Roulette Rules for Beginners: Every Term Explained
To an outsider, Roulette seems like a confusing game. There are dozens of wagers available – place your chips in the wrong spot, and you could easily lose them!
Your first experience with roulette should be awesome. So in this guide, we’ll de-mystify this popular table game so you can start trying your luck when playing Roulette at best US online casinos.
How Do I Win At Roulette?
To win at Roulette, you need to wager on a number, series of numbers, or colours. You win money if the roulette ball lands on a number/colour that matches your wager.
The amount won depends on that wager’s odds. For example, if you bet $1 on black and it hits, you’ll win $1 (on top of your stake), as colours pay out at 1:1. But if you wager on 1st 12 and the ball lands on 10, you’ll win $2.
Key Roulette Terms
Now, if you’re new to Roulette, its terms can be confusing. As you encounter them, look them up in this handy table:
| Term | What It Means |
| ?? American Roulette | A variation of Roulette that features an additional green slot, double 00, which increases the house edge to 5.26%. |
| ?? Bankroll | Funds set aside specifically for gambling activities. |
| ?? Croupier | The person in charge of running Roulette games. |
| ??? European Roulette | A type of Roulette with only one green slot, single 0. This configuration lowers the house edge to 2.7%, about half that of the American version of the game. |
| ?? French Roulette | A version of Roulette with two unique rules - En Prison and La Partage. When these rules are in place, the house edge is 1.35%. |
| ?? Inside Bets | Wagers placed inside the main betting grid, such as single numbers or streets. These bets offer higher payouts, but they have a much lower probability of winning. |
| ?? Outside Bets | Wagers placed outside the main betting grid, such as red/black and odd/even. These bets pay out at 1:1 or 2:1 odds and have a higher probability of winning.. |
What Is The La Partage Rule?
“La Partage” is one of two special rules that makes French roulette unique. Here’s how it works: if you make an even money bet (like odd/even), and the ball lands on 0, you will receive half of your original bet back.
This rule has a big impact on the house edge, reducing it to 1.35%.
What Is The En Prison Rule?
“En Prison” is another rule unique to French roulette. If a spin lands on zero, your bet will be held “in prison” for the next spin. If your bet wins the next spin, you get your original wager back. Otherwise, you lose your entire bet.
Like “La Partage,” “En Prison” reduces the house edge to 1.35%.
Roulette Payout Table
However, you can get much more than 2:1 – if luck is on your side, you could get payouts of 35:1 or higher!
But, of course, these bigger payouts have a low success rate. Below, we’ll talk about roulette bet types, their win odds, and how to place them.
| Wager | Payout | Explanation |
| Red/Black, Low/High, Even/Odd | 1:1 | Place your wager on a colour, a number range (e.g., 1-18), or on even/odd. |
| Dozens/Columns | 2:1 | Place your wager on a grouping of a dozen numbers (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36), or at the base of each column (on the space marked 2:1). |
| Six-Line | 5:1 | This bet involves picking two adjacent rows of three numbers each (e.g., 4,5,6 and 7,8,9). To place this wager, put your chip on the line between the outside and inside bets, as well as on the line that separates the two rows you wish to bet on. |
| Corner | 8:1 | This bet involves betting on four adjacent numbers. To make this wager, place your chip in the center of all four numbers. |
| Street | 11:1 | This bet involves wagering on a vertical row of numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3). Put your chip on the line between your chosen row and the outside bets to place this wager. Be careful not to cover the row line, as that would be considered a six-line bet. |
| Split | 17:1 | This bet involves betting on two numbers next to each other, such as 4 and 5 or 5 and 8. To make this wager, place your chip on the line between the two numbers. |
| Straight Up | 35:1 | This bet involves choosing a single number (1-36, 0-00) and betting on it. Given the odds, it is important to remember that this bet is less likely to win than others. |
How Do I Play Roulette?
Now that we’ve reviewed key terms and bet types, let’s walk through a Roulette round together.
- Place your bets. After the croupier clears the roulette table from the previous round, betting on the next round will open. Feel free to wager on any of the bets discussed above. You may place wagers on multiple parts of the table if you wish.
- Wager decisively. Once the croupier says “no more bets,” you cannot place any more wagers or move them around.
- Collect your winnings. Once the roulette ball settles into a numbered slot, the croupier will pay out winning wagers. Promptly remove your winning bets so the next round can begin.
