1. The Rules Of Blackjack Card Game
2. Roulette Rules 101
3. Rules Of Roulette Table
4. What Are The Rules Of Roulette

The French roulette rules are very much like the European roulette rules. It has the same 37 numbered wheel with one zero but a different table layout for the outside bets. See Table layout (Link opens new window). The player odds in French roulette are the same as in European roulette (only one zero) and better than the odds in American. Roulette is pretty simple and straightforward, but the game does come with a set of rules and etiquette that players are required to know before they start placing chips at the table. Here are some of these important rules. Low or High – This bet pays out even money (1 to 1) if the ball lands on 1-18 if you bet low, or if the ball lands on 19-36 if you bet high. Columns – The numbers on the layout are organized into three columns of twelve numbers each. A “columns” bet wins if the ball lands on one of the numbers in the column you chose.

Roulette remains one of the world’s most iconic table games, and one that combines both betting strategy and opportunism with effortless ease.

It’s also a relatively straightforward game, and has been “one of the most popular casino pastimes for centuries”, according to online-casinos.com. Put simply, your task is to wager on a number, combination of numbers or alternative outcome while the ball spins on a roulette wheel.

If the ball lands on a slot that corresponds to your wager, you’ll win. If not, you’ll lose your stake ahead of the next spin.

Interestingly, roulette is also a game packed full of interesting rules, bets and side bets. We’ll explore the latter below, while asking how these can impact on the game and your chances of winning.

Roulette – The House Edge and Probability

Every roulette iteration that you play will follow this basic premise, but each one will also have minor differences that impact on everything from the gameplay to your fundamental odds of winning.

This is what makes roulette one of the most exciting games to play in the digital age, even in an increasingly competitive and diverse marketplace.

Even on a basic level, there’s French, European and American roulette versions, the latter of which feature a roulette wheel with two ‘zero’ slots and a significantly higher house edge of around 5.3%.

Conversely, French and European iterations have a house edge of just 2.7%, creating an effective return-to-player (RTP) ration of 97.3% for every £1 wagered on average.

It’s also interesting to note that French roulette versions aren’t widely available in the UK, which is why the European iteration remains the most popular format online.

Appraising the Available Bets – What do You Need to Know?

When it comes to wagering, your options are split into two main categories: inside and outside bets.

The Rules Of Blackjack Card Game

The former refers to wagers placed on single digits or a combination of numbers and tend to offer the longest odds and highest potential returns.

For example, a ‘straight-up’ wager requires you to bet on a single number, with this paying out at the generous price of 35:1 when playing European roulette. However, such odds are also prohibitive, so this is a risky betting strategy that’s only recommended for players with large bankrolls.

The ‘split’ bet sees you place a chip between two different numbers, having the available odds to 17:1 and the subsequent value of the pay-out.

Similarly, street and corner bets cover targeted lines and sections of the roulette wheel, while paying out at odds of 11:1 and 8:1 respectively.

Line bets are also available and very similar to street wagers, except for the fact that they cover two rows of three numbers (such as 1-6) instead of one row of three. This remains one of the most popular inside bets, and one that pays out at odds of around 5:1.

When it comes to outside bets, there are other factors that you can wager on that offer much higher odds of winning but considerably smaller returns.

These include dozen and column bets, for example, both of which cover 12 numbers overall and provide a 2 in 1 chance of success. As you’d expect, this pays out at 2:1, and offers an appealing value proposition in terms of bet coverage and rewards over an extended period of time.

On a final note, there are four additional outside bets that pay-out at 1:1, and offer a 50% chance of coming in.

These require you to make a choice between black and red, even and odd and low or high numbers, each of which affords you access to approximately half of the roulette wheel.

In the case of the latter, any digit between one and 18 is classed as a low number, while those placed between 19 and 36 represent high numbers. So, you’ll simply speculate on which category the result of the next spin will land, affording you a relatively good chance of securing a return on your stake.

The Last Word

Most gambling disciplines are games of chance, which means that players have minimal control over specific outcomes.

This definitely includes roulette, even though players can deploy a betting strategy and optimise their coverage of the wheel to optimise their chances of winning over time.

To this end, there are some additional side bets available in roulette, including call wagers. Only accessible in physical European and French roulette iterations, these wagers are announced verbally instead of you placing your money on the table at a land-based casino.

From an online player’s perspective, there are other side wagers available in some roulette versions. One such option is the basket bet, which requires you to cover numbers 0,1,2 and 3 with your take and pays out at around 6:1.

Then there’s the unique snake bet, which covers the seemingly random numbers of 1,5,9,12,14,16,19,23,27,30 and 32 with a single wager.

This bet is so-called because of the snake-like pattern that forms when you highlight these numbers, while it pays out at odds of 2:1 on average.

Roulette was first played in France back in the 17th century. It is now one of the most popular European gambling games and Monte Carlo in Monaco is a well known and famous casino centre for playing roulette.

The Basics
Players, usually up to eight, play against the House represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. In the European roulette and French roulette version, the wheel has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In the USA most roulette wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots.

Each player buys-in a different coloured chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colorued chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the value amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colours. You then take these chips to the cash desk where they will give you actual cash money in exchange.

To play roulette, you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.

The House advantage
On a single zero roulette table the House advantage is 2.7%. On a double zero roulette table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The House advantage is gained by paying the winners a chip or two (or a proportion of it) less than what it should have been if there was no advantage. (See Roulette Quiz - The Casino Advantage.)

The 'En Prison' rule
A roulette rule applied to even-money bets only, and by some casinos (not all). When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his/her bet or leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for another roulette spin. In the second case, if the following spin the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.

The 'La Partage' rule
The la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero roulette table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% House edge and one on a double-zero roulette table has a House edge of 2.63%.

The payouts
A bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no House advantage you should collect 37 (38 in the USA on double zero roulette wheels).
A two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1.
A three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1.
A four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
A bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1.
A bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.

Object of the game
To win at roulette the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them 'hot' numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use specific roulette systems or methods, money management systems, or both.

French roulette rules

The French roulette rules are very much like the European roulette rules. It has the same 37 numbered wheel with one zero but a different table layout for the outside bets. See Table layout(Link opens new window).

The player odds in French roulette are the same as in European roulette (only one zero) and better than the odds in American roulette (two zeros). The players loose only 50% of their even-money bets when the outcome is zero, known as the 'La Partage' rule.

The object of the game is still the same - to predict which number out of possible 37 the ball will land on. And of course, they speak French. Below are the English and equivalent French terms for the various roulette bets:

Inside bets

• One number Straight up = En plein
• Two numbers Split Bet = Cheval
• Three numbers Street Bet = Transversale
• Four numbers Corner = Carre
• Six numbers Line Bet = Sixainne

Outside bets

• Twelve numbers Column = Colonne
• Twelve numbers Dozen = Douzaine
• Red or Black = Rouge, Noir
• Even or Odd = Pair, Impair
• Low or High numbers = Manque, Passe

Canasta Roulette

In Costa Rica some casino table games have different names, others have different names and different rules. Roulette in Costa Rica casinos is called 'Canasta' and is played with a double-zero layout. However, instead of using a roulette wheel the winning number is selected from a circular wire cage with numbered balls similar to the one used in bingo halls.

California Roulette

The difference between California casinos and Vegas (and other) casinos is the way roulette and craps are played.

In California it is against the rules and regulations to have a roulette wheel that is spun and to have a ball drop decide which number is the winning number on the wheel. It is also against the state rules and regulations to throw dice to decide the outcome of a game.

In 2004, California legalized a form of roulette known as California Roulette. By law, the game must use cards and not slots on the roulette wheel to pick the winning number.

There are at least two variations. In some casinos, the dealer spins a wheel containing 38 cards from 1 to 36, plus 0 and 00, and after betting is closed, stops the wheel; a pointer identifies the winning card, which the dealer removes and shows to the players.

In the Cache Creek casino in northern California, a wheel resembling a traditional roulette wheel is used, but it has only alternating red and black slots with no numbers. As the ball is spinning, the dealer takes cards from a shoe and places two of them face down on the table in red and black rectangles. When the ball lands in a red or black slot, the card in the corresponding rectangle is turned over to reveal the winning number.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)

Did you know?

In every casino it is customary that the croupier starts the first round/spin of the day with the ball lying in the number slot of the date of that day. This obviously excludes the numbers 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 0.

Roulette Rules 101

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