Roulette offers a wide variety of bets and betting options. The process of roulette betting is not a complicated one, and fortunately, unlike craps, you are given a good length of time at the table to choose where you want to lay your money down. Two types of betting you can practice at the wheel are called the outside bets and the inside bets. You are required to play the table minimum at least on each of your outside bets; on inside roulette betting the total of all of your bets must meet or exceed the table minimum. This bit of information is all you need to know in order to delve right into some roulette betting action. Lets start by describing each bet and how/where you play it.

Roulette betting - outside bets

The outside bets on a roulette board are simply the bets that reside 'outside' of the main playing area of 38 numbers. There are no winning outside bets for 0 or 00 results. Different types of outside bets:

Red or Black - you can choose to bet on the outcome either being a red number, or a black number. Place this bet right in the area with the words 'red' or 'black' in them, which should be easy to reach from beside the table. This is a very common form of roulette betting, as it is easy to understand that you have almost half a chance of winning. People often make the bet making the incorrect assumption that if 5 blacks were spun, there is a better than 50% chance the sixth spin will be red. This is not logical and the reason why is described in more detail on our roulette system page. This bet is paid even money, meaning if you bet $5, you win $5.

Odd or Even- similar to the red black bet, this even money bet is based on whether the number will be odd or even. Since 0 does not count as either, there are 36 numbers, an even count between odd and even. Place this bet by putting your chips in the middle of the square marked 'even' or the square marked 'odd', which will usually reside on either side of the black / red betting area.

Low or high - this bet lets you predict whether you think the next number to come up will be part of the range from 1 to 18, or part of the range from 19 to 36. This is an even money bet. To place this bet put your chips in the boxes with the associated number range printed in them.

Columns - at one end of the set of 38 numbers are boxes with the words '2 to 1' written in them. Each box is part of a column of numbers (if you extend a line up the body of the inside of the betting area). If a number from within the column you are betting on comes up you win, and are paid 2 to 1.

Dozens - a bet very similar to the columns bet, dozens lets you place a bet on either the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36). To place this bet find the rectangular areas located in between the first outside bets (red/black, odd/even, etc) and the inside board spread. These will usually be labeled with the words 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12. The bet pays 2 to 1.

Learn American Roulette
American ("double zero") roulette rules

Roulette is another online casino game that seems complicated when you take a look at a roulette table, but a short introduction to roulette is all that's needed to show that roulette is a simple, interesting and intriguing game.

There are two popular variations of the roulette game that have minor but important differences. This guide describes the American ("Double zero") Roulette. You can read about European Roulette here

A roulette table has a spinning wheel with 38 slots, pockets. The pockets are numbered from 1 to 36 and coloured red or black. Two special pockets, ''zero'' and ''double zero'', are marked with green colour. Players bet on a condition or a number of conditions that the round will end with. The roulette wheel is spun and a ball is thrown into it against the direction of spinning. When the ball settles down and rests in a pocket, the number on the pocket that has caught the ball wins. All pockets are identical and the numbers are arranged mathematically for even distribution by value, colour, high or low and odd or even so the ball has an equal chance to end up in all of them.

The seemingly complicated part of roulette is betting, but in reality it's very easy to understand. The betting table consists of two parts, the ''Inside'' and the ''Outside''. Placing bets on the inside part is called inside betting. In a similar fashion placing bets on the outside part is called outside betting. Online casino games always have a helpful manual that you can refer to during the game if you forgot a meaning of a bet.

Roulette tables have composite minimum and maximum table limits. Players are not otherwise limited in betting. Freedom of making choices is what makes the roulette especially attractive. Other than betting, there are no choices that a player could perfofm. Once the bets are made and the wheel has spun the game will resolve itself as there are no more decisions for the players to make.

When betting on the inside, a player is required to make bets that at least add up to the table minimum.

The table is comprised of coloured squares marked with red and black, coming from 1 to 36. Zero and double zero are another two green squares of the inside table.

Different combinations of bets are available on the inside table. Combinations are only valid within the inner table. Here comes the list:

"Straight up bet" - a bet on a single number. The payoff is 35 to 1.
"Split bet" allows you to place a bet (a casino chip) on two adjacent squares. The payoff is 17 to 1.
"Street bet" allows you to bet on a row (that is three numbers). Consequently your chip must be placed on the outer edge of the row. Street bets pay 11 to 1.
"Line bet" allows you to make two street bets - six numbers - and pays 5 to 1.
"Corner bet" is a situation when you place your bet on four adjacent squares. Corners pay 8 to 1.
"Five bet" is a special type of bet that allows you to bet on 0, 00, 1 2 and 3. You do this by placing your chip on the boundary line of the roulette table where the line dividing the two rows intersects it. Such type of bet pays 6 to 1. Notice that it is specific to American Roulette games as European Roulette doesn't have a double zero pocket.
American Roulette Betting Table: Outside Bets
When betting on the outside every single bet a player makes must at least match the table minimum.

Outside bets do not cover zeroes. Online casinos don't normally offer the surrender rule so we won't be describing them here.

The outside is comprised from a number of betting conditions:

"Dozens" - three squares that represents outcomes from 1 to 12, 13 o 24 and 25 to 36. This is a double bet - it pays off 2 to 1
"High and low" - two squares for the bottom half of the numbers (1 to 18 and 19 to 35). This is an even bet as it pays off 1 to 1
"Colours" - two squares for red and black outcomes. This is an even bet.
"Odd and even" - two squares representing odd and even outcomes respectively. This is also an even bet.