Online Roulette Guide

Roulette is perhaps one of the easiest casino games to play in the world. You choose a number, place your bet, watch the wheel spin and wait for the results. Playing roulette online is no different than playing at a brick and mortar casino. The only difference between the two is your options. You have an abundance of options as to how you want to play. These options range from real money to free games, mobile to PC & Mac games as well as virtual vs. live dealer games. Our roulette guide covers this and more.

BestOnlineCasinos.com has created one of the more comprehensive guides to playing roulette. We cover everything from 3D roulette games, strategy articles (although there really isn’t much strategy to the game) as well as where to play, if you choose to play online.

We also provide sections outlining your odds on certain types of bets, where to find American, European and even French roulette games as well as the odds and probabilities on each game.

If you have any questions relating to roulette, feel free to contact us. We also have a roulette FAQ section which answers over 75 of the most popular questions we’ve received.

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Types of Roulette Games / Rules / Playing for Free

Our roulette guide covers the different game variations – specifically American, European and French. You will also find pages relating to some of the most popular cities in the United States such as Atlantic City and of course the city of sin, Las Vegas. Our city pages cover where to find both high and low limit tables, which casinos offer single or double zero and of course the different rules such as imprisonment.

If you prefer to play roulette for free, have a look at our free game page. All of the games on our site are available for free and don’t require a download. Simply choose your bet and click a button to play.  

Mobile Roulette Games

A few of the big software developers have released a mobile version of their roulette games. The most popular would of course be Android and iOS, however there are roulette apps for both Blackberry and Windows mobile devices. Our mobile section will show you which casinos have free and real money roulette apps, as well as offers dedicated pages for each device.

Online Roulette Software

The type of software used for roulette will vary drastically from one casino to the next. Some offer stellar graphics while others provide a real life experience by using webcams and live dealers. If you are looking for a roulette game based on specific software, we suggest you start here. Our software pages outline such things as; graphics features, licensing information as well as a list of casinos that provide games on each platform.

Roulette is one of the most recognizable classic casino games, and it’s easy to find on any casino floor. The table, the wheel, and the crowd are all usually large. Most people are familiar with roulette, and it’s an easy game that requires no skill. Along with blackjack and craps, roulette is one of the three most popular casino table games.

Roulette can be found in almost any respectable casino in the world. Roulette is a popular game in America, but roulette has a longer cultural history in European casinos. The game began there, so roulette wheels have been spinning on European casino floors for over three hundred years.

Roulette History

Today’s game of roulette is identical to the game invented in Europe a few centuries ago. Few casino games have changed as little as roulette. Roulette has existed since the 18th century. We know that the game then used red and black spaces on game wheels that would be familiar to today’s casino gamblers, and depended on numbers from 0 through 36.

The only difference between the original game of roulette as it was played in Europe and today’s game is that American casinos added another slot to make the odds a little less advantageous for the player. American style roulette wheels have both a 0 and a 00 slot while European wheels contain just the 0 spot.

Roulette Odds

That historical difference between American style roulette, with its two zero slots, and the European style that uses just one 0, has had a big impact on casino gambler’s choice of games. The difference in odds between the 37 number spots on European-style roulette wheels and the 38 slots available on American roulette wheels is significant. The addition of one extra wagering spot is the reason why most serious casino gamers choose European roulette over American style wheels.

Roulette on a European-style wheel gives you 36:1 odds of winning on a single-number bet, and American style wheels offer 37:1 odds on the same bet. It may seem counterintuitive, but playing on a European roulette wheel offers a house edge of about half of what American roulette offers. Single-number bets on European wheels give the house a 2.6% edge, while the same bets on American wheels offer a 5.27% edge to the casino.

How to Play Roulette

If you’ve never played roulette in a casino before, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the atmosphere. That’s why reading and playing a little free online roulette is smart. You’ll be comfortable with the game’s rules and betting options if you practice before you hit Vegas to play roulette.

So you walk into the casino to find a roulette game--what next? If you’re looking for the best possible odds, find a European-style roulette wheel. Online casinos mark their roulette games as either European or American, but in a land-based casino you just have to look at the wheel to tell the games apart. If the game isn’t plainly labeled, check out the betting surface. If you see a 00 space, the game is American style and you should move on.

Once you’ve found a European style roulette wheel, you’re ready to sit down and play.

Roulette Basics

The main feature of a roulette game is the wheel. The roulette wheel sits right on the betting surface. The roulette “dealer” is called a croupier. The croupier’s job is to spin the wheel, roll the ball around the edge of the wheel, wait for the ball to bounce into a slot, and declare the winning number and color.

If you’ve placed your bet on a number, color, or other feature that matches the winning number slot, you’ve won. You can place bets on a single number, a group of numbers, a color, or a couple of other special bets. Almost all bets in roulette offer the same odds.

Types of Roulette Bets

One way to learn a casino game is to practice. You can study the bets’ definitions and read roulette information, but the best way to pick up on the ins and outs of betting is to sit down and play. We have a multiple pages explaining the different types of roulette bets including inside and outside as well as the odds on winning.

Roulette is a fun game because of the visual aspect of the silver ball rattling around in the wheel. The time it takes the ball to land in a slot is the perfect mix of tension and excitement that makes casino gaming as much fun as it is. You don’t have to play European style wheels to have fun or win at roulette, but your chances of winning improve if you avoid American roulette.