How to Play Roulette

Chances are you’ve heard about the game of Roulette and seen it being played live or on TV or at the movies.The players waiting expectantly at the edge of their seats, watching the roulette wheel spin, hoping the ball will land on their chosen number. It’s one of the simplest casino games, but still, a fascinating one which intrigues many players. If you’re on the look-out for a game of chance, Roulette could become your go-to casino game! While Poker and Blackjack are strategic casino games, Roulette is a purely random game where only luck may help bring you some wins!

In this article, you’ll learn:

• The history of Roulette.
• Roulette game setup.
• Roulette variants.
• The different bets in Roulette.
• Roulette payouts.
• How to play Roulette.
• Well-known strategies and practical tips.

Several mathematicians have tried to get to the bottom of this popular casino game in an attempt to come up with a solution which can help players win more often. However, you can never turn the odds in your favour with Roulette. Each round is independent of the previous one, so each outcome is unpredictable. Even if you do notice some kind of pattern, it’s purely coincidental, and no mathematical calculations can help you predict in which pocket the ball will land next. Whether you’re playing at a land-based casino or an online casino, you must bear in mind that the house always wins in the long-run. Although there are several strategies which have been formulated over time, they may only help minimise your losses and preserve your bankroll. You can never expect to enjoy a long streak of wins, the game is pure luck!

History of Roulette

Roulette wasn’t invented for recreational purposes. Far from it! The roulette wheel was developed in the 17th century by a French scientist - Blaise Pascal, to analyse the theory of probability. It was only 200 years later that the roulette wheel became used for the game we know today - thanks to Louis and Francis Blanc. They implemented minor changes to Pascal’s wheel, specifically, the sequence of the numbers and the addition of the single zero pocket. By the end of the 20th century, we also saw the first online Roulette being developed, and today we can enjoy multiple adaptations of this game in most casinos around the world.

The basics - How to play roulette game

When you take a seat at a Roulette table, you’ll immediately see a numbered grid on which you place your bets, together with a spinning Roulette wheel. The wheel consists of 37 numbered pockets - 18 black pockets, 18 red pockets, and a single zero and double-zero pocket (depending on whether you’re playing European or American Roulette). The numbers are not in chronological order and are found in alternating colours. The Roulette table features all the numbers from 0 to 36 in chronological order in three columns having 12 numbers each. You’ll also find betting sectors where you place outside bets (we’ll go into more detail on these later on). The wheel and table layout may vary according to the Roulette variant you’re playing, but the slight modifications you may encounter will have no impact on the outcome of the Roulette games.

Roulette Variations

The casino game of Roulette has evolved over the years, leading to the creation of several different variants. Here are some of the most popular variations you can find in most casinos around the world:

• European Roulette - The classic version consists of 36 numbered pockets and a single zero pocket.
• American Roulette - Same as European Roulette, but has an extra double-zero green pocket.
• French Roulette - Offers extra betting combinations on specific sectors of the roulette wheel and may feature additional rules, such as the ‘En Prison’ and ‘La Partage’ rules.
• ‘En Prison’ rule - When the ball lands in the zero pocket, the player is given two options - lose half the bet or leave the bet for the next spin and win or lose the entire bet.
• ‘La Partage’ rule - The player has no option - he loses half his bet if the ball lands on zero.
• Pascal’s Roulette - This variant has no zero pocket, just like the first roulette wheel.
• Multiball Roulette - Makes use of more than one ball, leading to multiple winning numbers.
• Mini Roulette - Mostly found in online casinos, this variant features only 12 numbered pockets.
• Roulette with triple chances - This variant has three numbers assigned to each pocket.

Whichever variant you decide to test your luck on, you must read all the terms and conditions related to the specific table you join. Table rules pertaining to the minimum and maximum betting limits and size of payouts may vary according to the variation you decide to play. In some cases, the maximum limit increases proportionally according to the bet in question, while in other cases, the limit remains static throughout all bets. If you’re getting started with a conservative bankroll, make sure you select a casino table with low minimum limits.

Types of bets

If you want to play Roulette at a casino, you must first understand all the types of bets you can make and how to place the bets. Unlike other casino games, Roulette is unique because it boasts an exciting selection of betting options, making the game more intriguing. You can bet on a single number or 18 numbers, depending on your playing style and the strategy you adopt. Bear in mind that each bet has different odds of winning and varying payouts. Let’s go through them here. Roulette bets can be divided into three categories:

• Inside bets - These bets are the hardest to win but the most rewarding ones. You bet on a single number or up to six numbers and place the bets on the number grid.
• Outside bets - These bets have higher chances of winning but lower possible payouts. You bet on a minimum of 12 numbers and place your bets on the designated betting sectors.
• Announced bets - These types of bets are typically found in French Roulette, where you can bet on numbers from a specific tier of the wheel.

Outside bets

Let’s get started with outside bets. These can be divided into even-money bets and 2 to 1 bets:

Bear in mind that although you’re betting on half the numbers when placing these bets, the chances of winning are less than 50%. Why? The zero pocket/s are to blame!. The single zero pocket in the European variant lowers your chances of 2.7%, while the extra double zero pocket in the American variant lowers your odds by 5.26%.

• Even-money bets (wins are paid 1 to 1)
  • Red or Black - A bet on all the 18 black numbers or the 18 red numbers.
  • Odd or Even- You bet on either the 18 odd numbers or the even numbers.
  • High/Low - You can place your bet on numbers 1 to 18 or from 19 to 36.
• 2 to 1 bets
  • Dozens - The Roulette wheel features 3x dozen numbers, and you can bet on the numbers 1 to 12, 13 to 24 and from 25 to 36.
  • Columns - You can also bet on 12 numbers by betting on one of the three columns having 12 numbers each.

Inside bets

• Lines - You place your bet on two rows of three numbers (six numbers). Payout: 5 to 1. How to place the bet: Place chips on the shared outer edge of the two rows you want to bet on.
• First Four/ Five (Basket bet) - You bet on the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3 (in European roulette) or 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 in American roulette. Payout: 6 to 1 (American) / 8 to 1 (European). How to place the bet: Place chips on the shared line between the zero and the other numbers.
• Square/ Corner – You can place chips on four adjacent numbers forming a square. Payout: 8 to 1.How to place the bet: Place chips at the intersection point of the four numbers.
• Trio - A three-number bet which includes the zero and two other numbers. Payout: 11 to 1. How to place the bet: Place chips on the intersecting point of the triangle that forms either 0, 1, and 2 or 0, 2, and 3.
• Three numbers/ Street – You bet on one row of three numbers. Payout: 11 to 1. How to place the bet: Place bets at the centre of the line at the end of the row.
• Two numbers/ Split – A bet on two adjacent numbers.Payout: 17 to 1.How to place the bet: Place chips on the line separating the numbers.
• Single number/ Straight up– You bet on a specific unique number. Payout: 35 to 1.How to place the bet: Place chips at the centre of the number.

Announced Bets

As already mentioned, announced bets are particular betting combinations provided in French Roulette, whereby you place bets on a specific part of the wheel. They’re named as such as they are called out in land-based casinos, typically by using the traditional French terms. Here are the announced bets you can consider placing:

• Voisins du zero (neighbours of zero) – You bet on the 17 numbers from the sector 22-25. Wins are paid 1 to 1.
• Le Tiers du Cylindre (one-third of the wheel) - You bet on the numbers between 27 and 33 on the wheel - 12 numbers in total. Wins are paid 2 to 1.
• Orphelins – You bet on either of the two sectors outside the voisins and tiers, from 1 to 9, or 17 to 6 - eight numbers in total.
• Jeu Zero (zero game) - You bet on the seven numbers nearest to zero - 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15.
• Neighbours - You bet on a five-number combination - a particular number and the two neighbouring numbers on each side. Some roulette variants may even allow you to cover up to four numbers on each side of the designated number.

Other bets

Apart from these bets, you may also find other exotic bets in specific Roulette variants, such as the Finales or the Red or Black Splits.

• The Finale bets include the:
  • Finale Plein - You bet on the last digit of the winning number. Thus, if you bet on Finale 5, you win if the ball lands on 5, 15, 25 or 35.
  • Finale Cheval - You bet on two potential last digits of the winning number.
• The Red or Black split bets allow you to wager on several same-coloured splits.

How much can you win at Roulette?

How much you win depends on the type of bet you choose and how much you put at stake. Thus, if you place €10 worth of chips, here’s how much you can win for each type of bet:

• Even/Odd – €10
• Red/Black – €10
• Low/High – €10
• Dozens – €20
• Columns – €20
• Lines – €50
• Four/ Five numbers – €60/ €80
• Square – €80
• Trio - €110
• Street – €110
• Split – €170
• Straight Up – €350

How to play Roulette

Now that you know all the types of bets you can place, it’s time to start playing Roulette. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to play this popular casino game:

1. Join a Roulette table - You can find Roulette games in any land-based and online casino, so first, you need to decide whether you prefer the real-life excitement of a traditional casino or the convenience of online casinos. If you choose to play online Roulette, make sure you opt for a licensed casino such as EnergyCasino; since a computer algorithm controls the virtual roulette wheel, you want to ensure that the software is not tampered with. Otherwise, you can opt for the best of both worlds - Live Roulette. EnergyCasino has a live casino section where you can play against a real-life croupier and other real players, making your casino gaming experience much more interactive.
2. Choose the number/s you want to bet on - The more extensive the range of numbers you bet on, the higher the odds of winning, but the lower the payouts.
3. Determine the amount of money you want to put at stake - This depends on your bankroll and the strategy you adopt (we’ll be going over some of the most popular strategies later on in the article).
4. Place your bets - You complete your bets by placing chips with assigned values on the relevant betting section corresponding to the number/s you’ve decided to bet on. If you fail to place your bets on time, you must wait for the next round to play.
5. The croupier closes off the table - no more bets are allowed.
6. The dealer tosses the ball along the rim of a spinning wheel in the opposite direction. Once it slows down and loses its momentum, it will descend into one of the wheel pockets.
7. The croupier announces the result - the pocket in which the ball lands is the winning number.
8. If you win, the croupier pays out any wins, and if you lose, he collects your bets. The payout depends on the type of bet you’ve placed and the size of your bet.
9. The ball is removed from the wheel - which is left spinning or has its direction reversed by the croupier, depending on the casino in question.

Popular Roulette Strategies

As we’ve discussed, the casino will always enjoy the higher edge in Roulette and whether you win or not depends mostly on luck. However, mathematicians have formulated a couple of strategies throughout the years in an endeavour to help players to try to keep losses to a minimum and retain control of their bankroll.

Strategies can be divided into two categories - progressive and non-progressive betting strategies.

Progressive strategies - Players frequently opt for these kinds of strategies when the chances of a possible win are nearly 50% - i.e. when making even-money outside bets in Roulette. The bet you place hinges on the result of the previous round and how much you increase or decrease your bet amount all depends on the particular strategy you adopt. However, bear in mind that if you’re playing with a limited bankroll, you might not be able to use this approach for long since progressive strategies can deplete your funds very quickly.

Non-progressive strategies - Flat-betting systems are much preferred by players who are not high riskers, as you bet the same amount of money regardless of the outcome of the previous rounds. These are the strategies to opt for if you want to preserve your funds as much as possible.

Here are some of the most popular strategies used by Roulette players:

• Martingale strategy - You double your bet when you lose and reset your bet to its original size when you win. It’s regarded as the best progressive strategy which may help you redeem some losses.
• Reverse Martingale/Paroli strategy - You double your bet when you win and reset your bet to its initial amount after a streak of three wins.
• D’Alembert strategy - This is a safer strategy as you only increase your bet by one after a loss and decrease by one after a win, allowing you to manage your funds more effectively.
• Fibonacci strategy - This strategy is based on the Fibonacci sequence, which is a series of numbers where each number is equal to the sum of the previous two. Thus, you add up the last two bet amounts to determine how much your next bet should be. When you win, you move back two numbers in the sequence and when you lose, you move on to the subsequent amount. The progression in this strategy occurs at a slower rate, making it more favourable than the Martingale strategy in some cases.
• James Bond strategy - Regarded as the best flat-betting system, this strategy works with €20, €200 or €2000. Let’s say you have €200 - you place three bets in each round - €140 on high numbers, €50 on a line and €10 on the zero pocket.
• Labouchere strategy: You set a goal of how much money you’d like to win, divide that amount into small reasonable bets and write them next to each other on one line. You then add up the leftmost number and rightmost number and bet that sum. If you win, you move on to the next two numbers and when you lose, you re-insert those numbers on the right side of the line.

 

Roulette tips - Improving your odds

 

Here are some ways you can increase your chances of winning when playing Roulette:

• Opt for European or French Roulette when possible. The double-zero pocket in American Roulette increases the casino’s edge by 5.26%.
• Stick to a predetermined budget and set a defined time at which you should stop playing. Ask yourself - how much can I afford to lose?
• Choose a Roulette table with favourable rules and betting limits which meet your expectations.
• Opt for outside bets to enjoy higher chances of winning. Although inside bets have rewarding payouts, the odds of winning are not in your favour.
• Adopt a strategy to preserve your bankroll and minimise losses. The strategy you ultimately opt for depends on the size of your bankroll and your playing style.
• Try out the free demo roulette version at EnergyCasino before you play for real money. It can help you understand how this casino game works, explore unique aspects of different Roulette variants and test out different Roulette approaches. Keep in mind that you may need to verify your age before the casino grants you access to the demo Roulette games, but this is subject to your jurisdiction.
• Take advantage of any bonuses offered to new and active players by EnergyCasino to play for free without risking your money.

Summary

As we’ve seen, playing Roulette is relatively simple once you understand the different types of bets and their respective odds of winning. Although you may enjoy some wins once in a while, you may experience even more losses, as this casino game is purely random. There’s no possible way to determine which number the ball will land on next. Thus, play responsibly at all times and only bet what you can spare. The wheel may spin in your favour from time to time, but best to accept Roulette as a game of pure chance to keep on having fun!

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