How to Play Roulette

Ancestors of Roulette?

Roulette in French means "Small Wheel" which again points back to a French origin of the game. However, if you read the many websites out there with a summary history of Roulette, they almost all point to supposed ancestors that are English, namely: "Roly Poly", "Ace of hearts" and "Even-Odd" and Italian, namely "Biribi" and "Hoca". They all say the same thing because they all just copy what they find on Wikipedia which is quite often incorrect.

Let's look at the hypothesised ancestors in slightly more detail. Here is an extract from the memoirs of Casanova dated 1763: "Just then all the great ladies were mad over 'biribi', a regular cheating game. It was strictly forbidden at Genoa, but this only made it more popular". It appears that 3 numbers were picked out of a bag each turn and Casanova goes on to say "The board had thirty-six compartments, and if one lost, one paid thirty-two times the amount of the stake; this, of course, was an enormous advantage for the bank." As can be seen although there are a couple of similarities, no ball or wheel means a distant cousin is more likely than an ancestor in this author's view.

Hoca appears to have been a game played with cards with thirty points and thirty balls and was probably more of a lottery card game than something like roulette.

"Ace of Hearts" according to "Games, Gaming and Gamester's Law" by Brandt was another name for Bone-Ace, a game clearly described by Charles Cotton. This is just a gambling card game of the simplest sort whereby players bet on the value of the card that the dealer will turn up. It doesn't appear to be similar to roulette.

Above is an antique EO Table. To the right is a Thomas Rowlandson cartoon of the period showing a bit of a cuffuffle around such a table.

Even-Odd, on the other hand, was a game with a wheel and a ball just like roulette but instead of numbers there were just 20 sections marked E for Even and 20 marked O for Odd. Instead of a zero, a portion of the sections were allocated for the house. The game seems to have become rapidly very popular in the 1770s until it was banned by statute around 1782. This then is an obvious possible candidate for an ancestor of the game of roulette. However, there are unfortunately, no references to it prior to those of Roulette. So the only way that E.O. is the ancestor of Roulette is if it was went by another name - i.e. Roly Poly....

Roly Poly is either an alternative name for E.O. or an alternative name for Roulette, depending upon source and interpretation. See below for a discussion on this. If it is an alternative name for Roulette then there is no known ancestor of Roulette. However, if Roly Poly is one and the same as E.O., then E.O. is probably an ancestor of Roulette.

The iconic casino game, derived from Italian and French games from the 17th Century and now brought to you by Genting Casinos in the traditional American Roulette form. This classic game gives you all the excitement of the casino in our vibrant atmosphere.

Place your bets at the wheel across 37 numbers or choose Red / Black, Odd / Even and a wide variety of other bets and wait for the drama to unfold.

If it is your first time at the table, our friendly croupiers will talk you through the game to understand how it all works and get your strategy ready for your visit! Get your friends together to come and enjoy the best casino experience in the UK.

Table minimums

Our live tables all have rules around the minimum bet allowed for each hand or spin. These will be clearly displayed at each table so you can see in advance what bets apply, if you are unsure please ask a member of the team who will be able to explain the table minimums to you.

Banking Options

Not every player wants to make a deposit using a credit or debit card. Nowadays, many of us prefer to deposit online roulette funds via an e-wallet, like Skrill or Neteller. Or you might prefer to play around with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH). Everybody’s different. That’s why our reviewers favor sites which offer a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods.

Which are the best high stake roulette casino sites in the UK?

We have created a list of the five best high stakes roulette casinos in the UK here. They have earned this place as they have not only the highest table limits, but also great collections of games and a safe gambling environment

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Every casino site believes it has the best roulette app, so we’ve taken a look at each of them to see who we think comes out on top.

Live Roulette Game Overview

In Live Roulette you have the same objective as in standard Roulette, as you have to guess the number the ball will land on by placing at least one bet on that number or area.

On the wheel, you will find the numbers 1-36 and a single 0.

As soon as the betting period is finished, the live dealer will release the spinning ball onto the wheel.

In the end, the ball stops in one of the numbered compartments within the wheel, and if you have placed a bet on something that covers that number then you win.

Joining the Game

In the 'Live Games Menu', you will find all of our available live games, which also displays the table name and the bet limits under the table icon.

When you hover your mouse over the icon the dealer name and photo is shown, in addition to the most recent results and the players who are already at the table.

To join the table, simply click the table icon.

Bet Placement

On the 'Bet Limits' window, you can view the minimum and maximum stakes permitted on the table.

You will receive a notification if attempt to place a bet that goes over the named limit.

The traffic lights beside the table will signal when you can place your bets.

Bet Types

You will find a number of alternate bet types on our Live Roulette table, each covering a specific range of numbers.

Bets placed on the numbered spaces or on the lines between them are known as 'Inside bets,' while all bets made on the special boxes underneath and to the left of the board are called 'Outside Bets.'

Roulette Racetrack

Use the racetrack-shaped betting area to place traditional special bets and neighbour bets with ease.

Favourite Bets

With the Favourite Bets feature you can create a saved list of your favourite bets or combinations of different type bets, therefore making it more easy to place them in upcoming rounds.

You can keep and edit a maximum of 15 of your preferred bets under different names.

Winning Numbers

The most recent winning numbers are shown under the 'Winning Numbers' list, with the most recent result displayed on the left-hand side.

Red numbers will appear in red, with any black numbers shown in yellow.

If you click on the 'statistics' button, you can view the last 500 spins and the relevant results in a graphical way.

Payouts

Your payout will depend on the type of bet placed – these are shown in the table below.

Game Objective

The objective in Live Roulette is to predict the number on which the ball will land by placing one or more bets that cover a particular number.

The wheel includes the numbers 1-36 and a single 0.

After the time allotted for betting has expired, the dealer releases the spinning ball within the wheel.

The ball will eventually come to rest in one of the numbered pockets within the wheel - you will then win if you have placed a bet that covers that particular number.

Joining the Game

Each game table that is available is shown in the ‘Live Games Menu’

The table name and bet limits are shown underneath the table icon.

When you move your mouse over the icon, the dealer name and photo is displayed, along with the recent results and the list of players already at the table.

Simply click on a table icon to join that table.

Bet Placement

The ‘Bet Limits’ window shows the minimum and maximum stakes allowed on that table.

You will be notified if you attempt to place a bet that exceeds the limit for a particular bet.

The traffic lights next to the table will inform you of the game status, informing you when you can place your bets.

Bet Types

You can place a wide range of different bets on a Live Roulette table. Each different bet type will cover a certain range of numbers.

Bets that are made on the numbered space or on the lines between them are known as ‘Inside Bets’, while the bets made on the special boxes below and to the left of the board are called ‘Outside Bets’.

Roulette Racetrack

Use the racetrack-shaped betting area to easily place traditional special bets and neighbour bets.

Each bet will cover a different set of numbers and their payouts will vary.

Favourite Bets

The ‘Favourite Bets’ feature allows you to save a preferred bet or combination of different types of bets for easier placement in future rounds.

You can save and edit a list of up to 15 of your favourite bets under different names.

Winning Numbers

The ‘Winning Numbers’ display shows the most recent winning numbers.

The result of the most recently completed round is listed on the left.

Black numbers will appear in yellow, while red numbers appear in red.

Clicking on the ‘Statistics’ button will show the last 500 spins and the relevant results in a graphical way.

Payouts

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Why are there No Roulette Tables Without Limits?

Try as you may, you will never find a roulette table which has no maximum betting limit. There are some who think that this is to prevent players from using the Martingale strategy effectively. If there were no table limit, then, in theory, a player with an unlimited balance could use this strategy to guarantee risk-free profits as they play.

Yet, on the contrary, the casino has little to lose when their customers use this strategy. Say for example a player starts with a £1 bet, loses 20 games in a row, doubling their bet each time, and then wins £1,048,576. In actual fact, the operator ultimately loses just £1, as the player has already bet and lost £1,048,575.

Whilst it can be argued that table limits are imposed in order to limit the strategy to a certain degree, in actual fact, it is a simple case of risk management on the casino’s part. An operator always needs to be in the financial position to be able to pay out winnings to its players. Of course, the casino always has the advantage in all games, but the house edge is incredibly small in roulette.

Without a table limit, there is always the possibility that a lucky player could place a huge bet and win. Casino operators do not have unlimited cash to immediately hand out payments in the millions, therefore, the table limits ensure that players cannot win more than the operator can afford to pay out.

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How to Play

If you are a beginner and wondering how to play online roulette, you're in luck for two reasons. Firstly, the game's straightforward nature means you won't have your face stuck in an instruction manual trying to figure out how it works. Secondly, we have made a quick breakdown of how to play this iconic table game.

The action starts when the croupier invites you to place your bets. Be quick as they won't wait around for you to make a decision! You can bet on numbers 0-36 (American tables also have a 00), Red or Black, Odd or Even, High or Low, Dozens, Split, Street, and Corner.To prevent any confusion, here's what those options mean:

• Single number (35:1 odds): Pick the right number.

• Red or Black (1:1 odds): Select the right colour.

• High or Low (1:1 odds): Pick whether the winning number is between 1-18 or 19-36.

• Dozens (2:1 odds): Bet on if the winning number is between 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36.

• Split (17:1 odds): Pick two adjacent numbers.

• Street (11:1 odds): Bet on an entire line with three numbers.

• Corner (8:1 odds): Pick a corner with four connected numbers. Every table will have defined minimum and maximum bet amounts. However, you are free to bet on as many options as you wish. While far from wise, you could decide to bet on every number except for two, hope it doesn't land on the excluded options, and make a tiny gain if it hits your picks!

Once the croupier spins the roulette wheel and releases the ball, it won't be long before they declare "No more bets". As this indicates, you are no longer allowed to make any further selections for this round. The round concludes once the ball settles into a pocket on the wheel.

If you correctly predict the outcome, the payout can vary drastically depending on your option. If you staked £10 on "Red" for instance and the ball landed on "Red 16", you would get £20 back in total. Yet in the same scenario, if you had picked "16" and placed a £10 bet, you would receive £360 in total.

The odds listed above will remain the same when playing traditional online roulette games. However, these odds and the available betting options can differ if you play a more modern variation of the game. Take Lightning Roulette as an example. If the lightning strikes, it can assign up to five numbers with a bumper 500x multiplier.