Traditional roulette rules require players to place bets on individual numbers, or groups of numbers. Roulette bet minimums and maximums are specified for each roulette game. The casino dealer spins the roulette wheel in one direction, and the roulette ball in the opposite direction. Once the winning number is revealed, players with winning bet selections will be paid out accordingly.
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Roulette Variants and the Rules that Govern Them
Roulette rules vary slightly among different variants of this popular casino table game. There are traditional casino-based roulette games, and contrarian roulette games to consider. American Roulette features 0 and 00, and numbers 1-36 with a house edge of 5.26%, and an RTP of 94.74%. Thanks to 38 possible number combinations on the roulette wheel, players have a 1/38 chance of picking the right number, or 2.63% on every spin.
European Roulette features a single green 0, and numbers 1-36. The house edge is 2.70%, and the RTP is 97.30%. There are 37 numbers on the European Roulette wheel, and players have a 1/37 chance of picking the right number, or 2.70%. French Roulette, like European Roulette, features a single green 0, and numbers 1-36. The house edge can be as low as 1.35%, thanks to 2 unique rules – La Partage and En Prison. Essentially, these rules reduce the house edge when the ball lands on zero, and even money bets have been selected.
Tall Boy Roulette bears few similarities to traditional roulette variants, bar one: guessing is involved. The participants are typically legal age ‘players’, preferably 18+, or 21+, depending on legal drinking age. The game can be played in a variety of ways, notably with alcoholic beverages mixed with non-alcoholic beverages, on the beach/parties/at home with brown paper bags covering each beverage, or with coolers.
Tall Boy Roulette Game Rules must be played with ‘Tall Boys’ the colloquial register used to describe long cans of alcohol, known as 16-ounce cans. A Tall Boy can even refer to a 24-ounce can of beer, or vodka, or other alcoholic beverages. Tall Boy Roulette rules state that the player, contestant, or participant not know which alcoholic beverage is going to be selected. In that sense, it is a game of chance – the prize being the Tall Boy that is selected.
The 16-ounce & 24-ounce cans of beer, vodka, or other ‘high-octane’ beverages must remain concealed while the player is selecting one. This can be done by placing all the cans in a cooler box, or simply placing brown paper bags around each ‘Tall Boy’, and twisting the tops like Christmas firecrackers. It's possible to mix high-value alcoholic beverages with low-value alcoholic beverages for Tall Boy Roulette. Winners are determined by public opinion – the best drinks get the biggest cheers!
Examples of popular drinks for Tall Boy roulette include: Straw-Ber-Rita, Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea Original 24 Ounce, Four Sour Blue Razz, Smirnoff Ice Smash Screwdriver, Fosters Beer, Mike’s Harder Strawberry Pineapple, Hydraulic Sandwich, and Four Gold.
The Most Important Rules of Roulette Games
The rules of roulette are designed to keep games orderly, by guaranteeing payouts on winning numbers, according to the specific roulette variant being played. Without rules, roulette games would be chaotic. Casinos and online casinos alike structure their table games to meet with industry-wide norms and practices. The primary roulette games – American Roulette, European Roulette, and French Roulette – are available in multiple variants, with themed tabletops, color configurations, and varying bet minimums/maximums. Roulette rules govern all aspects of the game, from inception to cash out.
Roulette players must buy chips by placing money on the table. The dealer will hand each player a different set of colored chips, to make it easy to identify each player’s bets on the table. Chip denominations run from as little as $1 to high-value VIP chips. Each number on the roulette mat corresponds with a number on the roulette wheel. European and French Roulette games feature a single green 0, while American Roulette games showcase 0 and 00. Players are tasked with placing their chips on individual numbers, split numbers, combinations of numbers, and other combinations.
The full set of roulette bets, according to the rules of the game include:
• Red or Black – Red or Black numbers, not including green 0 [even money]
• Odd or Even – numbers not divisible by 2, and numbers divisible by 2 [even money]
• Low or High – numbers 1-18 for low, and numbers 19-36 for high [even money]
• 2 to 1 (First Dozen) – numbers 1-12
• 2 to 1 (Middle Dozen) – numbers 13-24
• 2 to 1 (Last Dozen) – numbers 35-36
• 5 to 1 (Line Bets) – bets on 6 numbers
• 8 to 1 (Corner Bets) – Bets on 4 numbers
• 11 to 1 (Street Bets) – Bets on 3 numbers
• 17 to 1 (Split Bets) – Bets on a Pair of Numbers
• 35 to 1 (Single Number) - Straight up bets
French Roulette Rules: La Partage & En Prison Rules to Reduce the House Edge Further
La Partage – when a player has an even money bet on the table and the ball lands on 0, the player automatically loses 50% of the bet*
En Prison - when a player has an even money bet on the table and the ball lands on 0, the player has the option of forfeiting 50% of the bet, or leaving the bet on the table – effectively ‘In Prison’ until the next spin. If on the next spin, a 0 lands again, the player forfeits the entire bet. However, if the player bet wins, the money will be returned*
*This reduces the house edge to 1.35%, from 2.70%. Be advised that La Partage and En Prison are not available at every French Roulette variant online, or at land-based casinos in Atlantic City, or Las Vegas. These are the standard rules of roulette at land-based casinos, and online casinos alike.
Standard Roulette Rules at the Table
Roulette table rules indicate the accepted codes of conduct, betting behavior, and the expected comportment of dealers and players. The roulette betting table has been modified over the years, to reflect the changing preferences of casinos, players, and our cultural zeitgeist. The rules of roulette are geared towards making it as easy as possible for players to place bets in the expectation of winning payouts.
Generally accepted practice dictates that bets are placed before the dealer starts spinning the wheel and calls ‘No More Bets’. This is regarded as roulette etiquette. Once the roulette ball comes to rest, the dealer will place a marker on the winning number, and all players with bets on that selection (directly or indirectly) will be paid out accordingly.
Bet Payout Win probability* Win probability**
Red / Black (18 numbers) 1:1 48.65% 47.37% Even / Odd (18 numbers) 1:1 48.65% 47.37% Low / High (18 numbers) 1:1 48.65% 47.37% Dozen (12 numbers) 2:1 32.43% 31.58% Column (12 numbers) 2:1 32.43% 31.58% Double Street (6 numbers) 5:1 16.22% 15.79% First Five (5 numbers) 6:1 - 13.16% Corner (4 numbers) 8:1 10.81% 10.53% Street (3 number 11:1 8.11% 7.89% Split (2 numbers) 17:1 5.41% 5.26% Straight (single number) 35:1 2.70% 2.63%
* = European, single zero roulette odds and chance to win
** = American double zero roulette odds ad chance to win
At land-based venues, players seated in the front row of a roulette table get first preference for placing bets. Players behind seated players are also welcome to place bets, provided this is done in an orderly fashion. Players who are not betting will be politely asked to step away from the table, to allow those who wish to play to participate.
All roulette players at land-based casinos are required to place real money on the table, buy chips, and place their bets accordingly. Demo play roulette is only available online, and not at live roulette games. There are effectively 2 options with regards to roulette betting: Inside Bets and Outside Bets. Inside bets have a lower probability of occurring, but much higher payouts. Outside bets have a higher probability of occurring, with lower attendant payouts.
Roulette Game Rules Made Easy
Naturally, the rules of roulette are specific to the roulette variant in question. The RTP (return to player) in American Roulette is different to the RTP in European Roulette, or French Roulette. Roulette games with 37 numbers are more player friendly than roulette games with 38 numbers. However, roulette game rules make it equally enticing to play games like American Roulette with a house edge of 5.26%, by providing additional betting options.
These include another number to bet on, and the 5 Number Bet. The 5 Number Bet is only available with American Roulette, and is a bet selection on 0-00-1-2-3. The house pays 6:1 on this selection. However, like the insurance bet in blackjack, this is advised against. The probability of winning this bet is 13.16%, with the attendant payout. To play this bet, simply place a chip on the corner of the 0, first 12, and 1.
The math of the 5 Number Bet is simple to understand: 5/38 = 13.2%, or 1:7.6, but the payout is substantially less at only 6:1.
There are many different types of roulette bets, each of which is described in the rulebook. For example, there are Basket Bets a.k.a. first 4 with a payout of 6:1, Snake Bets [1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34] with a payout of 2:1, Jeu Zero [12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15] closest to 0, Voisins du Zero bets [22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25] bets on 17 numbers between 22-25, Tiers du Cylindre [thirds of the wheel], Orphelins [two sections of the roulette wheel outside Tiers du Cylindre, and Voisins du Zero [17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31, & 9], Neighbors Bets [bets on combinations of numbers], and Finals Bets [final 2 bet is 2-12-22-32 or final 3 bet is 3-13-23-33, et al].
How to Play Shot Roulette
Shot roulette is a drinking game, as suggested by its name. This popular, social roulette game showcases a roulette wheel and several shot glasses around the perimeter of the wheel. The shot glasses are associated with specific numbers on the wheel, and shot roulette rules are pretty flexible to accommodate many different playing variations. For many players, it's simply a case of spinning the roulette wheel and taking a shot. If the shot glasses are empty, the player misses that round of play. The game will continue until all the contents of the shot glasses – typically vodka, gin, tequila, rum, whiskey et cetera – have been consumed.
Depending on the number of players in the game, shot glasses can vary accordingly. A small number of players translates into more shot glasses per player, and vice versa. To keep things exciting, the shot roulette dealer may decide to place cocktails in the shot glasses, in addition to standard vodka, gin, tequila, rum, whiskey, et cetera. Given that this is a drinking game, caution is advised. No underage player should participate where alcohol is being consumed. It is strongly recommended that players don't allow the game to go too far, and that designated drivers are assigned. Like Tall Boy Roulette, there are no buy-ins required, but somebody’s got to provide the alcohol.
Drink roulette rules will vary according to the types of games being played, and the participants in attendance. If the roulette ball lands on a number corresponding to your shot glass, then you are ‘obligated’ to drink that shot. Able-bodied players are expected to down the shot, and spin the wheel again. Drinking games are chance-based games that tend to get players really excited, and energized. Like all forms of alcoholic beverage consumption, the highs can lead to downers, so moderation is strongly advised.