How to Play Online Roulette: Tips and Tricks from Experts

The Basics of Roulette

Roulette is a little different from many other casino games since instead of actively playing and influencing the outcome of a game, roulette is a spectator game. Players gather around a table and make bets on where a ball will land when rolled around a wheel. If you correctly predict where it will land, you win. 

The roulette wheel is different depending on which variation you play. Regardless of which, every wheel has 36 black and red pockets, each labelled from 1-36, plus either one or two green 0 pockets. In a brick-and-mortar casino, a croupier manages the roulette wheel and traditionally will never let it stop spinning, but online, this will all be automated by software. 

Bets in roulette aren’t limited to the specific number on the pocket; there are many different kinds of bets to be made, all of which are represented on the betting table. In a casino, this will be a physical table where you place your chips; online, you just click on what you want to bet on. 

You have a choice of inside or outside bets. Outside bets cover more pockets, such as black versus red or a dozen pockets (e.g. 25-36), while inside bets cover a small number of bets, like a corner (four numbers) or a single pocket. 

How to Play Roulette Online

While the majority of casino games require some altering in the transition from brick-and-mortar establishments to online play, roulette remains practically untouched. Since it’s a spectator’s game, all you need to do is bet and watch the outcome. So, playing roulette couldn’t be easier:

1. Figure out which roulette game you want to play — online casinos host many variations of roulette, from classic American or European to themed wheels and live dealer options. 

2. Join a room and place your bets on the spread — for online play, you’ll probably have to wait for any other players to join, and then you’ll have a limited amount of time to place your own bets on the digital display. One of the major benefits of playing online is that this betting display will tell you what your odds and potential profit are without you doing any maths. 

3. Watch the roulette wheel spin! — online play will simulate the roulette wheel so you can still experience the fun of the wheel turning. Wait for the ball to settle into a pocket. 

4. Let the bets pay out — if you win anything, the online program will figure out how much you’re owed, and your winnings will be credited to your account! 

That’s how a full round of online roulette will go, with steps 2 through 4 being repeated over and over as you continue to play. 

While online casinos in the UK should all be licensed and fair, we recommend you check that your website has a reputable licence and never play with offshore sites. As long as you play at reputable sites, you can be confident that your roulette games are fair, clean fun! 

What are the Different Variations of Roulette?

Roulette comes in many different variations, especially online, where there’s freedom to make unique game versions at low risk. The most obvious distinction between the games is the type of roulette wheel used to play, but there are also smaller differences between odds, betting types and payouts too.

European Roulette

The original, classic version of roulette is the European version. The European roulette wheel has 37 pockets labelled from 0-36. All of the pockets are red or black aside from the 0 pocket, which is green and acts as the house edge (although you can still choose to bet on it). 

European roulette is well known for being the best option for beginners and casual players since the house edge is smaller than the American variation. However, there aren’t any significant rule differences between the two. 

American Roulette

As you might guess, the American roulette wheel is the version played most commonly in the US, especially on the Las Vegas strip. It’s different from the European wheel in that it has an extra green pocket, labelled 00. As such, the house edge is a little higher. However, as a trade-off, the buy-in for American roulette games, both on and offline, is usually lower than for European versions. 

French Roulette

French roulette is very similar to European roulette, even having the same wheel. However, there are a couple of extra rules that give this version of the game the best odds of the three classic roulette variations. In regular roulette, any even money bet that lands on green is an instant loss, but French roulette employs one of two additional rules that give you a second chance to win back your stake. 

First, you might play the ‘En Prison’ rule, where an even bet stake that loses on green is instead held on the board for another spin. If it then wins, you’ll receive your stake back. Second, could have the ‘Le Partage’ rule, where instead of spinning again, you just get half your stake back upfront instead of losing it outright. 

Mini Roulette

Mini roulette is a version that’s unique to online casinos. As you might guess, the mini roulette wheel is much smaller than the classic roulette wheel, with just 13 pockets labelled 0-12 (with the 0 pocket being green). There are far fewer betting options to pick from since the wheel is just a third of the size, but it also leads to much simpler, faster-paced gameplay. However, the game’s fast nature can make it really easy to bet and lose a lot of money very fast, so we don’t recommend beginners to start with this kind of roulette, regardless of how simple it is. 

Live Dealer Roulette

You can find live dealer roulette versions of European and American roulette, and the rules are entirely unchanged (you can find live French roulette, but a lot of online casinos won’t host it). The difference is that instead of being hosted by computer software, a real-life croupier hosts the game through a live stream, spinning a real roulette wheel. You interact with the game through a specialised interface, complete with a chat room, and the game can bring you a little closer to the genuine casino experience. 

Types of Roulette Bets

In roulette, bets are usually classified as either inside or outside, depending on where they fall on the roulette betting layout. Let's take a closer look at which kinds of bets fall under which heading. 

Inside Bets

Inside bets are wagers made on the main grid of the roulette betting layout, i.e. where all the individual numbers are listed. As such, this is how you refer to bets made on just a few numbers at a time. All of these bets have special names and also have much higher payouts than outside bets, simply because they’re far less probable. 

Here’s a list of all the inside bets you can place in roulette:

• Straight-up — a bet placed on a single number. Pays out 35:1

• Split — two numbers; chips for splits are placed on the line between two adjacent numbers. Pays out 17:1

• Street — three consecutive numbers on the layout; you place the chip at the end of a row. Pays out 11:1

• Corner — four numbers adjacent to each other on the layout; the chip is placed at the intersection of lines. Pays out 8:1

• Six line — six numbers from two adjacent rows. Pays out 5:1

Inside bets don’t exceed bets on more than six numbers at a time (although you can make multiple bets across different groups of six). 

Outside Bets

You might be able to guess, but outside bets are the bets you place outside of the main betting layout on a roulette table. These bets cover many pockets, either half or a third of them, and you place your chips on the spaces designated for each of these bets, which are positioned around the number grid.

Here’s a list of the outside bets you can make in roulette:

• Red/Black — bet on whether the pocket the ball lands in is either red or black, which is almost half each way. Pays out 1:1

• Odds/Evens — whether the number pocket is an odd or an even number; the 0 and 00 pockets do not count as even numbers. Pays out 1:1

• High/Low — whether the winning number is 18 and lower, or 19 and higher. 0 and 00 don’t count for either. Pays out 1:1

• Column — bet on a single column of numbers across the grid (12 pockets); you designate this with the spaces at the end of the layout, usually separated from the other outside betting spaces. Pays out 2:1

• Dozens — bet on the winning number falling within a dozen specified numbers; you don’t pick those numbers, but have a choice from 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. Pays out 2:1

What is House Edge?

We’ve thrown the term house edge around a lot throughout this article, but what exactly is it?

The house edge is the amount by which the casino, or house as it were, is guaranteed to win over time. This is why they say the house always wins, because no matter what you play or how good you are at a game, you’ll always lose more often than you win. 

Roulette’s house edge is very reasonable, like most table games, and will change depending on which variation you play. House edge in roulette is largely determined by the number of green spaces on the wheel, which is why American roulette, with its additional green pocket, has a higher house edge and is thus less profitable in the long run.

For the top three roulette variations, these are the house edges:

• European — 2.70%

• American — 5.26%

• French — 1.35%

Having an intimate understanding of the house edge and your odds on any given wager will help improve your betting practices. However, remember that house edge for the game as a whole is based on the lowest-risk bets you can make rather than the much higher-risk wagers. These bets obviously have a much higher house edge, as when you bet on them, you’re far less likely to win. So don’t go into roulette expecting the given house edge on every bet that you make.

Tips and Strategies for Beginners

If you’re new to roulette, we have some simple tips and tricks to help you get started and make the most of this classic game from the get-go. Roulette isn’t hard to play, and it isn’t hard to play well either!

• Watch your odds — whether you’re new or simply playing on a strict budget, it’s just common sense to play games you have the highest chance of winning. While it can be cheaper to buy into American Roulette, the European variation has half the house edge, and French roulette is half that again. Finding French roulette can be tricky though, so we recommend starting out (and probably sticking with) European roulette whenever you can.

• Understand your betting strategy — while there’s an obvious argument as to why you should just bet however and not worry about strategies in a game of random numbers, roulette is one of the games with the most dedicated betting strategies attached. Strategies like the Martingale and Labouchere systems were all produced with roulette in mind, so we recommend taking a look and seeing how well you get on with them. A solid strategy can help you make better-informed wagers depending on the odds and your bankroll. 

• Start with outside bets — outside bets have much higher odds and have just under 50% chance of paying out (a bit less in American roulette). As such, when you’re first starting out, it’s best to start with low-risk bets instead of betting everything on a single number. Once you’re comfortable with the flow of the game, you can start to experiment with the inside bets (we recommend sticking to low stakes on those high-risk bets, though). 

• Play online demos — if you plan to play in person, we recommend taking a look online first at demo versions of roulette or free simulators to get to grips with the game before having a go in a public space. Even doing this before you play online (especially if you’re playing a live dealer version) can help you feel more confident going into the game and keep a level head. 

• Avoid common pitfalls — this is true of all gambling activities, but be sure to avoid making common emotional mistakes as you’re playing. Recognise that roulette is a game of chance, so there are no patterns and no guaranteed outcomes at any point. Chasing losses because it feels like a win is on the horizon will just lead to you running out of cash. Remember to keep a level head, be prepared to lose money, and try to always have fun. 

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Responsible Gambling

Roulette is renowned as one of the most reliable casino games, but even then, it’s easy to get carried away and fall into unhealthy habits, especially when you play online. As such, you always need to keep responsible gambling in mind. 

In the UK, responsible gambling tools are easy to find and use, with many additional resources available to help keep your activities in line. To help you, we’ve also provided a couple of simple, actionable tips to get you on track today:

• Set a deposit limit — if you’re playing online, set a hard limit through your online casino for how much you can put into your account in a given day. Other limits like loss, wager, and even time limits are also available. 

• Keep a log of your spending — it’s easier to control your gambling habits when you have a thorough understanding of them. If you keep a note of how often you gamble and the times you’re more likely to spend big, you can take steps to stay away during those periods. Most UK gambling sites automatically keep track of this. 

Reach out for help — we stick to habits much better when we’re held accountable by others. So find someone in your life you can trust, and ask them for help in keeping your spending in line. They can also help pull you away when you’re a little too far in.