Roulette Rules

Roulette was first played in the 17th century in France, and has since become one of the most popular table games available at casinos, both online and off. Although the basic gameplay appears very simple at a first glance, there are certain rules that are important to know.

The Basics

Up to eight players play simultaneously against the House, which is represented by the dealer, who is also known as the croupier. The croupier spins the roulette wheel and processes the bets and the payouts. Every player uses differently colored chips to avoid confusion during gameplay. At the end of each spin, winners receives “cash chips,” which are chips that have monetary denominations printed on them. These chips can then exchanged for cash at the casino's cashier.

After all players place their bets, the croupier launches the ball and spins the wheel. Soon before the ball comes to a stop, he or she will announce “no more bets,” and players are no longer allowed to place more bets or change existing ones. Once the ball comes to a complete stop in one of the slots on the roulette wheel, the croupier places a “dolly” on the winning number, rakes in all losing bets and pays out all winners according to a payout scale.

The Object of Roulette

Lady Luck is the main player in this game. To win, players try to predict where the ball will land. The roulette wheel contains 37 or 38 numbered slots, depending on where the game is played. Some players go with numbers that have already won, believing them to be “hot” and likely to win again, while others prefer to bet on numbers that haven't come up yet. There are many different betting methods and styles players use. The House has a built-in advantage over roulette players of 2.7% on a single zero table and 5.26% on a double zero table.

The “En Prison” Rule

“En Prison” is French for “in prison”. This rule applies to even-money bets only, and is only practiced in some casinos. According to the rule, when the winning number is zero or double zero, players are allowed to either take half their bets back, or leave them as they are for the next roulette spin. If players choose the latter and the ball lands on zero again, the entire bet is lost. Take it from us at Roulette2002.com- the En Prison rule is a good bet, because it means that the house carries a lower edge.

The “La Partage” Rule

This rule is much like the “En Prison” rule. When this rule is applied, however, the player loses half the bet without having the option of leaving the bet in prison for another spin. This rule applies only to the outside bets (e.g., Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even).

There are many different types of roulette bets

Below is a payout scale for the various types of bets.

Learn more about Roulette Rules