How to Play Roulette
How roulette works: the wheel, inside and outside bets, what each pays, the house edge on European and American wheels, and why betting systems don’t work.
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About this video: How to Play Roulette
How to Play Roulette is a short narrated video guide from The Casino Deals. In it, you’ll learn how roulette works: the wheel, inside and outside bets, what each pays, the house edge on European and American wheels, and why betting systems don’t work.
In addition, the video runs for 1 min 31 sec and works on any phone, tablet or computer. For example, you can switch on captions in the player, or use the chapters above to jump straight to the part you need.
After that, the full written guide covers the detail, with tables, examples and FAQs. Also, every video guide has its own page, so you can bookmark it or share it with a friend.
However, rules and offers change. For that reason, we check every video against the Gambling Commission and other official sources. In fact, we last checked this one on 13 October 2026.
Read the transcript
Roulette looks complicated, but there are really just two kinds of bet. Here’s how it works.
A European roulette wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 in red and black, plus a single green zero. The dealer spins, the ball lands, and that’s the winning number.
Inside bets are on specific numbers. A single number, called a straight up bet, pays 35 to 1. You can also cover two, three, four or six numbers for smaller payouts.
Outside bets cover bigger groups: red or black, odd or even, high or low. These pay even money. Dozens and columns pay 2 to 1.
Here’s the catch. The green zero means every bet pays a little less than the true odds. On a European wheel, that’s a house edge of 2.7 percent.
American roulette adds a double zero, which nearly doubles the house edge, to 5.26 percent. So if you get the choice, pick European.
And no betting system can change that. Doubling up after a loss doesn’t beat the wheel… it just raises your stakes.
You can try European roulette for free on our site before you play for real. 18+. Please gamble responsibly.
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18+ only. Gambling can be addictive; please play responsibly. Free, confidential help: BeGambleAware.org or the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.