There are a few things to consider when placing your bets, as there are various betting options with different probabilities of success, and thus differing payouts for winning bets. We’ll cover these considerations in the following sections.

Different Types of Roulette

There are three main types of roulette: European, American and French. The basic differences between them are:

European Roulette—has 37 pockets on the wheel. Numbers 1 to 36 are either red or black, whilst the ‘0’ pocket is green.

American Roulette—has 38 pockets on the wheel. The difference here is that as well as a ‘0’ pocket, there is also a ‘00’ pocket. The numbers are also in a different order to those on the European wheel.

French Roulette—uses a wheel similar to the European roulette wheel, but the game has its own unique rules, such as the ‘La Partage’ rule, which states: “If the original spin is zero, the player gets half of any even/odd, red/black or high/low stake back”.

Finally, make sure to check the type of roulette you are playing by familiarising yourself with the rules of your selected table.

Roulette Betting Strategy

Roulette is a game of luck, so there is no real strategy that can give an accomplished player an edge over the house.

The player simply chooses the level of risk they are comfortable with, based on the different bet types offered and as reflected in the odds for the different winning bets.

Placing a Bet

Simply place your chips on your preferred betting option on the roulette table. This can be an individual number, a group of numbers or one of the various 50/50 options, such as odd/even, red/black etc. You can place as many different bets on one spin as you wish.

Once all bets are placed, the croupier spins the roulette wheel in one direction, then rolls the ball within the wheel in the opposite direction. Eventually the ball settles in one of the pockets and the winning number is determined.

When you look at the payout odds in the following section, it’s easy to calculate the house edge. In European roulette, there are 37 numbers (including ‘0’). If you place €1 on each number, you will stake €37 and, irrespective of which number wins, you will receive €36 back. So, the house keeps (on average) €1 of every €37 staked (a house edge of 2.70%).

In American roulette, the payout odds remain the same. However, the extra ‘00’ means that you would pay €38 to cover each number with a €1 stake, but will still only receive €36 back. So, in this variant, the house would keep €2 of every €38 staked (an edge of 5.26%).

This simple example shows that, when you have a choice, you may be better playing European roulette, as the odds are more in your favour.

Betting Options at Roulette

The two most popular betting options are ‘inside bets’ and ‘outside bets’. These terms simply refer to the area in which you place your chips for each type of bet.

Inside bets and the odds paid for winning bets:

Inside bets are placed on single numbers or groups of specific numbers, and have higher odds than outside bets.

Straight Up: this is a bet on any single individual number, including zero (and double zero in American roulette). The payout is 35:1.
Split: this is a bet on two vertically/horizontally adjacent numbers, signified by placing the chip across the edge shared by those numbers. You are betting on either number to win, with a payout of 17:1.
Street: bet on three consecutive numbers in a line by placing the chip at either end of that line. Should one of those three numbers be successful, the payout is 11:1.
Corner: this is a bet on four numbers that meet at one corner, signified by placing the chip on the corner they share. If the ball lands on any of those four numbers, the payout is 8:1.
Line: this is a bet on six numbers, signified by placing the chip at the end, where the two lines meet. This is like covering two adjacent ‘street’ bets with one chip. You cover six numbers, with a winning payout of 5:1.

Outside bets and the odds paid for winning bets:

Outside bets are bets with lower odds than inside bets that cover many numbers, thus carrying less risk.

Column: bet on 12 numbers by placing the chip at the end of one of the three long columns of numbers. You cover 12 numbers for a payout of 2:1.
Dozen: bet on 12 numbers by placing the chip on one of the three boxes below the grid (each covering numbers 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36 respectively). The payout is 2:1.
Red/Black: bet on either the 18 red or 18 black numbers. The payout is 1:1.
Even/Odd: bet on either the 18 even or 18 odd numbers, zero and double zero don’t count. The payout is 1:1.
1-18/19-36: bet on the lower 18 numbers or the higher 18 numbers. The payout is 1:1.

Remember, in all the above bets, zero and double zero don’t count, and your bet will lose if the ball lands in one of those pockets (unless you place a straight-up bet on zero or double zero, in which case you will win if the ball lands in that pocket).

How to Analyze Roulette Statistics

Online roulette tables will show the history of previous rounds, giving players an opportunity to see various winning streaks and trends. It will also show the percentages for which the different bet types have been successful over a certain number of rounds.

However, you should bear in mind that whatever the streaks indicate, they bear no relevance to which number or colour the ball will land on next.

For example, if the wheel has produced a black winning number five times in a row, the probability of the next number also being black will not be any different than if a red number had come up in all of those last five spins.

As in any games of chance, you will see a normal random variance in results and winning streaks.

Neighbour and Side Bets: Unique Ways to Win Big in Roulette

You can place bets on neighbouring numbers, based on their order on the wheel. Choose one main number and several additional numbers you’d like to cover with straight up bets. Use the ‘+’ and ‘-’ options to increase or decrease the number of “neighbours”.

There are also a number of set bets available that cover different portions of the wheel and place multiple stakes in one click. These have retained their French names, as shown below, which allude to the amount of bets and numbers they cover.

Tiers du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel)

This bet covers 12 numbers, from 27 through 33.

Chips are placed as follows:

1 on the 5/8 split;
1 on the 10/11 split;
1 on the 13/16 split;
1 on the 23/24 split;
1 on the 27/30 split;
1 on the 33/36 split.

Orphelins a Cheval (Orphans Bet)

This bet covers eight numbers across two sectors of the wheel.

Chips are placed as follows:

1 on 1 (Straight Up bet);
1 on the 6/9 split;
1 on the 14/17 split;
1 on the 17/20 split;
1 on the 31/34 split.

Voisins du Zero (Neighbours of Zero)

The bet covers the 17 numbers between 22 and 25, including zero.

Chips are placed as follows:

2 on the 0/2/3 trio;
1 on the 4/7 split;
1 on the 12/15 split;
1 on the 18/21 split;
1 on the 19/22 split;
2 on the 25/26/28/29 corner;
1 on the 32/35 split.

Jeu Zero (Zero Game)

This bet covers zero and six numbers in close proximity to zero on the Roulette wheel: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15.

Chips are placed as follows:

1 on the 0/3 split;
1 on the 12/15 split;
1 on 26 (Straight Up bet);
1 on the 32/35 split.

Variants of Roulette at the Marathonbet Casino

As with other popular table games, the online casinos have been able to add many variants to the standard game of roulette.

Examples of these include Lightning Roulette, XXXtreme Lightning Roulette and Football Studio Roulette, to name just a few.

Add to these the exclusive Salon Privé and VIP tables, and you’ll find the Marathonbet Live Casino has all the games you need to enjoy your time at the roulette wheel.