How to Play Roulette

It’s amazing how much better online roulette games are compared to the early days of the internet. It helps that most of us have broadband now, but the software has also improved dramatically over the years. And you’re not limited to one type of roulette anymore; we’ve got six different ways to play online roulette here at Bodog Casino.

- American Roulette

- Classic American Roulette

- European Roulette

- Classic European Roulette

- Dragon Roulette

- Double Dragon Roulette

We’re also the proud home of live roulette, both American and European, through our Live Dealer portal. Each of these great games has its own take on the standard roulette rules, but since this is a game of chance, you don’t have to worry about learning any complex strategies to play roulette at Bodog. We’ll show you how easy it is in this handy roulette guide.

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How roulette games work

All of our roulette games at Bodog are based on the standard roulette wheel, as first devised by mathematician Blaise Pascal back in the 17th Century. The top of the wheel, which lies flat on the roulette table, contains small pockets hanging from the outer edge numbered 1 through 36, although not in that exact order. Half of the pockets are marked in red (Red 1, Red 14, etc.), and the other half in black (Black 20, Black 31, etc.).

Each roulette wheel also has a single zero (“0”) marked in green. The European wheel has only the single zero, while the American wheel adds a double zero (“00”), also marked in green. The basic roulette rules are the same no matter which wheel is being used; after you place your bets, the attendant (aka “croupier”) takes the small white roulette ball, places it on the outer edge of the already-spinning roulette wheel, and pushes the ball so it spins in the opposite direction.

Eventually, the roulette ball will lose momentum and fall into one of the numbered pockets. If you bet on that number, you win – simple as that.

Roulette Bets 

Deciding which bets to place is where the art of roulette comes in. Again, this is a game of chance, so there’s no optimal roulette strategy to worry about. Except for one particular bet on the American wheel, the Return to Player (RTP) for American Roulette is always 94.74%, and it’s always 97.30% for European Roulette.

Although the RTP remains the same, there are dozens of different bets you can make in roulette, with different odds and payouts. Chances are you already know you can bet on Red or Black, or on any single number you see on the roulette layout, by putting your chips in the designated area. But have you heard of Six Line bets, or Tiers du Cylindre? All of these wagers and more are waiting for you at Bodog Casino.

Inside Bets 

All of the roulette bets you place within the numbered area (0 through 36) are called “inside bets,” since that area is located on the inside of the layout. These are the easiest bets to make if you’re new to roulette, so let’s start with the simplest of them all.

Straight Up Bet: A Straight up bet (aka “Straight” or “Single”) is when you bet on one specific number. Place your chips completely within the numbered box, then the croupier will send the roulette ball rolling. Straight up bets pay out at 35-to-1, the largest payout there is in traditional roulette games.

Split Bet: The Split bet is when you bet on any two adjacent numbers at the same time. They can be joined horizontally, like 32-33, or vertically, like 19-22. Place your chips on the edge where the two numbered boxes join together; if either number comes up, you get paid out at 17-to-1.

Street Bet: Want to bet on three numbers at once? The Street bet is for any of the horizontal rows on the roulette layout, like 1-2-3 or 34-35-36. Your chips go on either of the outer edges for that row, and if the ball lands on any of your three numbers, your payout is 11-to-1.

Corner Bet: Moving up another notch, the Corner bet (aka “Square”) covers any four numbers that form a block on the layout, like 17-18-20-21. Place your chips on the corner shared by those four numbers, and get ready for an 8-to-1 payout if you win.

Basket Bet in American Roulette: Here’s that one bet we told you about with the different RTP. The Basket (aka “Top Line”) bet on the American wheel includes 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, and it pays out at 6-to-1, which works out to a 92.11% RTP. Put your chips on the outer corner shared by either 0-1 or 00-3.

Six Line Bet: Now we’ve got the maximum six numbers for an inside bet. The Six Line (aka “Double Street”) is for two adjoining rows on the layout, like 1-2-3-4-5-6, and it pays out at 5-to-1. Place your Six Line bet by putting your chips on either of the outer corners shared by the two rows in question.

Outside Bets 

Next up in our roulette betting guide, we have the outside bets, which you place by putting your chips in the designated areas marked on the outside of the layout.

High-Low: Starting with one of the basic “even money” roulette bets, we have the High-Low, aka “1 to 18” for the Low and “19 to 36” for the High. As the name suggests, you’re betting on the ball landing either on a High number or a Low number; zeroes are not considered Low.

Column Bet: There are three columns on the roulette layout: the 1st Column (starting with the 1), the 2nd Column (starting with the 2) and the 3rd Column (starting with the 3). Place your Column bet in the space marked “2 to 1” or “2:1” at the bottom of your chosen column; that’s your payout if you win.

Dozen Bet: Like the Column bet, the Dozen bet covers 12 numbers on the layout, either the 1st Dozen (1-12), the 2nd Dozen (13-24) or the 3rd Dozen (25-36). This also pays out at 2-to-1.

Even Money Bets: In addition to High-Low, you can make even money bets on Red-Black and Odd-Even by putting your chips in the appropriate box. Each of these bets covers 18 numbers on the wheel; zeros are not considered Even.

Special Bets

European Roulette also features a set of Special bets (aka “call” or “announced” bets) that are displayed on the racetrack-shaped oval you’ll find on the European layout. These Specials are essentially a combination of multiple inside bets, with the same payouts as if you placed those bets individually.

Final: Available only in live roulette, the Final is when you bet on all the roulette numbers that end in a certain digit. If it’s Final 2, it’s a 4-chip bet, one each on 2, 12, 22 and 32; if it’s Final 8, that’s a 3-chip bet on 8, 18 and 28.

Tiers du Cylindre: Tiers du Cylindre (“Thirds of the Wheel”) covers the 12 numbers between 27 and 33 inclusive that you’ll find on the “opposite” side of the roulette wheel. It’s a combination of six Split bets, which receive one chip each: 5-8, 10-11, 13-16, 23-24, 27-30, and 33-36. Just select the Tiers box once, and the software will do the rest.

Orphelins: The Orphelins (“Orphans”) bet covers eight numbers on the wheel. Select the Orphelins box, and the five chips will be put in place for you: a Single on 1, and Splits on 6-9, 14-17, 17-20, and 31-34.

Voisins du Zero: Voisins du Zero (“Neighbours of Zero”) covers the 17 numbers between 22 and 25 inclusive on the “near” side of the roulette wheel, with the single-zero somewhere in the middle. It’s a 9-chip combo; two chips go on the 0-2-3 “Trio” bet, one each on the Splits for 4-7, 12-15, 18-21, 19-22 and 32-35, and one more on the Corner for 25-26-28-29.

Neighbours: Select any of the numbers on the racetrack oval, and you’ll be placing a 5-chip bet on that number plus the two neighbours to either side. Note: This is also the Jeu Zero (“Zero Game”) bet at Bodog Casino when you select the 0, with one chip each on 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15.

Differences Between American Roulette and European Roulette

As you can see, there’s a whole world of Special bets you can make in European Roulette that aren’t available on the American wheel. And the Return to Player is higher as well for European Roulette, since that wheel only has the single-zero and not the double-zero.

Otherwise, these roulette games are virtually identical. They do come in two different flavours at Bodog Casino; the “Classic” versions feature the casino-style layout and graphics, while the standard versions have a more modern streamlined look.

Bodog is also proud to offer Dragon Roulette (using the European wheel) and Double Dragon Roulette (using the American wheel). These games pay 29-to-1 for a regular Straight bet instead of 35-to-1; in return, they include a random multiplier of up to 500X on every spin – the highest payout for all of our roulette games at Bodog.

Live Roulette

If you’re looking for real-time live roulette on your smartphone, tablet or computer, Bodog Casino has the best games in the business. Our partners at Visionary iGaming have built an impressive livestreaming studio with all the bells and whistles you’ll find at a bricks-and-mortar casino. You can see the full list of their available games on our Live Dealer menu, including Live American Roulette and Live European Roulette.

These live roulette games are as interactive as you want them to be. You have your choice of croupier (pictures are provided) and table limit, with bets ranging from $1 to $3,000. If you prefer, you can play AutoRoulette, as many live casino players do these days.

Whichever game you choose, you’ll be enjoying the best live roulette the internet has to offer. And now that you know all the ins and outs, you’re ready to play roulette at Bodog Casino like a true boss. Enjoy the games, and we’ll see you at the tables.