A Beginner’s Guide on How to Play Online Roulette
Roulette may have the reputation of being a game purely based on luck, but it’s more complex than just that. This live casino game is easy to master, and will have you biting your nails with every spin! So if you want to learn how to play roulette online, there’s no place better than our very own beginner’s guide to live roulette! Read on to understand the inner workings of this classic casino game.
Table of Content:
- How to play Roulette: Step by Step
- Roulette Rules
- How Does Roulette Work?
- What Does a Roulette Dealer Do?
- What is the Roulette Table Layout?
- How To Bet in Roulette
- Play Roulette At LeoVegas Live Casino
- Roulette Rules FAQ
How to play Roulette: Step by Step
- Register and find a live dealer table or try a free Roulette game
- Choose your bet amount
- Select the bet type you want to place. If you are a new player, try placing even money bets (red/black, odd/even) since they are easier to understand
- Spin the wheel and wait for the outcome of your bet!
- Collect your winnings if your bet was successful
Roulette Rules
Whether you are playing roulette live or online, it is a really simple game to play and follow. Using chips, you must first place your wager. You are placing a wager on where you believe the ball will land once it has stopped spinning in the wheel.
You can bet on specific numbers, the colour of the number, whether the ball lands on an odd or an even number, or the area of the Roulette table that the ball's number falls within.
The rules are slightly different for each roulette variant (European Roulette, American Roulette, French Roulette), and there are also some special rules as well. For example, La Partage rule in French roulette returns half of your bet to you should the ball drop to zero.
How Does Roulette Work?
At its core, roulette is a fairly simple game in which players are required to make a combination of bets, predicting where on the wheel the little white ball will land at the end of every spin.
True to its name (the word roulette comes from the French for little wheel), the game uses a concave wheel which has a number of equally sized pockets. The dealer spins the ball around the edge of the wheel, and as the ball begins to slow down it nestles in a pocket, giving us the winning bets. Naturally, the ball can only ever land in one single pocket, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of different roulette bets that can be made!
Here are some examples of how to bet in roulette:
- Betting on the ball landing in an odd or even-numbered pocket
- Betting on the sector of the wheel which the ball will land on
- Betting on the winning number being on the higher or lower end of the spectrum
- Betting on the ball landing in a black, red or green pocket
- Betting on individual numbers alone or mixed with other possible outcomes positioned closely on the UI table layout.
Before getting into the subtler details of the game, it’s imperative that you understand the roulette essentials! Continue reading this basic roulette guide and you’ll soon become familiarized with how to play live roulette!
What Does a Roulette Dealer Do?
Not including automatic roulette tables, all of our roulette wheels are operated by a dealer, or croupier. You may be familiar with these hosts handling physical chips and paying out your bets in brick-and-mortar casinos, but in online casinos live roulette isn’t so. Their job is to spin the wheel & ball, be welcoming hosts, and announce & present the game in order to make your experience as enjoyable as possible.
We are very proud of our team of dealers here at LeoVegas, where each one is as approachable as the next! They always welcome questions you may have about roulette, and are always ready to respond to any queries once you click on the Chat button within any of our games.
Did you know? A number of LeoVegas dealers have previously worked in land-based casinos. Moreover, every single one of our dealers has received extensive training at a dedicated live casino academy.
What is the Roulette Table Layout?
Layout of Roulette Table
All roulette tables follow a standard setup, but a few variants do differ from the normal layout. Since you’re still in the early days of learning how to play live roulette, our suggestion would be to look at the European roulette table before exploring further.
The standard roulette table layout involves the layout being sectioned into a grid of 37 different areas, each one with a whole number ranging from 0 to 36. The number 0 is always green, while the others are divided into reds and blacks. If you look closely around the border of the grid you’ll see 12 further divisions - these are known as the Outside Bets.
French roulette has the same table layout as European, and American roulette has double zeros.
There are also some interesting variations of classic roulette games such as mini roulette, multi wheel roulette or multi ball roulette, but we will not cover them in this guide.
Roulette Wheel Numbers
Following the same structure as the table has, a standard roulette wheel contains 37 numbers. 18 of which are black (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, and 35) and the remaining 18 which are red (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, and 36). The final number is 0, and this is the only green number on both the wheel and also on the roulette table layout.
The Roulette Ball
Once all bets have been made and the dealer spins the inner wheel (usually in the opposite direction to the previous spin), the ball is then spun in the opposite direction to the inner wheel and allowed to settle in one of the pockets, giving the winning number. While the roulette ball can have a diameter of up to ¾ of an inch, it is usually around ⅝ of an inch, with the most common material being Ivorine or Teflon. Roulette balls made of the former material are generally considered highly volatile as they bounce much more, while the latter material provides a heavier ball which doesn’t bounce around as much.
Did you know: The roulette wheel is often called the Devil’s Wheel. Why? Adding up all the numbers on it results in 666 - the number of the beast!
How To Bet in Roulette
The roulette bets which are most commonly used are the Inside Bets and Outside Bets, each of which are displayed clearly on the table. Some versions of roulette also feature what are known as Call Bets, or Special Bets.
Inside bets
- Straight Up
- Split
- Street
- Corner (Square Bet)
- Line (Six Line Bet)
- Five Number Bet (Basket)
- Snake Bet
Outside Bets
- Red/Black
- Odd/Even
- High/Low
- Columns
- Dozens
Call Bets or Special Bets
- Voisins du Zéro
- Jeu Zero
- Tiers du Cylindre
- Orphelins
- Neighbours
- Final Bet
Once you see the words “PLACE YOUR BETS” on the screen, you’ll know the table is ready to receive your bets. The dealer will ask you to position your chips on the areas of the table pertaining to your desired bet, and will then lock in your bets. As soon as the ball begins to spin, the phrase “BETS CLOSED” will appear, meaning no more bets can be made until the end of that round.
Once the ball has nestled in its pocket, the game interface will indicate the winning number and automatically pay out all the winning bets that were made by the players. In most land-based casinos, bets are suspended until all the winning bets have been paid out - in online live roulette, this is of course not the case since all bets are paid out automatically.
Another difference is that in standing roulette tables, the dealer indicates the winning number with a staple of brick-and-mortar casinos - the dolly. This is typically used to protect the winning bets while the dealer removes all losing bets from the table. It also ensures that players can’t add more chips onto the winning number while the dealer is looking the other way!
What Are Roulette Chips Worth?
If you are learning how to play roulette, it is crucial to be able to tell how to use roulette chips properly, as these are what represent your money. In online live roulette, your chips can be found towards the lower part of the screen, and are what you use to represent your bet (like they do in land-based casinos).
The chips are colour-coded, with each colour representing a different value. Since chip values often vary from provider to provider, you should never rely on the colour of the chip when betting - always check the displayed value on the table interface. In general, the lowest chip value in an online roulette game is usually between $0.10 and $2 - far lower than the average at regular land-based casinos!
Once you’ve decided on what you want to bet, click the chip and place the bet on the section of the table denoting the bet you have decided to go for!
Play Roulette At LeoVegas Live Casino
It’s easy to talk about what makes playing live roulette so much fun. However, the best way to experience something is to do it yourself. So step inside our exciting live casino, and learn how to play roulette online casino games with a hands-on approach!
So go ahead and click the button below to access our first-class selection of roulette tables.
Roulette Rules FAQ
What are the basic rules of roulette?
You bet on one of the 36 numbers (1–36) displayed on the roulette wheel. Additionally, you can wager on any combination of odd or even numbers. You win your bet with the number appearing at the wheel's top after it stops spinning.
What are the odds for specific types of bets on Roulette?
Even money bets like red/black or odd/even have the highest odds in roulette, around 48% percent.
What are the different types of bets that can be made on a Roulette table?
Two main types of roulette bets are inside and outside. Inside bets are made within the numeric grid and include number-centric bets like straight up, split, street, line bet, corner bet, and four & five number bets.
Off grid is for outside bets. Most commonly, it’s red vs black, even vs odd, or high vs low.
What are the different types of strategies for playing roulette?
Roulette strategies are often referred to as "betting systems" since they involve a series of betting plays rather than one-shot wins. The main idea is to control your bankroll and place calculated bets depending on the win or loss of the previous wager.
What are the minimum and maximum bets at the roulette table?
The exact bet amount is different for each online roulette game you can play at LeoVegas Canada. You can start playing with the lowest stake of 0.20 and up to 10,000 if you consider yourself a high roller.
How can I maximize my chances of winning at Roulette?
Checking the odds and payouts for each bet, managing your bankroll and following some of the roulette strategies increase your chances. However, always remember that roulette is a game of random chance on a wheel ruled by lady luck.
What are the different types of roulette?
Three main roulette variations are European, American and French. These classic games can also be played in brick-and-mortar casinos.
What is en prison rule in roulette?
If the 0 comes up on the European wheel, the even-money bet is "locked up," meaning it cannot be won or lost. For instance, if you placed a "red" wager and the ball landed on zero, your "red" wager will stand for the following round.
What is in la partage rule in roulette?
La partage is a French Roulette rule similar to the surrender rule in American Roulette; half of your bet is returned if the ball lands on zero.
What are the house edge percentages for roulette?
For the single zero roulette wheel (European and French variations), the house edge is 2,7%, and for double zero roulette (American version), it is 5,26%.
What are some common mistakes people make when playing roulette?
Some common mistakes are: not having a predefined budget, poor bankroll management, and not following the selected roulette strategy.
Is roulette easy to learn?
Roulette is one of the most simple casino games since it does not require any complex skills to start playing.
Can you bet on red and black at the same time?
You can, however, these two bets will effectively cancel each other, and you just receive your initial stake back.
Is roulette a skill or luck?
The outcome of the roulette game is completely random, and there is no particular skill involved. However, good bankroll management and some roulette strategies can help to improve the chances of winning long-term.
How do you place a roulette bet?
Placing a roulette bet at the online roulette table is quite easy: just click or place the chip with your bet on the number you want to bet on. Some roulette tables have options for saving your preferred bet types and patterns, and also some presets of the most popular bets.
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