How to Play Online Roulette – The Rules

Roulette is an extremely popular game at online casinos around the world. Originating in France, roulette means ‘’little wheel’’, which perfectly describes the premise of the game. Learn All the Roulette Rules here.

Roulette’s popularity is due to its diverse betting options, where you have the power to either raise or lower the stakes depending on how you bet. This means that both high rollers and new players with small budgets can feel right at home on the table.

Of course, the roulette table can be a daunting place for a beginner, so we have designed the perfect guide to navigate you through your first experience of the game. Read the article below to learn more about online casino roulette rules and how to get your bets in and play for the first time in the online environment.

What is The Goal?

The first thing you need to understand about the game is the overall goal presented and what the objectives of each round are.

A little white ball is spun onto a spinning roulette wheel that has 37 notches on it (38 in American Roulette). It stands to reason that the ball will come to rest in one of the positions on the wheel and provide a single outcome.

It’s up to you to guess what that outcome will be and place your bet.

What is The Roulette Wheel?

The Roulette Wheel is a unique design that has everything to do with the betting strategy possible in the game.

Like we stated above, the average European Roulette Wheel will have:

• 37 different positions notched into it
• Each Notch will have a different number, marked between 0 and 36
• The ‘’Zero’’ is always green in colour

The rest of the notches are red and black and follow the ‘’red, black, red, black’’ pattern.

There are two types of wheels found in roulette, each developed for a different variant of the game:

European Wheel: This contains 37 notches in which there is only one ‘’0’’ position.

American Wheel: This wheel contains 38 notches in which there is an extra ‘’00’’ position.

The logic behind the wheel layout is to:

• Confuse the player and give the house the edge
• To alternate colors for variety
• To split high and low number up
• To evenly distribute even and odd numbers around the wheel

Having a good grasp of the wheel will stand you in good stead to work with the betting grid in front of you on the table.

The Grid

While the outcomes are determined by a roulette wheel, the game is played out on a table that has a grid set out on it. The grid is where your bets are placed and if you look closely, you will see that it mimics the possible outcomes that are available on the wheel.

There are a few additions over and above normal straight up number bets, but more on the bet types later-on in the guide. It is your objective to place your chips/bets on the table to show what outcomes you’re wagering on.

In a normal land-based casino environment, each player will be given a different color of chips to bet with, but this is not the case in online games. Instead, the variety of colors determined the value of the different tokens.

Roulette Jargon

Before you can get around to gameplay or strategy, it is vital to understand the terminologies and jargon used in online roulette. This way, when we mention something like ‘’straight-up bet’’ in the future, you know exactly what we mean.

Below is a list of some of 10 common terminology used in online roulette along with their meanings:

• Croupier: This is the term for the host at the table in charge of taking bets and spinning the roulette wheel. They will manage all stakes and gameplay. Normal virtual online games do not have a real croupier in the game, however, Live online games will have.
• Bet Limit: This is the minimum and maximum stake allowed on the table per bet. This is most often displayed somewhere on the table.
• Chips: These are the tokens that you use to bet with. They represent actual money on the table.
• Bankroll: The amount of money a gambler sets aside to play with.
• House Edge: The advantage that the casino has on any particular bet. It’s the average that they will make on each bet placed in the game. In Roulette, the house edge will change dramatically based on the type of bet you place.
• Straight-Up Bet: This is a wager staked on a specific number outcome. The odds are the highest on these bets because you only have a 1 in 36 chance of guessing correctly.
• Inside Bet: This is any betting variation that is done on the number grid itself and excludes all outside bets. This will include straight-up bets, split numbered betting, corner bets, and more.
• Outside Bets: This is a bet placed on the outside of the grid. There are a variety of outside bets that surround the normal number section. These are generally categorized bets that encompass a group of possibilities. For instance, betting on red or black would fall into this category. The house edge is reduced considerably with these bets, but so are the payout odds.
• Wager: Also known as a ‘bet’ or ‘stake’, this is the amount of money you place on the outcomes of the game round.
• Warm Numbers: This is a history of the most landed numbers in the particular game you are playing. Fortunately, many good online roulette games will record these numbers for you.

There are a tremendous number of terms in the Roulette glossary, but if you are seeking to play online, you will only need to know some of the more basic ones that we have provided for you above.

Roulette Game Types

We have touched on a bit of this before in the ‘wheel’ section, but there are 3 variations of roulette commonly played in the world today:

• French Roulette
• European Roulette
• American Roulette

French and European Roulette is the same game played on the same wheel with one difference. The main difference is that French Roulette uses French terms in the gameplay.

American Roulette has the extra ‘00’ position on the wheel which effectively gives the house an extra advantage. Learning to play the zeros could be a wise roulette strategy though.

Virtual Roulette vs Live Roulette

Online, there are two platforms you can choose to play on to get your roulette fix. These include:

Virtual Roulette

Here the game renders a computer-generated roulette table. The outcomes of these games are managed by tested Random Number Generator software, which is guaranteed to provide random outcomes across the gameplay.

When playing virtual games, there are no time limits to get your bets in, because there are no other players involved in the game. Being able to take your time will play into your hands, especially if you are a beginner and are still trying to wrap your head around the rules.

There are some great European, French, and American virtual roulette games provided by studios like NetEnt, Microgaming, Felt Gaming, Yggdrasil, and Playtech to name a few.

Live Roulette

This immersive form of online casino play involves Live Croupiers and real gaming paraphernalia. The game is live-streamed to your device from casino studios around the world. The benefits of playing these games are that the outcomes are completely natural and no RNG software is used to produce numbers.

The game rounds are timed to prevent excessive waits between spins. It makes sense when you take into regard that other people may be playing at the same live table as you are.

If you want an authentic land-based casino roulette experience from the comfort of your desktop or mobile device, then try games from Evolution Gaming, NetEnt Live, or Playtech.

Common Bet Types

Before placing your first chip on the table, it would be prudent for you to understand the different common bet types available to you in the game. We have outlined 8 of the more popular options, which cover both inside and outside bet strategy:

• Outside Bets: Also known as Even Bets, pay small odds of 1:1 and include less risky grouped betting options, such as betting on:
  – Red or Black
  – Odd or Even Numbers
  – 1st or 2nd 18 numbers
• Straight-Up: This is when you place bet on any one of the single numbers on the wheel. All bets pay 35:1
• Dozens: The wheel can be split into 3 dozens (12s) on the grid. You can opt to bet on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd dozen for odds of 2:1. These can often be played in blocks of 12 numbers or strings of 12 numbers (see the grid in the game you have chosen).
• Split Bet: You can select to bet on two numbers next to each other on the grid by placing your chips on the dividing line between the two digits. This pays out at 17:1 odds.
• Street Bet: Like a Split bet, but instead you can wager on 3 different numbers adjacent to one another on the grid for a payout of 11:1.
• Corner Bet: Play for odds of 8:1 and bet on 4 numbers at once by placing your chips on the intersecting lines between a block of 4 numbers.
• Line Bet: You can bet on a line of 6 numbers in a row on the grid for a payday of 5:1.
• 5 Number Bet: Only available in American Roulette, this combination bet includes only numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. Land this one for a payout of 6:1.

Any further betting options move beyond the scope of basic gameplay and are better suited to advanced players.

The Passage of Play

Now that you have a basic grasp of some of the game rules, you can go ahead and load up your favourite online poker games. The passage of play includes (taken from NetEnt European Roulette):

• Placing Bets: The first objective is to place your bets on the grid. Simply click on your chips of choice and drag them to your chosen destination on the grid. You can bet on as many outcomes as you choose.

Different games come with different shortcuts on placing bets. On NetEnt’s European Roulette, you can double the bet by merely hitting the x2 toggle. You can also undo your last wager by pressing the back-arrow control. All of these controls will be grouped somewhere on the interface for ease of use.

• Spin: Once all your bets are in place and you are ready to progress, you can hit the ‘’spin’’ button to get the wheel rolling.
• Results: Once the wheel has stopped, the outcome will become apparent and the virtual or live croupier will announce the color and number that was landed. Your wins will automatically be calculated and added to your bankroll! The chips will be cleared from the table.
• Rebet: You can either choose to place different bets or opt to rebet the same wager as the round before, by pressing the rebet shortcut toggle.

As you can see from above, the passage of play is extremely simple, so we recommend that you concentrate your efforts on learning the bet types and odds available. 

Top Tips and Roulette Rules

Here are 5 top casino roulette rules and tips that you want to remember when playing Online Roulette to keep it a joyous affair:

• Understand the Table Limit: Choose your table wisely and play like a winner! For example, NetEnt’s European Roulette has a different max stake for each section of the board. Just mouse over the area with a stake in your hand to view the limits.
• Bankroll Management: Always set a budget.
• Numbers: Pay attention to the Warm and Cold number indicators in the game and use them as a part of your betting strategy, especially when playing Live Roulette.
• Strategy: Always come to the table with some sort of plan of how you intend to play and try not to make high-risk decisions on the fly.
• Demo Mode: While you cannot practice with Live Casino roulette, you will be able to play just about all versions of virtual roulette for free. Get used to the game for virtual credits before you place real money on the line. 

Roulette Round-Up

Roulette is very enjoyable for players of all skill sets and budgets. As such, it’s a great place for beginners to start. Playing outside bets could reduce the house edge down dramatically, paying out a small amount frequently to keep you afloat.

Online Roulette FAQs