The roulette is one of the oldest casino games still being played today. Aside from being wildly popular, the roulette is also one of the games that relies entirely on chance. There are no strategies and no special skills required when playing roulette – although knowing how to bet and when to step away might increase the opportunities for a payoff.

Basic Setup

Both the European and the American roulette work the same way. The only difference is that the European version has 37 numbers (0 to 36), while the American wheel has one extra number.

Game Rules

Roulette rules are a bit more complicated than they first seem. Betting is not just a question of picking a number, so it’s important that you understand how to maximize your chances of winning.

First, let’s look at the sections. Roulettes have an “outside” and an “inside” section, where bets work differently. The inside section allows you to bet on up to six numbers as long as those numbers are in proximity to each other. The outside section gives more betting freedom, so you can go for odd/even bets, black/red bets or even make bets for low or high numbers. Outside section also allow you to pick groups of 12 numbers (which is commonly known as “dozen” bets)

Roulettes also allow for group bets, where you can pick up to 17 numbers. In those bets, you don’t choose the  numbers yourself but instead pick a segment of the wheel and are assigned all the numbers contained within that section. For example, you can choose “the 1st 12” or “the 2nd 12” sections under Red (these are the “dozen” bets mentioned before) or sections like “1 to 18” under the Black side. Columns are also available (these group different numbers, as they run vertically)

While this might sound confusing and somewhat difficult to remember, it’s important to understand the many options available so you can improve your chances of winning.

Some things to keep in mind

Roulette tables usually have minimums for both inside and outside bets. That means you’ll have to at least match that amount if you want to make a bet. If the minimum amount you see is too high for you, you are always free to search for another table.

Your odds of winning increase when you play larger groups of numbers, but your actual dollar winnings decrease in the same proportion. You can play as little as one number at a time or you can play a large group of numbers – or go for a combination of both to increase your chances of winning.