How to play roulette: a beginner's guide to the wheel

Roulette is the easiest casino table game to learn. A ball spins around a wheel of numbered pockets and you bet on where it will land.

You can keep it simple with red or black, or go for a single number that pays 35 to 1.

How to play

1. Choose a chip size.
2. Place chips on the table: on numbers, or on the outside bets around them.
3. Spin. The ball lands in one pocket and every bet that covers it is paid.

European or American?

A European wheel has 37 pockets: 1 to 36 plus a single green 0. An American wheel adds a 00, making 38. The pays are the same on both, so the extra pocket makes every American bet a little worse. All In uses the European single-zero wheel.

The bets and what they pay

What the zero does

Zero is green and counts as neither red nor black, odd nor even. When it comes up, every outside bet loses. That single pocket is the whole house edge: over time each bet returns 36 coins for every 37 bet, about 97.3%, whichever bet you choose.

Tips for beginners

• Start with outside bets. They win almost half the time, so your coins last longer while you learn.
• Mix it up: a chip on red plus a chip on your favourite number is a popular way to play.
• Use Rebet to repeat a layout you like.
• Set a limit before you start and stop when you reach it.

Myths to ignore

• Due numbers: a number that hasn't come up for a while is no more likely next spin.
• Streaks: after five reds in a row, black is still 18 in 37.
• Betting systems: doubling up after a loss (the Martingale) changes how wins and losses arrive, not the 97.3% return. It can burn through a balance quickly.

Practise free

Roulette on All In spins on our server with virtual coins only. It's an easy way to learn the layout and the bets with nothing real at stake.