Learn Roulette · Beginner · 6 min

How to Play Roulette

A round of roulette takes about a minute: you place chips, a ball is spun, it lands in one of 37 pockets, and bets that cover that pocket are paid at fixed odds. This lesson walks through the equipment, the bets and the sequence of a round. The bets and the order of a round are the same whether you learn how to play roulette in a casino or how to play roulette online.

reviewed 2026-09-28model: European, single zeromethodology ↗

Pockets

Bet types

10 + call bets

House edge

2.70%

Round length

~60 s

1. The wheel

The European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36, half red and half black, plus a single green zero. The numbers are not in counting order. They alternate red and black and are arranged so that high and low, odd and even numbers are spread around the rim.

red18 numbers

black18 numbers

green1 number (0)

wheel order0 32 15 19 4 21 2 25 17 …

ball directionopposite to the rotor

2. The table

Chips are placed on the layout, a grid of the 36 numbers in three columns with zero at the top, surrounded by boxes for group bets. Bets on or between numbers are inside bets; bets on the surrounding boxes are outside bets.

Inside bets

2:1

2:1

2:1

1st 12

2nd 12

3rd 12

1–18

Even

Red

Black

Odd

19–36

Outside bets

2:1

2:1

2:1

1st 12

2nd 12

3rd 12

1–18

Even

Red

Black

Odd

19–36

3. The bets you will use first

Every standard bet pays as if there were 36 pockets. Covering more numbers wins more often and pays less; the house edge is the same 2.70% either way.

betcoversp(win)pays

Red / Black18 numbers of one color48.65%1:1

Odd / Even18 odd or 18 even numbers48.65%1:1

Dozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–3632.43%2:1

Corner4 numbers sharing a corner10.81%8:1

Straight upa single number2.70%35:1

Five bets, one chip each: three on outside boxes, one on a corner, one on a single number.

4. How do you play roulette at the casino? One round, step by step

Place chips

Inside the number grid or on the outside boxes. Several bets at once are normal.

Ball is launched

The dealer spins the rotor one way and sends the ball the other way along the track.

No more bets

The dealer waves a hand over the layout. Chips can no longer be moved.

Ball drops

It falls through the deflectors into one of 37 pockets. The dealer marks it with the dolly.

Settlement

Losing chips are cleared first, then winners are paid at the bet’s fixed odds.

Key factEach spin is independent. The wheel has no memory, so a run of reds changes nothing about the next spin. See Gambler's fallacy.

No more bets: the dealer’s hand passes over the layout while the ball is still running.

5. What a win pays

Payouts are quoted as “X to 1”: a 35:1 win on a $10 chip returns $350 in winnings and the original $10 stays on the table. Use the stake tweak to change the example.

$10 on 17 · 17 wins → $350 paid + $10 stake stays = $360 on the table

$10 on red · red wins → $10 paid + $10 stake stays = $20 on the table

Questions beginners ask

Is roulette rigged?

Licensed physical and live wheels are inspected and the odds are fixed by the layout, not the operator. The casino does not need to cheat: the 2.70% edge is built into the payouts.

What happens to my bet when zero comes up?

Inside bets on 0 win; everything else loses. Under French rules (la partage or en prison) even-money bets get half back or a second chance; this site assumes plain European rules unless stated.

Can I bet on more than one thing?

Yes. Most people playing roulette spread several chips; each bet is settled on its own.

Is red “due” after five blacks?

No. Each spin is independent and the probability of red is 18/37 every time. See Gambler’s fallacy.

Comic relief

Place chips, spin, settle. About a minute a round.

Next lessonRoulette RulesTable limits, call bets, what happens on zero.RelatedStraight Up betOne number, 35:1, the bet every other bet is measured against.