How to Play Roulette: The Ultimate Guide

Roulette is one of the easiest casino games you can play at an online casino and one of the most fun. It’s believed that roulette has been around since the 18th century and remains one of the most frequently played table games at online casinos! If you’re interested in learning how to play roulette step by step, you’ve landed on the right page. Our guide will go over the three most common roulette variants, the rules of roulette, and how to start playing at Britain Play Online Casino UK!

What Is Roulette?

Roulette is a game of chance that involves predicting where the ball will land in the roulette wheel. Bets are placed before the ball is spun in the wheel, and if you get a correct guess, a payout is awarded depending on the type of bet placed.

What’s fun about online roulette is that you don’t need any skills to play. All you need to do is learn about the game’s bets, odds, and rules to start playing. It’s also a very fast-paced game which keeps it fun and engaging, which is why so many punters in the UK enjoy a classic round of roulette.

Roulette Table Explained

While learning how to play roulette, you might have noticed references to the roulette table. This is usually placed on the right of the screen or at the bottom, and it’s where bets are placed by putting chips on the relevant area according to the bet or bets you’ve chosen.

The online roulette table has the same numbers that are on the roulette wheel, coloured red or black, in the same way as they are on the wheel. Besides the same numbers on the roulette wheel, the table also has additional sections to cover all the possible bets in the game.

Roulette Wheel Explained

The roulette wheel is where the ball is spun, and how the winning bets are determined. The roulette wheel has 37 numbers, ranging from zero to 36. Some roulette wheels also have an additional pocket with a double zero, as you’ll see in the next section about how to play roulette wheel with different variants.

The numbers on the wheel aren’t placed consecutively, and the sequence alternates odd and even numbers. Other than that, the numbers don’t follow any specific pattern. The colours on the wheel also go from red to black all around the wheel, except for the zero, which is always a green-coloured pocket.

Roulette Terminology

When playing roulette, it’s good to be familiar with some basic roulette terms to understand what’s happening in the game. Below is a quick glossary of some basic roulette online terminology:

• Action – The action refers to the total bets in a game session.
• Pocket – The pockets are the slots in the roulette wheel where the ball eventually falls into.
• All-in – Betting all your chips in one bet is referred to as going all-in.
• Marker or Dolly – In a land-based casino, an object known as a ‘marker’ or ‘dolly’ is usually placed on the winning number.
• Wheel Checks – These are special unmarked chips that are used at roulette tables only.
• Block Bet – A type of roulette betting strategy that involves betting on a block of numbers which are in the same section of the roulette wheel.
• High Bet – Betting on the high numbers on the roulette table (19 to 36).
• Odds – The roulette odds refer to the chances of winning any specific bet.
• Black Action – A wager placed using a chip with a value of €100.
• Bottom Track – The inner part of the roulette wheel where the ball spins around in before falling into a pocket.

Types of Roulette Bets

You'll need to understand two main types of roulette bets to learn how to play roulette online. Although roulette is a game of chance, placing random bets without knowing what you’re doing is not advised.

One of the best how to play roulette tips we can give you is to take some time to learn more about all the different roulette bets that exist and the correct chip placement for each. It’s also necessary to know the odds of winning on each bet and the payout for each so you can weigh the risk with the reward and make an informed betting decision.

When learning how to play casino roulette online, you can usually take your time to decide which bet you want to place and then place your chips on the roulette table. However, if you’re playing a more fast-paced game like live roulette live roulette, you’ll need to place your bets before the betting time runs out, which means you’ll only have a few seconds to do so before the dealer stops accepting bets.

With that being said, let’s closely examine all the types of bet categories and bet types you can make.

Inside Bets

Inside bets are the ones that can be found in the inner area of the roulette betting table. If you’re unfamiliar with the roulette table, you can find a more detailed explanation further up on this page. Within the inside bets category, there are a few different bets you can try out.

Straight Up

This is the most common inside bet, and it’s simply a bet on one number in the roulette table. You can choose any number to bet on, including the zero (or the double zero if you’re playing American Roulette), by placing your roulette chips on it. The straight up bet pays 35:1, making it the highest-paying bet in roulette. However, it also has the lowest odds of winning.

Split Bet

The split bet is placed on two adjacent numbers, such as 2 and 5, 30 and 33, and so on. This bet can be placed by putting chips on the line separating the two adjacent numbers, paying 17:1.

Corner Bet

Instead of betting on two adjacent numbers, a corner bet covers four adjacent numbers. These numbers must be connected from each corner to form the shape of a square. This bet may also be called a square bet and pays 8:1.

Street Bet

A street bet is a three-number bet that can be placed on a row of three numbers, such as 1,2, and 3. To place this bet, you must put your chips at the top or the bottom of the row to indicate your bet. If it wins, you get a payout of 11:1.

Line Bet

Like the street bet, a line bet is essentially two street bets covering two three-number rows. This means that it covers a total of six numbers which must be in two consecutive rows. The payout for a successful line bet is 5:1.

Outside Bets

The next set of bets you’ll need to know about when learning how to play roulette game are the outside bets. There are four types of outside bets, which can be found on the outer edge of the roulette table. Instead of betting on a specific number or set of numbers, outside bets are placed on groups of numbers based on number types or colours, as you can see from the descriptions below.

Columns Bet

There are three columns consisting of 12 numbers each on the roulette table. On the right side of the table, you can see three columns, each labelled ‘2:1’. To place a bet on any column or columns, you’ll need to put your chip(s) on any of the columns. A columns bet pays 2:1, as marked on the roulette table.

Dozens Bet

Like the columns bet, a dozens bet covers 12 numbers, but in a different order. There are three sets of 12 numbers on the roulette table, labelled as follows:

• 1st 12 – Covers numbers 1 to 12.
• 2nd 12 – Covers numbers from 13 to 24.
• 3rd 12 – Covers number from 25 to 36.

Even-Money Bets

As the name suggests, even money bets pay even money, which means you get a payout equal to the bet you placed if your bet wins. The three main types of even money bets are the red/black bet, the odd/even, and the low/high numbers.

The first is a bet that the winning number will be either red or black, while the odd/even bet means you’re betting on whether the winning number will be even or odd. You can also bet on the winning number being a low number, meaning a number from 1 to 18, or a high number, which can be any number between 19 and 36.

Snake Bet

A snake bet also covers 12 bets, but in the shape of an ‘s’, which is why it’s called a snake bet. The average payout for this type of bet is 2:1 and can be found in European and American roulette.

Roulette Rules

If you want to learn how to play roulette UK games like a pro, the good news is that roulette rules are very simple, making the game easy to get the hang of. Once you’ve taken some time to learn the different bets in the game, you’ve already mastered most of the game.

The first step to playing roulette is to make a casino deposit in your betting profile. Next, choose your bet and place your stake. Once you’ve placed your bet, the dealer will spin the roulette ball in the wheel and announce the winning number and colour when the ball falls into a pocket.

Ultimately, the objective of playing roulette online is to guess where the ball will land. However, you don’t need to get an exact guess to win a payout unless you're placing a straight bet. There are several bets to choose from, allowing you to decide the risk level you want to play with. This is one of the most important tips to play roulette, by selecting if you wish to place a high-risk bet for a bigger payout or a bet with a lower payout but better odds of winning.

As a rule of thumb with roulette UK games, keep in mind that inside bets are the riskiest bets in terms of the odds of winning, but they offer the biggest payouts. On the contrary, outside bets have higher winning odds but lower payouts.

Finally, after playing roulette online, you might have some winnings in your casino account which you’d like to withdraw. At Britain Play, you can cash out any roulette winnings by visiting the casino withdrawals section to withdraw your winnings to any supported banking method of your choice.

Roulette Variants

There are three main variants of standard online roulette UK, which are the European, American, and French roulette variants. Although there are three of them, there are only two different types of roulette wheels, which are the European and American wheels. French roulette uses the same wheel as the European version, but there are some different rules, which are explained in further detail in the following sections.

The table below summarises the main differences between these roulette variants when it comes to the pockets and the numbers on each one.

American Roulette

Two types of roulette wheels are used in any roulette game: the European roulette wheel or the American version. Most players start learning how to play European roulette because the wheel used offers better odds, and it’s also considered the ‘standard’ version of this table game.

Both roulette wheels are numbered from zero to 36, but American roulette wheels also have a single zero pocket and a double zero pocket. If you want to learn how to play American roulette you only need to remember the rules of European roulette because there aren’t many differences. The only difference is the five-number bet, called a Basket Bet, which covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. This bet is only possible in American Roulette.

European Roulette

As mentioned, European roulette is the ‘standard’ version because this wheel is most commonly used in any game variant. European roulette also has 36 numbers and one pocket labelled zero.

The house edge is around 2.7%, nearly half that of the American version, which is 5.26%. The house edge is significantly higher in the American variant of roulette due to the additional pocket with the double zero. This might seem like a small difference, but it impacts the odds of winning on most bets.

If you place an even money bet like red or black, the odds of winning are 48.6% (nearly 50/50) because there’s only one green pocket. With an extra green pocket, the odds go down to 47.4%.

French Roulette

French roulette uses the European roulette wheel, but there are some important differences to learn about here. The same bets described above can be placed in this game, but there are also two very additional rules that are described below:

• La Partage – If you lose an even money bet, half of your stake is refunded.
• En Prison – If an even money loses, this rule states that half of your bet is kept ‘in prison’ until the next round. If your bet wins the next time, your bet is returned, so you get a second chance to win back a losing bet.

Mini Roulette

Mini Roulette, as the name explains, is a smaller version of the standard roulette wheel. This game uses a mini version of the European roulette, which means the game has one zero pocket. The Mini Roulette game rules and bets are the standard European roulette rules, but the paytable is obviously different because there are fewer numbers. For example, a Straight Up bet is worth a payout of 11:1 in this game, as opposed to the usual payout of 35:1 in games that have the full roulette wheel numbers.

Live Roulette

Many will agree that live roulette is the best way to play a round of roulette because it’s so similar to playing roulette in a real casino. Unlike virtual or online roulette, live roulette is live-streamed directly from a casino studio to an online casino like Britain Play.

Live roulette is also played with a real live dealer, which takes the game experience to another level. The dealer uses a real roulette wheel and spins the ball around it to determine the winning number for that round.

Live roulette is played like online roulette, but the atmosphere is undoubtedly much more vibrant, realistic, and engaging. The dealer announces the betting round, the winning number, and when the round is over. All you need to do is drag your chips on the betting table, depending on the bet or bets you want to place before the timer runs out and wait for the result.

Most Popular Roulette Strategies in the UK

Using a betting strategy or system is a popular way of playing online roulette, perhaps because it can make the game more fun for some players or because it helps to follow specific rules when deciding how much to bet. Several roulette betting strategies exist, so it’s up to you to choose the one you prefer using. Ultimately, none of these strategies can guarantee a win, and none of them have been proven to lower the house edge in the game.

Let’s take a look at some popular roulette strategies:

Paroli Betting System

The Paroli roulette betting strategy is a strategy where you increase your bet when you win and decrease it when you lose. This type of roulette strategy is known as a positive progression betting system, and it’s also one of the simplest betting strategies you can try out for roulette.

The system is simple; every time you win, you double your bet, but if you lose, you bet the same amount on the next round. This strategy states you should repeat the process until three wins in a row are achieved, after which you go back to your original wager.

Labouchere Betting System

The Labouchere betting strategy is a much more complex system than the Paroli because it requires doing a few calculations. To use this strategy, you first need to set a realistic winning goal, then split that number into a sequence of numbers that equal it when added. Your first bet will be the first and last number in the sequence. If you win, you cross off those numbers and repeat the process. If you lose, you add the amount you just bet to the sequence and start again by adding the first and last numbers to get your next bet amount.

D’Alembert Betting System

The D’Alembert roulette strategy is also a negative progression betting strategy because it requires you to increase your bet on a loss rather than a win. However, instead of doubling your initial bet, this strategy states you should increase your bet by one unit at a time. For example, if you bet £2 and you lose, your next bet should be £3. Once you get a winning bet, you decrease your stake by one unit as well. This strategy is also quite easy to follow and won’t use up your bankroll as quickly as other strategies do.

Martingale Betting System

The Martingale strategy is the one that players tend to be familiar with the most and the one used in roulette games online most often. It’s also one of the riskiest strategies you can use because it can quickly increase your original bet to big amounts, so you’ll want to be careful if you try it out when you play roulette online.

The Martingale system states that you should double your bet every time you lose and keep doing so until you achieve a win. When you do win, you go back to your original bet and repeat the process.

Fibonacci Betting System

The Fibonacci betting system is also a popular strategy that’s quite simple to get the hang of because you just need to follow a sequence of numbers. These are the Fibonacci numbers, which is a sequence where every number is equal to the sum of the two numbers before it. To use this strategy, set a base unit to start with. If you lose, move on to the next number in the sequence and repeat until you get a win. when you do, you go back two numbers in the sequence for your next bet.

Andrucci Betting System

The Andrucci betting strategy is another high-risk system that is based on chaos theory. It involves observing the roulette wheel for at least 30 rounds and keeping a note of which number comes up the most. Next, place a Straight Up bet on that number for at least 15 rounds.

The problem with this strategy is that it assumes that winning numbers can be predicted, which is completely false. Each spin in a roulette game is not only random but entirely independent of previous and successive spins, making it highly unlikely to win with this strategy. In short, we don’t recommend relying on it because it can easily lead to big losses.

Roulette House Edge

The house edge is a term used to indicate the casino’s advantage over the player. Every casino game has a house edge, but some have a higher house edge than others. With this definition in mind, it’s clear why players always choose a game with the lowest house edge possible.

Another one of our how to play roulette tips is to choose a roulette variant with the lowest house edge possible to increase the chances of winning. Below, we’ve summarised the house edge for each roulette variant.

How to Play Roulette Online at Britain Play?

You can follow the steps below to play roulette online at Britain Play:

1. Login to your Britain Play account. If you’re not a member yet, you’ll need to register for an account first.
2. Go to the table games section and find online roulette.
3. Choose the roulette game you want to play.
4. Place your bet or bets to start the game.
5. Wait for the results on the screen. If you placed a correct bet, your win will be added to your casino balance right away. If not, you can try again in the next round.

Etiquette When Playing Roulette

Finally, we can wrap up our how to play roulette for beginners guide by going over some basic etiquette to remember when playing roulette. Having good etiquette is important when playing in a live casino, just like it is when playing in a land-based casino. Whether it’s live roulette, live blackjack, or live baccarat, you’ll want to keep the following points in mind:

• Be Calm - You should always remain calm when playing live roulette and accept any losses gracefully.
• Be Respectful - You can chat with the dealer in the game by typing a message or question in the live chat box, but please remember to be polite and appropriate to both the dealer and the other players in the game.
• Place Your Bet Carefully - Before taking a seat at the table, make sure you’ve understood the rules of the game and the different bets available. Place your bets carefully by placing the chips in the correct position to ensure you place the bet you want.
• Don’t Mess With Other Bets - This applies to playing roulette in a physical casino rather than a live one. When playing with other players, you should never mess with their bets by moving their chips or placing your chips on theirs.

How to Play Roulette FAQs

How Does Roulette Work?

Roulette is about trying to predict where the ball will fall on the roulette wheel when the dealer spins it. This is done by placing one or more bets on the roulette table.

How to Play Casino Roulette? 

To play casino roulette online, choose the roulette variant you want to play and select your bets. Remember that a minimum bet applies to each game. If your bet is correct, you win the relevant payout. If not, you lose the bet and you can try again in the next round.

What Is the Best Roulette Strategy?

There are several roulette strategies you can try out, but the best depends on what you find most useful for you. No roulette strategy can reduce the game's house edge even further because every round is random, but following a strategy can help you better manage your bankroll.

How Many Numbers are there on a Roulette Wheel?

Every roulette wheel has 36 numbers. The European wheel has 36 numbers and a green pocket with the number zero, while American roulette has 38 pockets (because of the double zero), but it still has 36 numbers.

What is the ‘Beast’ bet?

The Beast Bet is a five-number bet that can also be referred to as a top-line bet. It can only be found in American roulette because it covers the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 pockets.

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