How does roulette work?
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Roulette is a casino game built around a spinning wheel with numbered slots. A small ball is released onto the spinning wheel, and wherever it lands determines the outcome. Players bet on where they think the ball will land before each spin.
The basics of play
A standard European roulette wheel has 37 slots numbered 0 through 36. American wheels add a 00 pocket, making 38 total. Numbers 1-36 alternate between red and black; 0 and 00 are green. Players place chips on a betting layout covering individual numbers, groups of numbers, colors, odd or even, and high or low. Once the dealer calls no more bets, the ball is spun and all outcomes are settled.
How payouts work
A straight-up bet on a single number pays 35:1. Bets covering larger groups of numbers pay less but win more often. Outside bets covering roughly half the numbers (red/black, odd/even, 1-18 or 19-36) pay 1:1. The zero (and double zero on American wheels) falls outside all outside bets, which is where the house edge comes from — even bets that seem to cover half the wheel don’t cover the green zero.
Ben Barber got into the gambling industry through the poker rooms of London in the early 2000s. After building up a solid grounding in casino, sports betting and poker, he made the move to Malta where he spent close to a decade writing for some of the biggest affiliate networks in the region. A few years ago he relocated to Bali, which shifted his focus toward website strategy and affiliate marketing. The casino side never really left, though. He still writes reviews, how-to guides and in-depth pieces on everything from slots and live dealer tables to crypto casinos and sweepstakes sites. His approach is fact-first: help players understand how online gambling actually works before they deposit a cent.