American Roulette

Roulette is a casino and gambling game (Roulette is a French word meaning "small wheel"). A croupier turns a round roulette wheel which has 37 or 38 separately numbered pockets in which a ball must land.

The main pockets are numbered from 1 to 36 alternate between red and black, but the pockets are not in numerical order around the wheel, and there are instances of consecutive numbers being the same color. There is also a green pocket numbered 0, and in most roulette wheels in the United States, but not in Europe, there is a second green pocket marked 00.

If a player bets on a single number and wins, the payout is 35:1, meaning that for each dollar bet, one wins an additional $35.00 (for example, if the bet is $5, the total winnings would be 5x35=$175). After determining winning wagers and paying them off, casinos commonly leave winning bets on the table. The player is not obliged to leave that bet down, but if removing it should wait until the glass pawn (or other similar marker) has first been removed by the croupier.

Other betting options, with lower payoffs, include bets on multiple numbers in various combinations or ranges, on all odd or all even numbers, or by color.

A subtype of American roulette is California roulette. In the state of California, all casino games must use playing cards to determine the outcome of the game. Different casinos in California implement the cards in their roulette games in different ways. One example is Barona, where the roulette wheel has 36 slots, and a deck with 37 cards is used in conjunction with the roulette wheel to determine the outcome. The range of numbered slots that the ball lands in determine which card is flipped over, and the card determines who wins.

More in detail...

American Roulette Rules

There are many different ways to place roulette bets in American Roulette. Each bet covers a different set of numbers and has a different distribution, as shown in the "Winnings Table" section. We offer double-zero roulette -- with 0 and 00 -- for more betting options.

Straight Up

You can bet on any number, including 0 or 00, by placing the chip on the center of a number. The maximum bet for this wager is indicated on the Roulette table (see the Max sign).

Split Bet

You can bet on two numbers by placing a chip on the line that divides the two numbers. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by two.

Street Bet

To bet on a row of three numbers (a street), place a chip on the boundary line of the roulette table, at the end of the corresponding row. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by three.

Corner Bet

You can bet on four numbers by placing chips at the corner where the four numbers meet. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by four.

Five Bet

You can bet on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 by placing your chip on the boundary line, where the line between 0 and the first row intersects it. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by five.

Line Bet

You can bet on two street bets (i.e., the six different numbers in two rows of three numbers), by placing your chip on the boundary line of the roulette table where the line dividing the two rows intersects it. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by six.

Column Bet

There are three boxes labelled "2 to 1" at the bottom of each column of numbers. You can place bets for all numbers in a column by placing chip(s) in one of these boxes. If any of the numbers in the selected column is hit you get paid 2:1. 0 and 00 are losing numbers. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by ten.

Dozen Bet

You can bet on a group of twelve numbers by placing your chip in one of the three boxes marked "1st 12," "2nd 12," or "3rd 12." If one of your 12 numbers is hit, you are paid 2:1. 0 and 00 are losing numbers. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by ten.

Red/Black, Even/Odd, Low/High Bets

You can place a bet in one of the boxes along the long side of the table that covers half of the numbers on the roulette table (excluding 0). Each box covers 18 numbers. You win even money (1 to 1) on all of these bets; 0 and 00 are losing numbers. The maximum bet for this wager is the Straight Up bet maximum, multiplied by 20.

Minimum table bet

There is a minimum table bet, meaning that all your bets added together (your total bet), must equal at least the minimum value indicated on the table (see the Min sign).

Winning Number Display

The winning number display shows the results of the previous 13 spins.

Winnings Table