Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to learn and one of the easiest to play badly, because the wheel you choose matters more than any bet you place. This guide explains the table layout, every standard bet with its payout and true odds, the three main wheel types and what they cost you per hour, and the difference between live dealer and RNG roulette online. All figures assume standard rules; always check the game's info panel at your casino, since some variants change payouts.
How does a round of roulette work?
A European roulette wheel has 37 pockets: numbers 1 to 36, alternately red and black, plus a green 0. An American wheel adds a second green pocket, 00, for 38 in total. Players place chips on the betting layout, the dealer (or the software) spins the wheel and launches the ball in the opposite direction, and betting closes shortly before the ball drops. The pocket where the ball settles is the winning number, losing bets are collected and winning bets are paid.
Online, the same sequence takes 20 to 60 seconds. You pick a chip value, click the layout to place bets, and the game shows the result, your win and your balance. Most games keep a history of the last 10 to 500 numbers. That history is purely cosmetic: every spin is independent, so a number that has not appeared for 100 spins is exactly as likely as it always is.
- Choose a wheel type, ideally European or French
- Check the table minimum and maximum in the game info
- Select a chip value and place your bets on the layout
- Wait for the spin; bets lock before the ball drops
- Collect winnings or rebet, staying within your session budget
What are the bet types and payouts?
Bets are split into inside bets, placed on specific numbers in the grid, and outside bets, placed on the boxes around it. Inside bets pay more and win less often. Outside bets win close to half the time on even-money options, but zero makes every one of them lose.
The chances below are for a European wheel with 37 pockets. On an American wheel each figure is slightly lower because there are 38 pockets, while the payouts stay the same, which is exactly where the higher house edge comes from.
- Straight up (one number): pays 35:1, wins 1 in 37 spins (2.70%)
- Split (two adjacent numbers): pays 17:1, wins 2 in 37 (5.41%)
- Street (row of three): pays 11:1, wins 3 in 37 (8.11%)
- Corner (block of four): pays 8:1, wins 4 in 37 (10.81%)
- Six line (two rows, six numbers): pays 5:1, wins 6 in 37 (16.22%)
- Dozen (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) or column: pays 2:1, wins 12 in 37 (32.43%)
- Red/black, odd/even, 1-18/19-36: pays 1:1, wins 18 in 37 (48.65%)
Where does the house edge in roulette come from?
Payouts are set as if the zero did not exist. A straight-up bet pays 35:1, which would be fair on a 36-number wheel. With 37 pockets the fair payout would be 36:1. That one missing unit, spread over 37 spins, is the house edge: 1/37, or 2.70%, on every bet on a European wheel.
Worked example: bet 1 EUR on number 17 for 37 spins. On average you win once, receiving 35 EUR plus your 1 EUR stake back, and lose 36 times. You put in 37 EUR and get 36 EUR back, an expected loss of 1 EUR, which is 2.70% of 37 EUR. The same arithmetic gives 2.70% for a split, a dozen or red, so on a European wheel no bet is cheaper than another.
On the American wheel the same 1 EUR straight-up bet over 38 spins returns 36 EUR for 38 EUR staked: 2/38, or 5.26%. The only bet that differs is the five-number basket (0, 00, 1, 2, 3), which pays 6:1 and carries a 7.89% edge, the worst bet on the table.
European vs American vs French roulette: which should you play?
European roulette has a single zero and a 2.70% house edge, meaning an RTP of 97.30%. It is the standard in Europe and at most online casinos, and it is the minimum you should accept.
American roulette has both 0 and 00, which raises the edge on every bet to 5.26% (94.74% RTP). Nothing about the game makes up for that. If a casino offers both, the American table costs you almost twice as much for the same bets.
French roulette uses the single-zero wheel and adds the la partage rule: when zero lands, you get half of your even-money stakes back. That halves the house edge on red/black, odd/even and high/low to 1.35% (98.65% RTP). The similar en prison rule holds the stake for one more spin instead, with nearly the same effect. Inside bets on a French table still carry the normal 2.70%.
To see what this means in money, take 10 EUR bets at 50 spins an hour, 500 EUR wagered per hour. The expected cost is about 6.75 EUR on even-money bets at a French table, 13.50 EUR at a European table and 26.30 EUR at an American table. Over a year of weekly sessions, the choice of wheel alone is worth hundreds of euros.
- French roulette with la partage: 1.35% on even-money bets, 2.70% on the rest
- European roulette: 2.70% on every bet
- American roulette: 5.26% on every bet, 7.89% on the five-number basket
What are call bets and racetrack bets?
Many online and live tables show a racetrack, an oval copy of the wheel order, which lets you bet on sections of the wheel rather than the grid. Voisins du zero covers the 17 numbers around zero with 9 chips, tiers du cylindre covers the 12 numbers opposite zero with 6 chips, and orphelins covers the remaining 8 numbers with 5 chips. Neighbour bets let you cover a number plus two neighbours on each side.
These bets are only convenient bundles of splits, streets, corners and straight-ups. They do not change the odds: the house edge stays at 2.70% on a European wheel, whichever section you pick.
Live dealer or RNG roulette: what is the difference?
RNG roulette is software: a certified random number generator picks the result and an animation shows it. Spins are fast, often 2 to 5 seconds when you play alone, and minimum bets are low, frequently 0.10 EUR. Live roulette streams a real wheel and dealer from a studio, with 25 to 60 seconds per spin and minimums usually from 0.20 to 1 EUR.
Both are fair when the casino is licensed and the games come from tested providers. The main difference for your wallet is speed. Because the house edge is charged on each bet, 300 RNG spins an hour at 2 EUR cost on average about 16 EUR on a European wheel, while 50 live spins at the same stake cost about 2.70 EUR. Slower is cheaper per hour.
Variants change the maths. Lightning Roulette, for example, pays straight-up bets 29:1 instead of 35:1 and adds random multipliers of 50x to 500x, giving an overall RTP of about 97.30% but much higher variance. Auto roulette uses a real wheel without a dealer for faster rounds. Double-ball and multi-wheel games have their own pay tables, so read the rules before playing.
Where should you play roulette online?
Pick a casino with a recognised licence, games from established providers such as Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live, Playtech, NetEnt or Play'n GO, and clear information on table limits. Check that the lobby actually includes European and French roulette, not only American and novelty variants.
If you use a welcome bonus, read the game weighting first. Roulette often counts only 0 to 20% towards wagering requirements, and some casinos void bonus wins made on table games. In many cases it is better to play roulette with your own money and skip the bonus. The table on this page lists casinos rated highly for licensing and player protection.
Roulette is entertainment with a built-in cost. Set a budget and a time limit before you start, use the casino's deposit limits, and stop when the budget is gone rather than raising stakes to win it back.
Myths vs facts
- Myth: After ten reds in a row, black is more likely.
- Fact: The wheel has no memory. The chance of black is 18/37 (48.65%) on every spin, whatever happened before.
- Myth: Covering many numbers at once is a safer way to win.
- Fact: Covering more numbers raises how often you win but lowers what each win pays. The expected loss stays at 2.70% of everything you bet on a European wheel.
- Myth: Online roulette is rigged to avoid numbers with big bets on them.
- Fact: Licensed RNG games are tested by labs such as GLI, iTech Labs and eCOGRA, and live wheels are physical and monitored. The house does not need to cheat; the zero already gives it its edge.
Quick checklist
- Choose French (la partage) or European roulette, never American
- Check the table limits and the game's stated RTP
- Remember that every bet on a European wheel costs the same 2.70%
- Read bonus terms: roulette often counts little or nothing towards wagering
- Set a budget and time limit before the first spin