Roulette Rules
If you are a newcomer to the casino, whether it is online or on the Las Vegas strip, you’re likely to head straight to the roulette wheel before trying any of the other table games. After all, roulette rules are surely the simplest in the casino. Even a complete novice knows how to play roulette. The dealer or computer spins the wheel, you place a bet on where you think the ball will come to rest, and you either win or lose.
All that seems logical enough until you actually approach the roulette table, or see it on the screen when you play online roulette. New players in particular tend to take one look at all those sections and wonder if they would have been better off trying blackjack instead!
Rest assured that there is nothing complicated about playing a game of roulette. We will run through the basic roulette rules here, along with the different types of bet that you can place. Once you’ve covered that, you can check out our strategy guide and you will be ready to develop your very own roulette system to beat the house.
The roulette wheel
That big wheel with its numbered pockets is the most famous features of any casino. At Mount Gold, we have more than a dozen roulette games ready for you to try, and the wheel is similar, but not identical, for each.
The first point to note is that you can play either European roulette or French roulette at Mount Gold. The main difference is that the American roulette wheel has an extra “double zero” slot that is not present in European roulette.
You can also play either traditional online roulette with a computer image of a wheel or live dealer roulette. If you choose the second option, you will be greeted by one of our dealers, who will spin a real physical wheel. You will be able to see all the action by webcam and will play in real time.
Whichever form of wheel you choose for your game, European or American, virtual or live dealer, the basic gameplay is the same. It is set spinning, the ball is released and you will be invited to place your bets. To do so, we need to turn our attention to the roulette table.
The roulette table
The American roulette table has an additional section marked “00”. Apart from that, the tables for American roulette and European roulette are identical. Next to the zero or zeros, there are the numbers from 1 to 36, corresponding with the numbers on the wheel. Each is in its own box in a 12x3 grid, and the boxes are coloured either red or black as appropriate. These are where you place inside bets, and we will explain what those are in a moment.
On the outside are the boxes where you can place outside bets. These comprise one box at the end of each column of 12 numbers, each of which is labelled “2 to 1.” Then along the side of the main grid, there are three boxes labelled “1st 12,” “2nd 12” and “3rd 12.” On the outside of those are six marked areas labelled “1 to 18,” “Even,” “Red,” “Black, “Odd,” and “19 to 36.”
Place your bets
So where are you going to place your gambling chips on the roulette table? There are actually 11 different types of bet you can place, and while that might sound like a lot to remember, they are all quite obvious, so there is nothing to worry about.
The inside bets we mentioned earlier relate to the specific numbers on the main grid. The simplest of these, known as a straight up, is where you just bet on a single number, let’s say black 22. Get it right, and you receive a 35/1 payout. That’s the biggest win you can get at roulette, and also the bet with the longest odds. Other inside bets include the split, where you bet on two adjacent numbers, the trio for a row of three or the corner for four. The winning payout for each of these is 17/1, 11/1 and 8/1 respectively. Finally, there is the line bet, where you bet on a block of six. This pays at 5/1.
The outside bets need little explanation. They encompass a range of even money bets including red, black, high, low, odd and even. There are also column bets, represented by those three “2 to 1” boxes and “Dozens” which are the ones that say “1st 12,” “2nd 12” and “3rd 12.” Correctly back any of these six groups of 12 numbers and you stand to gain a 2/1 payout.
Now you are ready to take on any one of our roulette games. But first, why not check out our roulette strategy guide for some expert tips?