How to Play Roulette
Roulette is the simplest game in the casino to play and the easiest to misunderstand. A ball lands in a numbered pocket; you have bet on where. Nothing you do influences the wheel. The only decision that genuinely matters is one most players never think about — which version of the wheel you sit at.
Inside bets and outside bets
The table is split into two regions, and they offer opposite trade-offs.
Inside bets cover specific numbers on the grid. A straight-up bet on a single number pays the most and lands the least. Splits, streets, corners and lines cover two, three, four or six numbers, paying progressively less as they cover more.
Outside bets sit around the edge and cover large groups — red or black, odd or even, high or low, the dozens and the columns. They pay small and land often. Red-or-black is close to a coin flip, but not quite one, and that gap is the entire business model.
European versus American — the one decision that matters
A European wheel has 37 pockets: 1 to 36 plus a single zero. An American wheel has 38, because it adds a double zero. Every payout is identical on both.
That extra pocket roughly doubles the house edge, from about 2.7% on a European wheel to about 5.26% on an American one. Same game, same bets, same payouts — nearly twice the cost. If both are on offer, there is no argument for the American wheel.
Some European tables also run rules called la partage or en prison, which return or hold half your even-money bet when zero lands. Where offered, they cut the edge on those bets by about half. Check the table's rules panel before you sit down.
Why betting systems do not work
Martingale — double your stake after every loss so one win recovers everything — is the system everyone finds first. It fails for two concrete reasons, and both bite in ordinary play, not in theory. Losing runs get long enough that the required stake becomes enormous, and every table has a maximum bet that caps the sequence exactly when you need it not to.
The deeper problem is that the wheel has no memory. After ten reds, red and black are still as likely as they were on the first spin. Systems rearrange the pattern of your wins and losses; they cannot change the expected result, because that is fixed by the pockets on the wheel. Anyone selling you otherwise is selling you something.
A reasonable way to play
Roulette rewards nothing except knowing what the bets cost and choosing the cheaper wheel. Pick a European table, decide on a session budget, and choose your bet type by the experience you want — outside bets for a long, gentle session, inside bets for occasional larger hits.
Live roulette with a real wheel and dealer is the closest thing to a floor table; the live dealer room covers it. For solo play at your own pace, the software tables deal instantly. If the hosted, higher-energy format appeals more, look at the studio game shows.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between European and American roulette?
The American wheel adds a double-zero pocket — 38 pockets instead of 37 — while paying exactly the same odds. That single extra pocket roughly doubles the house edge, from about 2.7% to about 5.26%. If you have the choice, the European wheel is always the better one.
Does the Martingale system work?
No. Doubling after each loss fails on two practical points: losing runs get long enough that the stakes required become impossible, and the table maximum caps the sequence precisely when you need it not to. The wheel has no memory, so no staking pattern changes the expected result.
What are inside and outside bets?
Inside bets cover specific numbers on the grid — a single number pays the most and lands the least. Outside bets cover large groups such as red or black, odd or even, and the dozens; they pay small and land often. Both carry the same house edge on the same wheel.
Is red or black a 50-50 bet?
Almost, but not quite — and the gap is the point. On a European wheel the zero belongs to neither colour, so red comes up on 18 of 37 pockets rather than 18 of 36. That small shortfall, repeated over every spin, is the house edge.
18+. Gambling involves risk and can be addictive. Play responsibly. National Responsible Gambling Programme 0800 006 008.