How to Play Roulette Online: Rules & Terms

A game of chance with a rich history, online roulette has been among the gamblers’ favorites for centuries. It doesn’t require any complicated strategy or in-depth knowledge. You may just stake on your lucky numbers and watch the ball rolling around the wheel to get you a win. Here we share the key roulette terms and rules to let you in to the world of gambling fun and equip you with basic understanding of roulette rules, betting options, and the overall process. Enjoy all kinds of roulette at CasinoChan and make your way to decent wins! 

Roulette Online – History of The Game 

Though the exact origin of the roulette is ambiguous, most experts date it back to the 17th century and attribute the invention of the roulette wheel to a French physician Blaise Pascal. The wheel emerged as his brainchild in an effort to create a perpetual motion machine. While the outcome was quite different from what Pascal had initially planned, he appropriated the invention for gambling purposes. The roulette quickly gained momentum, and already by the end of the century, all Paris was playing the new fashionable game. 

Soon the game spread across Europe and traveled to the USA where it was also quickly adopted by the gambling community, though with some variations. Today, online roulette is equally popular in all corners of the world due to simple rules and exciting gameplay. 

American, French, and European Roulette 

Though online casinos offer a great number of unusual roulette variations today, the classical types include the European roulette, American roulette, and French roulette wheels. What makes them distinct? 

The European roulette is the most popular type of this gambling game, mostly due to the lowest house edge equaling 2.7% because of only one zero pocket on the wheel. 

The American roulette wheel has a zero and a double zero pocket, thus providing the house with a greater edge – 5.26%. Though the chances of losing are higher for the gamblers, the payout ratios are higher, so winning big is more possible in this game variety. This wheel allows the same types of bets and follows the same roulette gambling rules as the European version does. 

The French roulette type is identical to the European one, but with one addition. This game allows two additional bets, “En Prison” and “La Partage,” which essentially serve as the player’s insurance against a loss. In case gamblers make these stakes, then the loss occurs only in case of the winning zero. In all other instances, the insured stakes return to the players for a new round of betting.  

Comparison of the European and American Roulette wheels and table layouts.

Best Roulette Rules of Playing – How to Play Roulette and Win?

Now let’s learn how to play roulette by studying its rules and procedures carefully. The wheel is designed in such a way that every number has a corresponding pocket large enough for the ball to get a stop inside it. The wheels are made of wood and are equipped with 3-4 central handles to set them in motion, though it’s more common today to see croupiers spinning the wheels by turning the wheel’s side. Once the wheel is set to motion, the dealer starts spinning the plastic ball in the opposite direction to that of the wheel, putting it inside a special rim on the wheel. Once the speed of the wheel’s rotation slows down, the ball gets into one of the pockets, thus determining the winner. 

Online roulette players can make bets before the ball starts its motion. Every gambler has chips of a distinct color so that the croupier can quickly determine the winners and release the payouts. Each bet is placed on its special betting area (discussed below) for clarity. It’s forbidden to toss chips across the table, as such actions may cause confusion. Be attentive during the game as the bet may be considered accepted only if the dealer repeats it. Otherwise, the bet may be missed. Given the speed of roulette rounds’ execution, gamblers have no extra time for distraction or empty talk. The wheel usually spins up to 37 times an hour, thus giving less than two minutes for every round. 

Zero rules for playing roulette refer to the rules applying to the assignment of wins in cases when the ball lands on the zero pocket. The rules are different for the European and American roulette types. In the European game, you can leave the chips on their places on the betting table for the next round or opt for a Surrender variant, allowing to take back a half of your stake in case of the zero outcome. In the American game, all outside bets lose when the balls lands on zero. 

Popular Roulette Terminology: Key Online Roulette Terms 

Knowing the casino games roulette rules, you have greater chances to win. So, make sure to study the basic terminology of the game before proceeding to the roulette table. That knowledge will help you seem a pro and catch up with the process quickly. 

We won’t stop on the names of bets here as they’re explained in more detail below. Let’s clarify some special online roulette jargon to help you feel like a pro during the game. 

  • Biased numbers refer to the numbers that win more often than others. They may be identified only in the process of analysis based on a good set of historical data for a specific roulette wheel. 
  • Dolly is a marker placed on the winning number on the roulette’s betting table. 
  • Double up is the system of betting used by those following a Martingale strategy. It presupposes doubling the bet every time the gambler loses so that the potential win in the next round helps cover all the losses incurred in the previous ones. The act of doubling the stake is termed parlay
  • Orphans are the numbers 6, 34, and 17 – they are located in different places on the betting table but are neighbours on the wheel. The bet on orphans can be made only on the European wheel.

Orphan numbers 17, 34 and 6 on the Roulette wheel.

01 Roulette Odds and Payouts: Roulette Payout Charts Explained

Winning is easier if you understand the roulette rules and odds. By the winning odds, we mean that chances that you have for your stake to win. Here is the table explaining the odds for each bet accepted on a roulette table, and the roulette rules payout that you may expect from each of them. The highest odds come with a single number bet, be it 0, 00, or some other number. 

Payout ratio Odds (European) Odds (American)
0 35:1 36 to 1 37 to 1
00 35:1 --- 37 to 1
Straight 35:1 36 to 1 37 to 1
Row 17:1 --- 18 to 1
Split 17:1 17 to 1 18 to 1
Street 11:1 11 1/3 to 1 11 2/3 to 1
Corner 8:1 8 ¼ to 1 8 ½ to 1
Basket 6:1 (EU), 8:1 (US) 8 ¼ to 1 6 3/5 to 1
Six Line 5:1 5 1/6 to 1 5 1/3 to 1
Column (1st, 2nd, 3rd) 2:1 2 1/12 to 1 2 1/6 to 1
Dozen (1st, 2nd, 3rd) 2:1 2 1/12 to 1 2 1/6 to 1
Red/Black 1:1 1 1/18 to 1 1 1/9 to 1
Odd/Even 1:1 1 1/18 to 1 1 1/9 to 1
1-18/19-36 1:1 1 1/18 to 1 1 1/9 to 1

02 Making Bets in Roulette Online

The basic roulette rules and tips for making bets have already been covered above, so now let’s deal with the bets themselves. A basic distinction should be made between inside and outside bets. Inside bets refer to those made essentially inside the betting area with numbers, that is, on concrete numbers. Outside bets are those made on the outside areas and representing combination bets, e.g., the color, the odd/even number, a bet on one of the three columns, one of the three dozens, etc. 

Here is the table explaining all inside bets. 

Bet Details Chip Placement
Straight up bet Bet made on one number The roulette chips are placed right on that number
Split bet A bet on to neighboring numbers The chips are placed on the edge between these two numbers
Street bet A bet on three horizontally adjacent numbers Chips are located at the end of the line or on the outer edge of the line
Corner bet A bet on four adjacent numbers forming a square Chips are placed at the center of the square
Double street (six line bet) A bet on six numbers (two horizontal lines) Chips should cover the common corner of the two lines on the outer edge
Trio A bet involving 0 and two more numbers – 1, 2 or 3 The chips are placed on the common edge of the zero area and the numbers
First four (possible only in the European roulette) A bet on the zero and numbers 1-3 The chips are placed on the common edge of 0 and the first line on the outer corner
Basket (possible only in the American roulette) A bet on five numbers: 0, 00, and 1-3 Chips should be located on the outer corner between numbers 0 and 1

Here is the breakdown of outside bets:

Bet Details Chip Placement
1-18/19-36 The bet is also referred to as high/low or Manque/Passe. It suggests betting on the smaller or bigger half of the number set. Chips are placed on the corresponding “1-18” or “19-36” areas on the betting table.
Red/Black The bet on a certain color’s occurrence. Chips are placed on the “Black” or “Red” areas of the table.
Even/Odd The bet on the occurrence of any of the odd or even numbers. Chips are placed on the “Odd” or “Even” areas on the table.
Dozen bet The bet on one of the three dozens (1-12, 13-24, 25-36). Chips are placed on the “1st 12”, “2nd 12,” or “3rd 12” areas on the table.
Column bet The bet on one of the three columns on the betting table. Chips are placed below the specific column.
Snake A special snake-like bet on the numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34. In terms of the payout, it is similar to a dozen bet. Chips are placed on the lower corner of number 34.

03 Maximum and Minimum Bets in Roulette

Though it seems that bets in roulette depend on your risk-taking potential and the amount of money you set aside for gambling purposes, there are still some top and bottom limitations set by the casinos. This is done to regulate the payouts and make the gameplay profitable for the establishment. As a rule, the limits are set for inside and outside bets separately, depending on the payout ratio and winning odds each of the bets suggests. 

Min bet

The minimum bet size is the amount of money you have to wager for the roulette round to take place. The minimum bet is set probably for the cases in which 1-2 players gamble at one roulette wheel. In such cases, the casino may find it unprofitable to play with a dollar or two. Thus, the traditional casino minimum for a online roulette stake is $11 ($15 in Las Vegas casinos). You don’t necessarily need to wager all the sum on one bet or a single number. You may distribute the money between several bets, but the total that you are wagering should add up to the minimum sum.  

Max bet

The maximum bet limit is set by a casino to make sure that they won’t go bankrupt in case you win. The minimum set for the inside bet is traditionally $120, while the maximum outside bet can reach up to $2,500. 

04 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE BETS

European Roulette table layout with highlighted fields for inside and outside bets.

Inside and Outside bets in the European version are referred to the way the Roulette wheel numbers are displayed on the table. Betting on any of the outside fields increases the chances of winning, as these bets group multiple numbers together.

Inside bet field contains all the numbers on the Roulette wheel, allowing the players to bet on each individual number. The outside bet field, however, merges the numbers by the following categories:

  • First 12, Second 12 and Third 12. Three groups of all 36 numbers divided by 3.
  • Odd and even.
  • Two halves. Separate groups of the first 18 and the second 18.
  • Colors. Self-explanatory.

05 THE BEST WAY TO PLAY ROULETTE

Are there any roulette winning rules to follow for maximizing your chances? The truth is that the roulette is predominantly a game of chance. There is no strategy, like that in poker or blackjack, so you can’t affect the outcome of the ball’s rolling. But here are some tips to help you bet wiser and increase the likelihood of winning a decent sum of money. 

01 Choose outside bets

If you wish to win in the online roulette game, then it’s better to opt for the small outside bets. They pay out less, but at the same time the wins are more frequent. For instance, by betting on red/black, odd/even, or 1-18/19-36, your winning chances are 50% (except for zero). 

02 Use a strategy

You should have some system to play the roulette wisely and consistently. For instance, you may double the bet after every win or keep it at minimum after every loss. In such a way, you’ll have a better control over your bankroll. 

03 Keep to one side of the betting area

It’s better to stick with some lucky numbers or preferred table areas and wager on them consistently. According to the probability theory, you’re likely to win sooner or later as the ball hits different spots on the wheel. 

04 Practice in a demo version first

Playing the online roulette is easy, but still, it’s better to have at least some basic understanding of what the table layout is and how the system works. Once you start making real money bets, you may lose several rounds while you’re coming to grips with what’s going on. No sense losing money on that – all online casinos offer demo versions of their games, letting you enjoy the real-money version only once you’re comfortable with the demo.