How Is Roulette Played? A Quick Guide for Beginners

Date puplished:

October 8, 2025

Last updated:

October 9, 2025

If you are a roulette aficionado or simply a beginner at the game, then this roulette guide will be the most important piece of documentation that you have encountered lately. Our team of experts has played the popular table game in land-based and online casinos for over two decades. We know inside out the different variations, the basic terminology and the roulette strategies.

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We can’t guarantee winnings, but you can rest assured that by the end of this analysis, you will be a better player. You will make better decisions, you will know how to manage your bankroll and – most importantly – you will know which roulette variations are the best for you.

Terminology from A to Z

Roulette Wheel: the numbered wheel at the centre of the table that is the epicentre of the game. This is where the numbers are lined up, and the ball spins.
0 and 00 (or even 000): 0 neutralises all even odds bets on the table. Depending on the type of roulette you are playing (please refer to the section below), the number of 0s on the roulette wheel will vary.
Inside bets: all the best placed on the numbers, corners, triads and quadrants. Different payouts apply to different bets. The chips need to be placed in the exact place before the spinning starts.
Outside bets: all the bets that happen outside the numbers area of the table. This includes Even / Odds, Dozens, Red / Black and Orphans.
La Partage Rule: French Roulette tables implement this rule, where bets lose half if the ball lands on 0.
French Roulette: A variant of the classic roulette table, where the La Partage rule applies. It also has a different number layout on the wheel.
American Roulette: A variant of the game that is played mostly in the American continent. It has, though, become very popular online. Its main difference is the layout, where both 0 and 00 appear on the wheel. The odds are different due to this 00 position.
Classic Roulette: the game as it was first played in France in the early 1700s.
Martingale and Reverse Martingale: Popular roulette strategies that are based on the pattern of the betting amount. The normal Martingale sees players doubling down on lost bets and the Reverse Martingale on winning bets.
Neighbor bets: A bet on a series of numbers that are neighbouring on the wheel.
Croupier: The French name for the dealer.
Dolly: the little marker the dealer puts on the winning number’s slot to indicate what gets paid out.
Voisins du Zéro (Neighbours of Zero): A bet on the orphan section that covers the 17 numbers that are closest to 0.
Tiers du Cylindre (Thirds of the Cylinder): far away from the 0 and the Voisins du Zero, 12 numbers that are the farthest away from 0, on the opposite side of the wheel.
Orphelins (Orphans): the numbers that are not on the Voisins and Tiers du Cylindre.
High / Low: Bet High for the ball to land between 19 and 36, Bet Low for the ball to land between 1 and 18.
Even / Odd: bet on the nature of the lucky number, odd or even.
Columns: the vertical rows of the table that pay 3:1.
Six Line: bet on the six numbers from two streets.
Straight up bet: if you decide to bet on a single number.
D’Alembert: A roulette betting system that is based on the famous scientist’s theories.
Fibonacci: a roulette betting pattern that follows the Fibonacci number sequence.
Bankroll Management: a way to use the chips that remain on a player’s balance to achieve maximum payouts with any given budget.
Live Dealer Roulette: a version found online, where the action on the table is streamed in real-time from a land-based casino or a licensed casino studio.
Australian Roulette: a rare version that features three 0s: 0, 00, and 000.

Types of Roulette

First, there was one (French or Classic Roulette). Then there were two (the American was added). Then three, four, and at the moment we can find unlimited versions of the game, mostly due to the rise of online casinos and the tendency of most software providers to enrich the game’s variety to keep players satisfied. Let’s take a look at the main types of roulette you can play today.

European Roulette

The archetype of the game features a single zero and is played more than any other casino game worldwide.

French Roulette

Most casinos will try to hide it since it will refund lost bets on certain even odds outcomes (red/black, even/odd). It’s the same as the European Roulette with a single 0.

American Roulette

Settlers didn’t like the single 0 version in the New World. They wanted better payouts for themselves, but also had to deal with a higher house edge. The double 0 (0 and 00) kills my appetite to play. But it’s very popular on the other side of the Atlantic.

Australian Roulette

I had no idea it existed until recently. It’s a version with three 0s that is played only down under. Obviously, the winning multiplier is higher, but so is the house margin.

Immersive Roulette

The flagship of Evolution Gaming, a premier live dealer roulette. The first ever studio roulette that invested in enhanced graphics, animation and 3D sound. A classic European roulette game of the highest quality, having won multiple awards in the online casino industry.

Lightning roulette

The most popular online Roulette in the world. Additionally, Evolution Gaming has enhanced the gameplay with thunder multipliers that significantly increase profits in the event of a winning bet.

Mega Fire Blaze Roulette

The famous Playtech legacy slot now has a roulette version. If you fancy the Wizard slots saga, then Mega Fire Blaze combines the best of both worlds.

Speed Roulette

If you can’t be bothered waiting for the entire process (betting, spinning, paying), speed roulette will save you half of the time. It can be found on all online casinos.

Double Ball roulette

Double win means double or more winnings. Wish it were so simple to make money from it, but if you do get both balls on your lucky number, the bank will bust with a whopping 1300x win.

How to play online Roulette – An easy guide for Beginners

Sitting down at the table is the easy part. What happens next is that you take luck into your own hands and you must make some decisions that will determine how long you can remain playing. Our Online casino game guide for roulette will outline step by step all that you need to know about how to play the world’s most popular casino game.

Find a table with suitable limits for you. Table limits are always visible, regardless of whether you play roulette online or in a land-based establishment.
Pick a spot at the table and exchange your cash for chips. If you are playing online, the conversion is done automatically, and the money is deducted from your balance.
Select the amount you wish to bet and place the chips in the corresponding box on the table.
The Dealer will spin the wheel and drop the ball in it. But you can still place bets after the spinning has started.
The Dealer will announce when the betting round is over. Players are strictly forbidden to add more money to the boxes.
The ball lands in a number on the wheel, signalling the end of the spinning period.
The Dealer marks the lucky number on the table with a special pin. All chips that are not on this number or at the edges of this box will be removed and thrown into the “well” that is at the edge of the table, close to the Dealer’s position. These are the losing bets.
The Dealer will start paying all the players that won during that round.
After the last players are paid, the Dealer announces the opening of the next betting round.

What you need to know

Once you become familiar with the game and want to experiment with different strategies and tactics, it’s helpful to know a few advanced definitions and bets. Let’s go through these below.

Inside Roulette Bets

The most iconic and popular betting in the roulette world. It’s a testament to the gamblers throughout the centuries, with people looking to make 35x or 36x on betting on the right number or smaller multipliers by betting on corners, lines, and other options.

Outside Roulette Bets

If you are not a fan of betting on the number (which has minimal chances to pay you anyway), then outside bets will allow you to gamble on several outcomes. The most popular ones are:

Red or Black
Dozens
Odd / Even
Columns
Low / High

Payouts range between 2x and 3x, but based on the Roulette type that you have selected, the house edge can also range significantly (usually depending on the number of 0s on the table).

Additional Roulette Bets

When you reach an advanced player level, you can try the so-called advanced roulette bets, such as the orphans, which are placed on the side of the table and are often overlooked by the majority of players. If you ask me, there is little to no use in checking them. However, they have loyal fans who seek logic behind random number sequences, simply because the roulette wheel constructor chose to design it in a specific manner. Make sure you read carefully our roulette guide to understand the risks of the orphans. Or other bets that might be offered in different variations of the game.

Live Roulette

The term primarily refers to a variant of the game played online, where players can connect via their camera and speakers to a real casino or a casino studio and enjoy the actual game experience on their screen. Evolution Gaming, a reputable games designer, first introduced the niche. Pragmatic Play, Playtech, Skywind and a few others follow with 500+ live roulette tables available online as we speak. It is the closest substitute to the real-life roulette experience, allowing providers to enrich the gameplay with special effects, multipliers and other exciting elements.

Strategies

No other casino game has been analysed and has inspired mathematicians more than Roulette. The large number of bets available has helped develop multiple theories and strategies that “promise” players improved winning chances. You have probably heard of the Fibonacci sequence, the Normal and Reverse Martingale and the D’Alembert system. These are not all. Our guide to Roulette and our dedicated pages will give you better insight into the world of an enhanced mathematical approach to the game.

FAQ

When we leverage our decades of experience in building this how to play roulette guide, we obviously need to answer the most sought-after question about the game. The short answer is not guaranteed. There is no safe strategy when luck is involved. However, multiple strategies will eliminate the house edge down to 0.5%. If you read the paragraphs above, you will at least learn how to avoid wasting your hard-earned money on online roulette.

If you love playing in land-based casinos, then cash or cards are accepted. If you decide to try your luck online, then a wealth of options will be available. Credit and debit cards, e-wallets (including PayPal, Skrill, and Google Pay), bank transfers, and local payment solutions. Modern-day online casinos pay extreme attention to facilitating players’ deposits on their systems.

Almost every guide to roulette strategy will mention the Fibonacci, the Martingale, the Reverse Martingale and the Red / Black tactic. But that’s not it. Over the centuries that the game has been played in Europe and the Americas, mathematicians have struggled to devise the most effective method of consistently making money at roulette. No strategy is universally applauded, yet you ought to do your reading before sitting down at the table.

Modern-day casino bonuses cater for various players. New players will most certainly receive a welcome offer, consisting primarily of a 100% deposit match bonus and some complimentary spins. VIP players will receive cashback and loyalty points that are exchangeable for cash and bonuses, while new roulette tables will often feature some get-to-know promotions. Online casinos race to acquire new players, and this is to the benefit of players. Make sure you read our roulette room reviews to see what’s on offer in each one.

To compile this roulette guide, we visited unlimited online casinos to see the extent of innovation in our days. There is some impressive versatility available, with software providers extending their table range from the traditional American, French, and Australian Roulette to bonus game variations such as Lightning, Immersive, and Red Door Roulette. Some variants combine slots and roulette gameplay, with the likes of Mega Fire Blaze and Candyland roulettes making a difference.