A Quick Guide to Mastering Online Roulette

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Deni

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Published: March 28, 2019
Updated: August 15, 2025

Roulette is an incredibly popular table game. Often, the mention of table-based casino games will trigger thoughts of the wooden rolling wheel with red and black segments notched into its circumference. Today, it's a lot more than that!

Online Roulette basics guide — Learn how to play online Roulette

The original variation of the game originates from France, and hence we get the French name, “Roulette”, which quite literally means “Little Wheel”.

Introduction to Roulette

The game ‘caught on’ quite rapidly throughout Europe and even into the United States of America. Then, subtle changes were made to the base rules, to the point that we now have three main Roulette game variations available.

Game varieties

French Roulette
European Roulette
American Roulette

Although these three categories are the main set segments of the game, they still have their own set of adaptations found from casino to casino. However, the base guidelines of each principle game are kept throughout.

The European and French variants are played on the same wheel format with 37 black and red positions (numbers 1 to 36 and one green position for the ‘0’).
The American wheel differs from its cousins in that it has one extra green notch for a ‘00’ position.

What are some popular Roulette terms?

The basic terms you need to learn are the different bets (inside and outside), biased numbers, and some basics like house edge or parlay.

The truth is that Roulette, like many other games, comes with a unique language. Because the game is really like no other, a number of the phrases may contain words that you have never heard of before.

We have provided a list of some of the keywords you will need to learn if you desire to become an avid Roulette patron.

Croupier: This is the term for the person in charge of the table, the rolling of the wheel, the oversight of the betting, and the distribution of winnings.
Chips: These are the round coloured tokens that bear monetary value, used by you to stake your wager on the game grid.
Wager: Also called a ‘bet’ or a ‘stake’. This refers to the amount of money you wish to gamble in favour of where you think the white ball will land on the wheel. Wins are paid out in direct relation to the amount wagered.
Inside bet: This is a bet placed on specific numbers on the grid, from 0 to 36. The greatest odds are paid on getting this play correct. It will pay 35:1.
Outside bet: This is a wager placed on other categories outside the number grid. The odds of winning are higher, so the payouts are far less.
House edge: This is the degree of advantage the house has in yielding profits. It can vary on average from around 3% to 1%, meaning that the odds are actually in favour of a wise player. The house edge is far lower in French and European-style games.
Biased numbers: These are numbers that regularly appear on the wheel. This could be due to the fact that you are dealing with a biased wheel. Keep track of the numbers that land.
Parlay: This is the term for when a player adds to a former wager in the following round.

How to play Roulette

In short, you place a bet on a chosen number (or a group of them), the wheel spins, and if the final position matches your prediction, you win. Roulette is considered more of a luck-based game, rather than a strategy needing one.

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However, you will still need to get familiar with all aspects of it if you want to up your chances of winning. You can find them broken down below:

The wheel

There is a wheel present with a variety of numbered positions in place on it. Each of these positions is coloured red or black consecutively, with a green zero position (and an additional green ‘00’ position on American wheels).

A small white ball is released into the spinning wheel after all the bets are placed. When it stops, the position the ball finds itself in determines the outcome.

The table and grid

To one side of the wheel, you will find a table with a grid. The table mimics all of the possible spin results the wheel could yield.

The inside of the table, bearing the ‘inside bets’, is the number grid, which holds numbers from 0 to 36 (addition of ‘00’ on American Table).
Around the perimeter of this grid is the section for ‘outside bets’, including the group bets, like red/black, odd/even, First 12, Second 12, or Third 12.

It is onto this grid that you place your chips to make your wager. Wagers are based on where you believe the white ball will land on the wheel.

Zero position rule

Particularly in French and European versions of the game, there are two rules that can be played (differing from table to table) when the ball lands on the green ‘0’ position. Both pertain to even outside bets and are:

La Partage: Should the ball land on the green ‘0’, all bets placed on odd/even, or red/black positions will be split between the casino and the player, affording you the grace of keeping half your wager.
En Prison: Should the ball fall on the zero, all outside bets will be marked by the croupier and ‘held in prison’ for the next spin, effectively granting you a second chance at a win or a ‘re-spin’.

Wagering and payouts

The average minimum and maximum bet on a Roulette table is between 1 and 1000 credits. Be sure to know the table limits before placing your wager!

To get yourself familiar with the type of payouts you can expect from different bets, study the list below.

It will only make you more confident, which will allow your mind the ease of concentrating on your game plan, rather than trying to remember the silly rules.

Straight-up bet: Pays 35:1 odds. This is when you place your bet on a specific single number on the grid (inside bet) between 0 and 36.
Outside bets: Pays 1:1 odds. See above for examples.
Split bet: Pays 17:1 odds. This is when you bet on two numbers next to each other on the grid. You will place your chips on the dividing line between the numbers to indicate the bet.
Street bet: Pays 11:1 odds. This is like a split bet, but you bet on three numbers here.
Corner bet: Pays 8:1 odds. Here, you bet on 4 numbers with your tokens.
Line bet: Pays 5:1 odds. This is when you bet on 6 numbers.
5 number bet: Pays 6:1 odds. This encompasses a bet of specific numbers – 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. This betting combination is only available on the American rendition of Roulette.

In summary

As always, we suggest that you spend some time studying the basics before risking your money at the tables. You can also check out our guides on best live roulette strategy and roulette guide to odds, payouts and house edge to dive deeper.

After that, you'll be free to start playing. We recommend you begin by experimenting with outside bets first, because they come with the lowest risk, but still offer good rewards.

Gambling must be done responsibly, so ensure that you come to the table with a set strategy in mind and a specific budget in hand, as well as a great Roulette bonus. Do not veer from your plan. Good luck!