Roulette Rules Guide for Beginners

It is possible to explain the roulette game by dividing it into four phases. The game starts with the players placing their bets and continues with the croupier spinning the wheel. Winning players receive their payouts after the result is announced. Both winning and non-winning players can keep trying their luck in the next game.

On the roulette table, you can see numbers from 0 to 36 and the other betting options. These represent the outcomes of the wheel, and the players can place a bet on any of them. To do this, it is sufficient to place the chips on the number or option they want to bet on. However, the table does not show how much each bet pays: the player is expected to already know this. In this context, roulette payouts range from 35:1 to 1:1, which is determined by the probability of that bet winning.

If the player wants to bet on a series of numbers known as “French bets”, placing chips will take less time because it is possible to bet without placing chips for this type of bet. As long as they have enough chips on the roulette table, players can verbally tell the croupier which bet they want to place. The croupier checks the table, and if he sees that the player has enough chips (even if those chips are not placed on the respective bet option), he accepts the bet. These are called “announced bets” because both the player and the croupier announce them. But it is important to note if you play online roulette, to make an announced bet, necessarily place a chip on one of the bets sections of the racetrack. Below you can see the main options of announced bets and the detailed information about each one.

Every roulette table has a minimum and maximum bet limit. These limits are different at each table, so there is no fixed limit applicable to all roulette games. The minimum bet represents the money that must be wagered (regardless of the bet option) to enter the game. The maximum bet (regardless of the bet option) is the highest amount of money accepted at that table. Players need to pay attention to them for two reasons. Firstly, table limits allow you to understand how well that game suits you (and your bankroll). Second, these limits are also important for the implementation of some roulette strategies. For example, in progressive betting strategies such as Martingale, the bet amount must be constantly increased according to certain rules, which requires playing at tables with a high maximum limit.

In addition to table limits, bet types may have their own limits. Most often, this concerns the maximum betting limits. For example, there is a roulette table with a minimum bet of 10 GBP and a maximum of 5000 GBP, but this does not mean that you can place any bet you want in this range. For instance, you can make outside bets (red/black, odd/even) from 10 GBP to 5000 GBP. But if you want to make inside bets ( Straight-up, Split, etc.), you may be limited to the maximum bet; for example, maximum table limits are 5000 GBP, but the maximum limit of the Straight-up bet is 2000 GBP.

In the table below, you can see a comparison of the betting limits in several popular roulette games from different providers.

After all, players have placed their bets, the croupier announces, "no more bets". It is not possible to place bets after this announcement. This also means that the second phase of the game has begun, as immediately after the croupier says "no more bets", he spins the roulette wheel and drops the ball on it. It is forbidden for anyone other than the croupier to touch the wheel. If a player touches the wheel for any reason, the game will be void, and bets will be refunded.

After the wheel stops, the croupier announces which number and colour the ball has landed on. This means that the third phase of the game has begun: payouts. Players who bet on the winning outcome will get paid based on the bet amount and the payout value of that bet. For example, straight bets pay 35:1. This means that a bet of 10 GBP will receive a payout of 350 GBP (10 x 35).