How to play Roulette

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Are you a Kiwi that’s yet to experience the drama of the classic casino table game roulette? If you haven’t, where have you been hiding? Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the history of gambling. Below, we’ll explore the basics of roulette gameplay to help get you started online.

Let’s start with the roulette basics

Before we detail the types of bets you can place in roulette, we’ll explain the core components that power the iconic game of roulette that features prominently in our table games guide.

Roulette wheel

The game action revolves around the roulette wheel. The wheel spins round while the ball is released around the top of the wheel. The ball continues to move around while the wheel rotates, until it drops into one of the numbered pockets on the wheel. This denotes the winning number for this round of betting.

Numbered pockets

On any roulette wheel, there are numbered pockets. The volume of pockets depends on the variant of roulette that you play. European and French Roulette wheels have 37 numbered pockets, with 1-36 and a single green 0. American Roulette wheels have 38 numbered pockets, with 1-36, a green 0 and a green 00.


Roulette table

To place your bets, you need to use the roulette table. The table lays out all the available numbered pockets to bet on. Depending on your preference, you can cover single or multiple numbers in one bet. To cover single or multiple numbers, you must place chips on the numbers you wish to bet on.


The dealer

It’s also important to talk about the role of the dealer. They monitor the betting action on the roulette table and spin the roulette wheel before releasing the ball. The dealer says ‘no more bets’ when the wheel begins to spin, preventing you from placing any other wagers for this round.

Inside and outside bets and their respective odds of winning

You can place two types of bets on the roulette table – inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets are designed to cover number combinations as well as individual numbers. Outside bets are designed to cover almost half of the numbers on the wheel per spin. Although the latter inevitably carries more significant winning potential, they offer more modest payouts as a result.

Inside bets

• Straight Up: A straight wager on an individual number (35:1 payout)
• Split: A wager on two adjacent numbers on the roulette table (17:1 payout)
• Street: A wager on three adjacent numbers on the roulette table (11:1 payout)
• Corner/Square: A wager on four numbers in a square of the roulette table (8:1 payout)
• Basket (American Roulette only):A wager on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 (6:1 payout)
• Double Street: A wager on two adjacent streets of numbers (5:1 payout)

Outside bets

• Low/High: A wager on the next winning number being Low (1-18) or High (19-36) (1:1 payout)
• Red/Black: A wager on the next winning number being a Red or Black number (1:1 payout)
• Odd/Even: A wager on the next winning number being an Odd or Even number (1:1 payout)
• Dozen: A wager on the next winning number being in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Dozen on the roulette table (2:1 payout)
• Column: A wager on the next winning number being in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Column on the roulette table (2:1 payout)

How to play the different roulette variants in casinos

If you’re thinking of playing roulette at an online casino, it’s essential to understand the subtle differences between the various roulette games on offer at sites like Wildz Casino.

European Roulette

European Roulette (and French Roulette) are both single-zero roulette games. That’s because they only have a green zero pocket. They don’t operate with an additional double zero pocket, unlike American Roulette. This means the house edge of European Roulette and French Roulette is 2.70%, which compares favourably with other popular casino games like online slots.

American Roulette

American Roulette is a newer variant of French and European Roulette. It includes a double zero green pocket and a green single zero pocket. This almost doubles the overall house edge of the game from 2.70% to 5.26%. Avoid the bet types that carry even bigger house edges in American Roulette. For example, the Basket bet is known as the worst bet in roulette as it increases the house edge to 7.89%.

Double Ball Roulette

Double Ball Roulette has also captured the imagination of online roulette players in recent years. The betting format is the same, with inside and outside bets covering the same numbers. The only difference being that both balls must win to receive a payout.

Lightning Roulette

Lightning Roulette is one of the most popular live roulette variants at Wildz Casino. Once you’ve made your bets, the in-game random number generator (RNG) will select anything from one to five numbers to strike with bolts of lightning, electrifying the size of their payouts up to a maximum of 500x your initial wager.

Let’s walk you through a typical roulette round

• Firstly, you need to find out what the table minimums and maximums are.
• This will help you decide what to stake per spin.
• You can then place your betting chips on the roulette table, covering as many numbers as you wish.
• The dealer starts the roulette wheel spinning and the ball running.
• Midway through the spin, the dealer calls ‘no more bets’, preventing you from adding additional chips to the betting table.
• The ball lands in a random numbered pocket.
• The dealer pays out all bettors that covered the winning number.
• All chips on losing numbers are removed from play by the dealer, taken in by the house.

FAQs

How many bet types are there?

There are five types of bets, including Single numbers, Red/Black, Even/Odd, High/Low and Dozen wagers.

What is the house edge in Roulette?

The house edge in European Roulette is 2.7%. It's 5.26% in the American version, and in the French one, it can fall to just 1.35% (with even bets).

How are European and American Roulette different?

The American Roulette wheel has an extra 00. In European and French Roulette, the numbers on the wheel are in a different order, and there is no 00 segment, only a single green zero.

How do you play Roulette?

Players place their bets on a numbered layout on the table. A ball is then spun on a wheel with 37 (38 in American) pockets, and you win if the ball lands on the number(s) you've placed your bet on.