PokerNews Roulette Guide: How to Play, Best Strategy & Top Online Sites
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, in this PokerNews Roulette Guide we’ll tell you absolutely everything that you need to know about this exciting casino game, including how to play roulette, the best roulette strategies and the best casino sites to play online roulette and get online roulette bonuses.
Start Your Roulette Journey
We’ll tell you all the basics of roulette, including the wheel, table, rules and the odds. We’ll also suggest some strategies to help you find the best way to play roulette online, and the best casinos for real money roulette.
Our Latest Online Roulette Bonuses
The best bonuses and offers for playing Roulette can be found at these online casinos:
See even more online casino bonuses!
What is Roulette?
Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning 'little wheel'. In the game of Roulette, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, whether the number is odd or even, or if the numbers are high (19–36) or low (1–18).
To determine the winning number, a croupier spins the roulette wheel and releases the ball to spin in the opposite direction around the outer edge of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum, and falls onto the wheel and into one of thirty-seven (single-zero, French or European style roulette) or thirty-eight (double-zero, American style roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. The winnings are then paid to anyone who has placed a successful bet.
How to Play Roulette
Whether you are playing live in a casino or you prefer to play online, the fundamentals of Roulette are largely the same. Here we’ll explain some of the basic rules and actions of roulette, tell you all you need to know about the wheel and the table, as well as explaining the different roulette bet types, the odds and probabilities and the payouts – everything you need to know to get started playing roulette.
Learn Roulette with our FREE Cheat Sheet
If you're new to the game of roulette, learn how to play with our FREE downloadable roulette cheat sheet PDF!
Download our FREE Roulette Cheat Sheet PDF
Play Online Roulette
Get started playing Online Real Money Roulette right now. Simply click one of the buttons below and we’ll take you off to an online site so you can start your Roulette journey.
European vs American Roulette
The main difference between the European and the American roulette is the order of the numbers on the roulette wheel. The American roulette has one additional pocket as the American roulette wheel features a second green slot with a double zero, '00'.
Find out more about why this matters in this article that explains all about the differences between European and American Roulette.
You can also check out our guide to French Roulette.
Roulette Strategy: Roulette Betting Systems to Use
When considering the best way to play roulette, you should ensure you pick a strategy where the choice of bet lines up with your bankroll and your preferred way of playing. We can’t tell you how to win at roulette every time, but we can explain some of the more popular strategies that players use at the roulette table, such as:
- Martingale Strategy
- Grand Martingale Strategy
- D’Alembert Strategy
- Andrucci Strategy
- Fibonacci Strategy
- James Bond Strategy
- Paroli Strategy
Read more about these popular roulette strategies >
Best Sites to Play Online Roulette for Real Money
Once you have got to grips with the fundamentals of roulette and you have decided upon your betting strategy, the next step is to start playing. We always advise playing for free in the first instance, to gain some experience, but if you’re ready to start playing online for real money and you live somewhere where it is legal, then we have you covered with the best real money sites to play online roulette.
Where to Play Online Roulette for Free
If you live somewhere where real money gaming isn’t legal, or you simply want to practice and perfect your online roulette strategy, then most operators will allow you to play a demo version for free before you start playing roulette for real money, or one of these free online games sites which offer roulette, could be for you.
Play Live Dealer Roulette
Live Dealer Roulette is, as the name implies, played with a real dealer, who spins the wheel and drops the ball in real-time via live video streaming. It's similar to playing at a land-based casino, but from the comfort of your own home. Here are some of the best sites for Live Dealer Roulette. Where you can, try the Live Dealer Roulette games shown below.
- Lightning Roulette
- Immersive Roulette
- Double Ball Roulette
- Slingshot Auto Roulette
- VIP Roulette
Best Sites for Live Dealer Roulette
Some of the biggest and best online casinos offer live dealer roulette, including sites like PokerStars Casino, Sky Casino, and BetMGM Casino. We've added links below to play at these sites with a casino bonus.
We recommend these casinos as the best places to play real money roulette, as well as other table games, slots, and jackpot games:
Find out more about playing Live Dealer Roulette >
Roulette Payouts Chart
Check out the roulette payout chart below to see potential payouts and the odds against winning for each type of roulette bet.
| Bet common name | Winning spaces | Payout | Odds against winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | Any single number including 0 | 35 to 1 | 36 to 1 |
| Split | Any two adjoining numbers vertically or horizontally | 17 to 1 | 17.5 to 1 |
| Basket | 0, 1, 2 or 0, 2, 3 | 11 to 1 | 11.33 to 1 |
| Street | Any three numbers horizontally (1,2, 3 or 4, 5, 6 etc) | 11 to 1 | 11.33 to 1 |
| Corner | Any four adjoining numbers in a block (e.g. 17, 18, 20, 21) | 8 to 1 | 8.25 to 1 |
| Six Line | Any six numbers from two rows (e.g. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33) | 5 to 1 | 5.167 to 1 |
| 1st Column | 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34 | 2 to 1 | 2.083 to 1 |
| 2nd Column | 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35 | 2 to 1 | 2.083 to 1 |
| 3rd Column | 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 | 2 to 1 | 2.083 to 1 |
| 1st Dozen | 1 through 12 | 2 to 1 | |
| 2nd Dozen | 13 through 24 | 2 to 1 | 2.083 to 1 |
| 3rd Dozen | 25 through 36 | 2 to 1 | 2.083 to 1 |
| Odd | 1, 3, 5,..., 35 | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
| Even | 2, 4, 6,...,36 | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
| Red | Red numbers | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
| Black | Black numbers | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
| 1 to 18 | 1, 2, 3,..., 18 | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
| 19 to 36 | 19, 20, 21,..., 36 | 1 to 1 | 1.056 to 1 |
Roulette FAQs
Can you win real money playing roulette?
Yes, just like playing in a live casino, it is possible to play roulette, and win real money at an online casino.
How can you play online roulette?
To play online roulette, you just need a computer, or a mobile device, and an active internet connection. Research the best online casinos which offer roulette, and then get playing!
How can you win playing roulette?
Roulette is ultimately a game of chance, so even though there are a number of strategies you can employ, the result is purely decided based on luck. Knowing the odds and the different bets you can make in roulette can help you decide on the strategy to use, as can knowing the roulette wheel and table layout.
Can you play roulette for free online?
Yes, it is possible to play online roulette for free. Many real money online casinos offer players the opportunity to try out a roulette game for free before depositing any funds. You can also check out social casino sites which provide free games that don't require spending any money.
What is the best online casino to play roulette on?
A lot depends on your location and the real money casinos available. For us, the best online casinos to play roulette are: FanDuel Casino, PokerStars Casino, bet365 Casino, 888casino, PartyCasino, and BetMGM Casino.
What is the difference between American and European Roulette?
The key difference between American vs European roulette is the addition of the '00' pocket on the American roulette wheel, whereas the European version only has the single '0' pocket. This means that the odds are slightly improved when playing European Roulette versus the American counterpart. Find out more about the differences between European and American Roulette with our in-depth guide.
Is online roulette rigged?
No, Online roulette is not rigged. Any casino game you play at an online casino must follow the same regulations and procedures to ensure its fairness, and that includes casino games like roulette. You should ensure you always play at an online casino that is licensed and regulated in the location where you're situated.