Extras · FAQ · 7 min
Roulette for Beginners: Common Questions
Roulette for beginners: the questions people are embarrassed to ask at the table, answered plainly.
Short answer
What the chips mean, where to put them, what the dealer is saying, when you can touch things, and whether zero is a trick: a roulette guide for beginners, in questions. Nothing here is obvious until someone tells you.
first bet to learn
red or black
first word to learn
“no more bets”
first rule to learn
hands off after the wave
first number to know
2.70%
Before you sit down
Do I need to know anything?
No. Roulette has no decisions after the bet. Knowing the payoutsmoneyPayoutWhat a winning bet returns, quoted as “X to 1” on top of the returned stake.Read full → helps you understand what you won; knowing the edge helps you decide what to spend.
How much money do I need?
The table minimum times about twenty, for an even-money session that lasts. A $5 table: $100.
Can I just watch?
Yes, standing. Seats at busy tables are for players.
Which table?
Single zerowheelZeroThe single green pocket that no even-money, dozen or column bet covers; the source of the house edge. Also: single zero, 0.Read full →. If there is a choice, the one with la partageruleLa partageFrench rule: when zero hits, half of an even-money stake is returned. Halves the house edge on those bets to 1.35%.Read full → in the rules.
Chips
Why are my chips a different color from everyone else’s?
Each player at a physical table gets a color so bets are not confused. They are only valid at this table; cash them in before leaving.
What is a chip worth?
Whatever you said when you bought in. A marker on the wheel rim records your color’s value.
Can I use cash on the layout?
Usually only for outside betsbetOutside betA bet on the boxes surrounding the grid: dozens, columns and even-money bets.Read full →, and it is simpler to buy chipsmoneyChipA token representing a fixed amount, placed on the layout to make a bet. Also: check.Read full →. Put cash flat on the felt; do not hand it to the dealer.
Placing a bet
Where does the chip go for red?
In the redbetRedEven-money bet on the 18 red numbers. French: rouge.Read full → diamond box among the outside bets. For a number, inside its cell. For two numbers, on the line between them.
What if I cannot reach?
Ask the dealer and say the bet exactly: “five on red”, “ten on the cornerbetCornerFour numbers sharing a corner on the layout, pays 8:1.Read full → sixteen seventeen nineteen twenty”.
Can I bet on more than one thing?
Yes, as many as you like, including bets that contradict each other.
How long do I have?
Until the dealer waves and says “no more betsprocedureNo more betsThe dealer’s call (or the on-screen prompt) that closes betting. Chips may no longer be placed, moved or removed.Read full →”, usually when the ballequipmentBallThe small ball launched along the track against the rotor. Modern balls are ivorine or Teflon, 18–21 mm.Read full → has three or four laps left. Online, a visible timer.
During and after the spin
Why did the dealer wave at me?
That is “no more bets”. Hands off the layoutequipmentLayoutThe printed betting grid on the table. Also: table, felt, cloth.Read full →.
What is the little marker?
The dollyequipmentDollyThe marker placed on the winning number on the layout while bets are settled.Read full →. It sits on the winning number while bets are paid. Touch nothing until it is lifted.
I won. Do I take my chips?
The winnings are placed next to your original chip. Take both when the dolly lifts, or leave them to bet again. Chips left on the table are a bet.
I lost. Where did my chip go?
Swept by the dealer. Losing chips are cleared before winners are paid.
Why did the dealer pay someone else first?
Outside bets are paid before inside betsbetInside betAny bet placed on or between the numbers of the grid: straight up, split, street, corner, six line.Read full →, nearest the dealer last. It is the fixed order, not favoritism.
Zero and the odds
Is zero a trick?
It is the house edgemathHouse edgeThe share of each stake the casino keeps on average: 2.70% in European roulette.Read full →. Every outside bet loses on zero; every payout is computed as if zero did not exist. It is also a number you can bet on.
Is red 50/50?
48.65%. The zero is the difference, and it is the entire house edge on that bet.
What does 35 to 1 mean?
A winning $1 chip returns $35 of winnings plus the $1 stake. “35 for 1” would include the stake and is worse.
How much will I lose?
On average 2.70% of what you wager; on a $5 red bet, 13.5 cents a spin. A typical evening will be far from average in either direction.
Online
Is it the same game?
Same odds. RNG tables are software; live tables are a filmed wheel. Both pay European odds on a European table.
Why did my bet get rejected?
The window closed. Bets close before the ball slows, on purpose.
What is the racetrack?
The oval strip showing wheel order. Tapping it places sectorwheelSectorA contiguous arc of pockets on the wheel, as distinct from a group on the layout.Read full → bets. You do not need it.
Can I practice?
The Demo Game on this site is a play-money table with every bet and a working wheel.
Questions
What should my first bet be?
Red or blackbetBlackEven-money bet on the 18 black numbers. French: noir.Read full → at the table minimum. It wins nearly half the time and teaches the rhythm of a round.
Is it rude to ask the dealer questions?
Not about the game. Ask between spins. Dealers do not give strategy advice, and the honest ones will tell you there is no roulette strategy for beginners or anyone else.
Comic relief
Nothing is obvious until someone tells you. Now someone has.
Sources
- Ethier, S. N. The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling.
- Epstein, R. A. The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic, 2nd ed.