How to Play Roulette – Beginners’ Guidelines

Roulette is a ferociously exciting game for beginners and pros alike. The highs are high and the lows are low. It’s unpredictable, glamorous, and for players in the know, it’s the only game in town!

This detailed roulette guide will take you through the intricacies of the game, from the different types of bets to the best betting strategies. You’ll learn how to play roulette in no time!

History

Although no-one really knows the origins of roulette, the common consensus is that it was invented in the 1600s by the famous French scientist, Blaise Pascal. Another theory is that the game was invented by monks as a fun way to spend their downtime, while some believe that it was invented by French Dominicans, who based it on an ancient Tibetan game.

Whatever its origins, roulette, meaning ‘little wheel’, is one of the most popular casino games in the world, and is probably one of the most exciting games for a novice player. 

American vs. European

There are several variants of the game, with the two most popular being American Roulette and European Roulette. Keep your wits about you, there are huge differences between the two games, and these differences directly impact your odds of walking away as a winner.

European wheels have just one 0, whereas American wheels have a 0 and a 00. This means that European wheels have 37 betting sections, giving the house an advantage of 2.7%, while American wheels have 38 sections, giving the house a 5.3% advantage. Risk the odds or play it safe – it’s your call!

There’s also a version of the game called French Roulette, which gives you an even greater chance of winning. French Roulette uses the En Prison rule, which offers players a second chance on their bets if the ball lands on a zero. 

How to Bet on Roulette

So, how do you get started? First off, let’s go through the basics. On a European table, the divisions around the wheel are numbered from one to 36, with each number alternately coloured red or black and the aforementioned 0 being green. Players place their bets on a betting mat, the dealer spins the wheel, and the ball lands on one of the slots – 18 black, for instance. It’s that simple.

There are numerous types of bets you can place. The two main types of bet are inside and outside bets. An inside bet is a bet which is placed on a specific number. There are a variety of inside bets you can make:

Inside bets are the riskiest type of bet, especially for beginners. However, for players who want to win big, an inside bet might be the best choice of bet!

You can also place an outside bet, which is a bet that doesn’t involve a specific number. Colour, odd/even, dozens, columns, and low/high are all examples of outside bets. These bets are much better for more risk-averse players since their odds tend to be around 50/50.

Betting Strategy and Roulette Tips

Let’s get something straight – although there’s no skill involved in the actual gameplay, there’s plenty of strategy when it comes to betting. The difference between a winner and a loser can come down to something as simple as knowing how to place your bets.

To improve your chances of walking out a winner, there are a couple of strategies you can pursue. Only betting on outside bets gives you an average winning payout of around 1:1, ensuring that even if you do lose, your losses are likely to be minimal. You can also spread your bets across two outside bets. For example, you could place an equal money bet on both black and column three, which has eight red numbers, giving you multiple ways of winning. Ultimately, if you want to make some real money, an inside bet is the play to make. A straight gets you a 35:1 payout, compared to a red/black or odds/evens bet, which gives a payout of just 1:1.

Remember, roulette has no memory. Just because the last couple of spins land on black, that doesn’t mean that black is the better bet. Every spin is a unique event and what happened before has no bearing on what comes next. No matter what anyone says, winning at roulette is not just a matter of luck. You can put yourself in the best position to walk away as a winner by betting wisely and maybe even playing with a special Roulette strategy.