and one on a double-zero roulette table has a House edge of 2.63%.
Next, we'll look at the types of bets.
Inside bets
- Straight-up: a single number bet. The chip is placed entirely on the middle of a number square.
- Split: a bet on two adjoining numbers, either on the vertical or horizontal (as in 14-17 or 8-9). The chip is placed on the line between these numbers.
- Street: a bet on three numbers on a single horizontal line. The chip is placed on the edge of the line of a number at the end of the line (either the left or the right, depending on the layout).
- Corner (or square): a bet on four numbers in a square layout (as in 11-12-14-15). The chip is placed at the horizontal and vertical intersection of the lines between the four numbers.
- Six Line: a bet on two adjoining streets, with the chip placed at the corresponding intersection, as if in between where two street bets would be placed.
- Trio: a bet on the intersecting point between 0, 1 and 2, or 00, 2 and 3.
Outside bets
- 1 to 18: a bet on one of the first low eighteen numbers coming up.
- 19 to 36: a bet on one of the last high eighteen numbers coming up.
- Red or Black: a bet on which color the roulette wheel will show.
- Even or Odd: a bet on an even or odd number.
- Dozen Bets: a bet on the first (1-12), second (13-24), or third group (25-36) of twelve numbers.
- Column Bets: a bet on all 12 numbers on any of the three vertical lines (such as 1-4-7-10 on down to 34). The chip is placed on the space below the final number in this string.
Last we'll look at the odds.
Below where it says -2.70% compared to -5.26% is know as the house edge. The European single zero game offers the same payouts, but better odds than the American double zero game (because there is one fewer space on the wheel). While it is rare to find the single zero game at a casino in North America, this game is standard among most all online casinos, so stick to the european version. Online casinos generally offer better odds than those found in land casinos.
| Single Zero wheels | Double Zero wheels |
| (35 - 36)/37 x 100 = -2.70% | (35 - 37)/38 x 100 = -5.26% |
| Bet | Double Zero Odds |
Single Zero Odds |
Payout |
| Single Number | 37 to 1 | 36 to 1 | 35 to 1 |
| Two Number split | 18 to 1 | 17.5 to 1 | 17 to 1 |
| Three Number street | 11.67 to 1 | 11.33 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| Four Number square | 8.5 to 1 | 8.25 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
| Five Numbers | 6.6 to 1 | not available | 6 to 1 |
| Six Number line | 5.33 to 1 | 5.17 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Column | 2.17 to 1 | 2.08 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Dozen | 2.17 to 1 | 2.08 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Even | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
| Odd | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
| Low (1-18) | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
| High (19-36) | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
| Red | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
| Black | 1.05 to 1 | 1.01 | 1 to 1 |
