Object of the game
Roulette is played by spinning a small ball on a round wheel with numbered slots. When the wheel stops, the ball comes to rest in one of these slots.
Players have the option to predict:
- Which number the ball will land on.
- Bet on a combination of numbers.
- Pick whether the number will be red or black, even or odd.
The size of the payoff and house edge depends on how the bets was placed.
Players have the option of making more than one type of bet or any combination of the bets, bounded only by the table limits.
How to play roulette
Roulette Dealer
Players play against the house represented by the dealer also called the "croupier".
Positioned at the end of the table, the dealer controls the flow of the play, including:
- Selling chips to players.
- Spinning the wheel and throwing the ball
- Announcing winners
- Collecting losing bets and paying winners
In some Casinos, depending on the amount of action and table minimums, the dealer can have an assistant.
Roulette bets
After purchasing the chips (from the dealer or from the cashier), players make bets by placing chips on the desired position on the table. If players cannot reach the table to place a bet, the dealer places these bets on their behalf.
Possible bets and how to place them on the table layout are described under:
Betting limits
The maximum (minimum) of the bet the player can make depends on the betting limits of the table, which varies from casino to casino and even from table to table. The table minimum means that your must bet the table limit if you are betting an outsides bets. If you are betting an inside bets, the total of your inside bets cannot be lower than the limit.
The play
The dealer spins the wheel while spinning the ball in the opposite direction inside the roulette wheel. The players can bet when the ball still rotates until the dealer says "No more bets" ("Rien ne va plus" in French).
As soon as the ball lands in one of the slots ("pockets"), the dealer says the number that wins and places a marker ("dolly" or "loula") on the roulette table.
Afterwards, the dealer gathers the losing bets and pays the winning bets.
Roulette overview
- Roulette variations
- Playing roulette
- Roulette wheel
- Roulette table layout
- Payoffs and house edge