Tips & How To Win At Roulette Games

Regardless of the variation, roulette has at its core a spinning wheel and a small white ball. The wheel is divided into numbered pockets that are primarily colored red or black excluding one or two that are green, and players bet on where the ball will land after the wheel is spun. There are a large variety of betting options, all of which can be seen on the roulette table, although they can be broadly categorized into two important groups which are inside bets and outside bets.

Inside bets are placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers and have higher payouts that reflect their lower odds of winning. Meanwhile, outside bets cover larger groups of numbers and offer lower payouts but higher chances of winning.

Betting Options in Roulette

Betting Options in Roulette

While it has been mentioned that betting options in roulette can be split into two main groups, there are many different bets to choose from and some are only available in specific variations.

The inside bets that can be made in all roulette variations and their respective payouts are as follows:

  • Straight Up: Single number, pays 35 to 1

  • Split Bet: Two neighboring numbers, pays 17 to 1

  • Street Bet: Three consecutive numbers in a row, pays 11 to 1

  • Corner Net: Block of four numbers, pays 8 to 1

  • Six Line Bet: Two adjacent rows, pays 5 to 1

  • Trio Bet: Three numbers including 0 (or 00 if playing American roulette), pays 11 to 1

  • Basket Bet: Combination of 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 (only in American roulette), pays 6 to 1


Meanwhile, the outside bets, which are also all possible options regardless of the roulette variation, and their respective payouts are as follows:

  • Column Bet: Any vertical column of numbers, pays 2 to 1

  • Dozen Bet: Any group of 12 numbers, pays 2 to 1

  • Even/Odd: Even or odd winning number, pays 1 to 1

  • Red/Black: Red or black winning number, pays 1 to 1

  • High/Low: Winning number will be in the low range (1-18) or the high range (19-36), pays 1 to 1


When playing French roulette, there are additional betting options unique to it. They are:

  • Voisins du Zero: Covers numbers 22 through 25, focusing on the section of the wheel near the 0, and typically involves a combination of multiple bets

  • Le Tiers du Cylindre: Covers the numbers opposite the zero pocket, typically from 27 to 33, also involving multiple bets

  • Orphelins: Covers the remaining numbers not included in the other special bets, typically using a combination of bets


Strategies for Playing and Winning in Roulette

Playing roulette, regardless of the variation, is simple and straightforward. Simply place however many bets at whatever amount you want on the table then watch the dealer spin the wheel and roll the ball in the opposite direction until it finally lands in any one pocket. The result will be announced out loud by the dealer so that everyone is aware of it before the payout stage commences.

While roulette is fundamentally a game of chance and there is no surefire way to win it, that does not mean that strategies cannot be applied to it. Managing bets and maximizing win chances count as valid strategic approaches to the game, and many players use some form of them according to their preferences and budgets. Popular strategies include:

  • Martingale System: Follow up every loss by doubling bets until a win is achieved with the aim of recouping all losses and profiting with a single win

  • Reverse Martingale System: Follow up every win with a bet amount increase to capitalize on winning streaks

  • Flat Betting: Retain the same starting bet amount, ignoring all wins and losses, for the sake of maximizing gameplay time and effective bankroll management

  • Fibonacci System: Follow a predetermined sequence of bet amounts that adheres to a steady progression pattern

  • D’Alembert System: Establish the value of a ‘unit’ as a starting bet amount then increase bets by that singular unit after a loss and decrease it by the same unit after a win for a balanced approach