How to Play Roulette

Playing roulette is simple, fun, and—if you’re very lucky—profitable. To play roulette, you just need to be familiar with a few basic procedures:

Though you’re allowed to bet cash at most other casino games, you’re required to use special chips when playing roulette. These chips differ from those used at other casino games and are called non-value chips, meaning they have no value away from the roulette table. Their value at the roulette table is determined by a lammer that you receive on top of your chips. A lammer is a small plastic disc with a denomination printed on it.

To change cash into chips, place your cash on the table near the croupier. He will pick it up, ask you what denomination of chips you’d like, and then put the appropriate number of chips topped with a single lammer on the table. Roulette chips are usually bought in multiples of 20. For example, if you place $100 on the table and ask for chips without specifying a denomination, the croupier will give you 20 chips topped with a $5 lammer. Each of your 20 chips is worth $5, for a total value of $100.

Once you get your chips, place them in stacks in front of you. Note that neither cash nor chips are ever handed directly between players and the dealer—the table itself always serves as the middleman.

The color of the chips you’re given does not indicate the value of the chips. Instead, chip color in roulette is used only to distinguish your chips from those of other players. Once you start playing, the croupier will know when to pay you on a winning bet by the color of your chips—no two players at a single table will be given chips of the same color.

To make a bet in roulette, just place your chips in the desired space or spaces on the betting area. If you can’t reach the betting space you want, hand your chips to the croupier and ask him to make your bet for you.

You may make as many simultaneous bets as you’d like—and can afford—on a single spin. No matter what bet you make, you must make your wagers after the croupier announces, “Place your bets!” and before he announces “No more bets!” during the spin (see below).

The minimum and maximum bets allowed are printed on a small sign at the roulette table. Make sure the values of your bets always lie within these guidelines:

(For an explanation of all the different betting options offered in roulette, see Outside Bets in Roulette and Inside Bets in Roulette.)

The spin is the exciting part. The croupier spins the wheel in one direction, then spins the ball around the edge of the wheel in the opposite direction. As the ball begins to drop toward the center of the wheel, the croupier announces “No more bets!” after which you must wait until the next spin to place additional bets. After the ball bounces around the metal obstacles and numbered pockets, it eventually settles in one of the pockets. The croupier then announces the number and color of the winning pocket and whether it’s even or odd. For example, if the ball lands in 27, the croupier will announce, “27, red, odd!” The croupier then places a clear marker on the appropriate number in the betting area to indicate the winning number.

After placing the marker, the croupier pays all winning bets to the appropriate player(s), using the chip colors to keep track of which players to pay. The croupier also collects all losing bets and places them back in the chip tray. The process then starts over, with players making another round of bets and the croupier spinning the wheel and ball once again.

When you’re ready to end your roulette session, always remember to cash out your non-value chips for regular chips before you leave the table. This is crucial, as non-value roulette chip lose all their value the moment you leave the table with them. To cash out your chips, pass them toward the croupier and announce your intention to cash out. The croupier will give you regular casino chips in exchange for your non-value chips. You can use these regular casino chips at other casino games or take them to the casino cashier and exchange them for cash.