Roulette Rules of Play

The game of Roulette consists of a wheel and the layout. Players sit or stand around the table layout - not around the roulette wheel. The layout is long and rectangular and can generally can fit about six to eight players sitting down and a few more standing up. In North America, at most casinos, regular casino chips are not used to place bets. Players must exchange their chips, or cash, for specially colored chips that have differing denominations imprinted on them. Each player receives a different color and/or chip pattern. All of this helps the dealer, or croupier, keep the bets straight and helps to reduce player confusion. With European Roulette, players use regular casino chips to place their bets.

Roulette game play begins something like this; the players place their bets and then dealer, or croupier, rolls a small white ball along a track at the top of the roulette wheel housing. Players may still place bets after the ball has been shot along the track of the wheel. But, once the dealer announces "No more bets!" that is it. No more bets are allowed. This ability to place bets after the ball has been rolled by the croupier along that top track has led to ambitious gamblers trying to "clock the dealer". Many gamblers believe that the croupier, because he or she rolls that ball so many times during their career, will develop a rhythm that can be detected and capitalized on. We will expand upon this theory on our roulette strategies pages. Generally, you should make your bets before the ball drops out of the top track towards the center of the wheel.

One word of caution here, do not stare too intently at the ball as it spins around wheel and makes its way to a final resting place. The ball spins one way and the wheel the other. You would not be the first person to get sick at a roulette table. Especially if you have had a lot to drink.

Once the ball has come to a final resting place the croupier will announce the winning number and color. Then the dealer will collect the bets and pay off the winners, collect the bets of the losers and around we go again! The winning number and its color are posted on a lighted tower next to the layout. In fact, the last ten winners are usually posted there. Players use this to discover and follow trends.

Now that we have learned a little bit about roulette, let's take a look at the different bets can be made:

The Straight Up Bet - One Number

This is a bet on a single number on the roulette table layout. To do this you place your bet completely within the box for any one number. Do not let your chip touch a line. For this is another bet entirely. Since there are 38 slots on the wheel (American Roulette) your bet has a one in thirty eight chance of being a winner. They payoff for a winning wager is 35 to 1.

Split Bet - Two Numbers

To make this bet simply place your chip on a line separating two numbers. Now if the ball comes to rest in the slot represented by either number, you win! There are 62 different ways you can make the split bet. The split bet pays off at 17 to 1

The Street Bet - Three Numbers

There are 15 ways you could make a street bet. You could place a bet where the boxes for the numbers 0,1 and 2 intersect. You could make the street bet the same way using the numbers 0,00 and 2 or 2,00 and 3. You can also make a street be by placing a chip on the line that separates the inside and outside are on the layout. This is the line that is between the first, second and third boxes and the rest of the numbers on the layout. Placing a chip on this line gives you a bet on all three numbers in that row. The street bet pays 11 to 1.

Corner Bet - Four Numbers

This one of the more popular bets made at the roulette table. A chip is placed the intersection of four numbers. The are 22 different ways you can make the corner bet. The corner bet pays 8 to 1.

The Five Number Bet

To make this bet you place a chip on the corner intersection where the line that separates the 0 and 00 from 1, 2 and three meets the line that separates the inside and outside parts of the layout. This gives you a bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The five number bet pays 6 to 1.

The Line Bet - Six Numbers

The line bet can be made by placing a chip where a line separating two rows of numbers on the inside layout meets the line separating the inside and outside parts of the layout. This bet gives you six numbers. There are 11 ways to make the line bet. The line bet pays 5 to 1.

The Column Bet

If you look to the bottom of the table layout below each of the three columns is a square within which is written "2 to 1". Place your bet in this box to bet on all the numbers in the column above it. The payoff is, of course, 2 to 1.

Dozen Bets

On the outside of the layout are three boxes labeled 1st 12, 2nd 12 and 3rd 12. Place your bet in these squares to bet on number 1 thru 12, 13 thru 24 and 25 thru 36 respectively. Payout is 2 to 1.

Outside or "Even Money" Bets

Outside of the boxes for the dozens bets are the squares where you can make the even money bets. Available bets are 1 thru 18 and 19 thru 36 (high and low), odd or even and red or black. All winners are paid off at even money.