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Players, usually up to eight, play against the house represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. The European variant of wheel has slots for all numbers from 1 to 36 plus zero(0). The US variant has in addition "double zero" (00), which increases the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26%. Each player buys-in a different colored chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colored chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the value amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colors. You then take these chips to the cash desk where they will give you actual cash money in exchange.

OBJECT OF THE GAME
The player's objective is to correctly guess and place wagers on which number on the wheel the ball will end up on. The player places bets on the Roulette table and if lucky collects a payoff, the size of which is determined by how he/she bets. The odds range from 35 to 1 down to even money, depending on the likelihood of picking the correct number.

PLAYING THE GAME
To play roulette, you place your bets on numbers (any number including the zero) on the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place or change their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the roulette table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.

BETTING
In roulette you have numerous betting options, the different bets are indicated by the placement of the chips on the table. They are usually grouped into two major categories(assuming US type of wheel):

• Inside bets - made on numbers directly inside the layout
• Outside bets - are made on the betting area on the roulette table bordering the number layout. Different tables have slightly different layouts for outside betting, you have to find the location for the bet you want to make and place your chip there

» INSIDE BETS «
BET TYPE	BET DESCRIPTION	PAYOFF	SEE	EXAMPLE CELL(S)
Straight up	A chip is placed on any single number 1-36 including zero (0). This bet covers one single number.	35 to 1	A	30
Split up	A chip is placed on the line dividing two adjacent numbers. This bet covers two numbers.	17 to 1	B	11,14
Street Bet	A chip is placed on the outer right boundary line of the roulette table. This bet covers three numbers.	11 to 1	C	19,20,21
Corner Bet(also known as square or a quarter bet)	A chip is placed in the corner where the four numbers meet. The bet covers all these four numbers.	8 to 1	D	25,26,28,29
Five-number line	This bet can be made in only one place.Don't make this bet! It's the only one that gives the house an extra 2.5% advantage!	6 to 1	E	0,00,1,2,3
Six-number line	A chip is placed on the outer right boundary line where it intersects with the line dividing two neighbour rows. This bet covers all two rows each consisting of three numbers.	5 to 1	F	4,5,6,7,8,9

« OUTSIDE BETS »
BET TYPE	BET DESCRIPTION	PAYOFF	SEE	EXAMPLE CELL(S)
Red-Black	A chip is placed on the "red" or the "black" field. This bet covers 18 numbers. Zero doesn't pay.	1 to 1	G	red
Odd-Even	A chip is placed on the "even" or the "odd" field. This bet covers 18 numbers. Zero doesn't pay.	1 to 1	H	odd
High-Low	A chip is placed on the "1-18" or the "19-36" field. This bet covers 18 numbers.	1 to 1	I	19-36
Column Bet	A chip is placed on one of the fields marked as "2 to 1" at the very right of the roulette table. This bet covers all the 12 numbers in the corresponding column. Zero doesn't pay.	2 to 1	J	central "2 to 1"
Dozen Bet	A chip is placed on one of the fields marked as "1st 12", "2nd 12", or "3rd 12" (first, second or third dozen). This bet covers the corresponding 12 numbers.	2 to 1	K	3rd 12

THE HOUSE ADVANTAGE
On a double zero Roulette wheel if the Casino paid 37 to 1 for a straight up bet (single number win) there would be no Casino advantage despite the presence of the two zeros on the wheel. By paying 35 to 1, total 36 instead of 38, the Casino gains 2 units or 5.26% of your win.

THE 'EN PRISON' RULE
A roulette rule applied to even-money bets only, and by some casinos (not all). When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his/her bet or leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for another roulette spin. In the second case, if the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.

THE 'LA PARTAGE' RULE
The la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero roulette table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% house edge and one on a double-zero roulette table has a house edge of 2.63%.