In this section
Everything here is free and built on the actual maths of the wheel. Start with the wheel comparison, then move to the how-to-play and strategy guides.
Roulette is the simplest casino game to learn and one of the easiest to play badly. The rules take five minutes; the difference between a 1.35% and a 7.89% house edge takes one decision — which table you sit at. This hub from the CasinoTrust Academy explains that decision first, then sends you to the detailed guides.
- 2.70%
- House edge, European wheel (37 pockets)
- 5.26%
- House edge, American wheel (38 pockets)
- 1.35%
- Even-money bets, French rules with la partage
- 35:1
- Straight-up payout on every wheel — the odds change, the payout doesn't
European vs American vs French roulette
All three games use the same betting layout, the same payouts and the same 36 numbered pockets. The only things that change are the number of zeros on the wheel and the rules that apply when a zero hits. Those two details decide the house edge.
| European | American | French | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pockets | 37 (0, 1–36) | 38 (0, 00, 1–36) | 37 (0, 1–36) |
| Straight-up true odds | 36 to 1 | 37 to 1 | 36 to 1 |
| Straight-up payout | 35 to 1 | 35 to 1 | 35 to 1 |
| House edge, all standard bets | 2.70% | 5.26% | 2.70% |
| House edge, even-money bets | 2.70% | 5.26% | 1.35% (la partage / en prison) |
| Five-number bet (0-00-1-2-3) | n/a | 7.89% | n/a |
| Call bets (voisins, tiers, orphelins) | Usually offered | Rarely | Standard |
| Typical availability online | Everywhere | US-facing sites, some live studios | Fewer tables, mostly live dealer |
Where the house edge comes from
A straight-up bet on a European wheel wins once in 37 spins on average and pays 35 to 1. Over 37 spins at €1 each you stake €37 and, on average, receive €36 back (35 in winnings plus your €1 stake on the winning spin). The €1 shortfall divided by €37 staked is 2.70%. On an American wheel the same bet wins once in 38 spins for the same 35-to-1 payout: €2 short on €38 staked, or 5.26%. Every bet on the layout has the same edge because every payout is calculated as if the zeros did not exist.
La partage and en prison
French roulette softens the zero on even-money bets only (red/black, odd/even, 1–18/19–36). With la partage, a zero returns half your stake immediately. With en prison, the stake stays on the table for one more spin and is returned in full if it then wins. Both rules halve the expected loss on those bets to 1.35%, the lowest figure on any standard roulette table. Dozens, columns and inside bets keep the full 2.70%.
Live dealer vs RNG roulette
Online you will meet two very different products under the same name. RNG roulette is software: a certified random number generator picks the result, the wheel animation is decoration, and you can play a spin every few seconds. Live dealer roulette streams a physical wheel from a studio; a croupier spins, the ball lands, and optical recognition reads the result into the software.
| RNG roulette | Live dealer roulette | |
|---|---|---|
| Result generated by | Certified random number generator | Physical wheel and ball |
| House edge | Identical to the physical game for the same wheel type | Identical to the physical game for the same wheel type |
| Spins per hour | 200–600 (you control the pace) | 35–60 |
| Minimum bet | Often €0.10 or lower | Typically €0.50–€1, higher at VIP tables |
| Wheel types | European, American, French and novelty variants | Mostly European; French and multiplier games common |
| Bonus playthrough | Often restricted or excluded | Usually excluded or low-weighted |
| Main risk | Speed: more spins per hour means more expected loss per hour | Side bets and multiplier variants with higher edges |
The house edge is the same per spin either way; what differs is how many spins you get through. At €5 per spin on a European wheel, 50 live spins an hour cost an expected €6.75; 400 RNG spins an hour cost an expected €54. Speed is the hidden variable in roulette, and our bankroll management guide treats it as exactly that.
Multiplier and novelty variants
Lightning-style games, double-ball wheels, triple-zero tables and "mini" roulette all change the maths, almost always against you. A triple-zero wheel (39 pockets) carries a 7.69% edge. Multiplier games fund their 50x–500x straight-up bonuses by cutting the base straight-up payout from 35:1 to 29:1, taking the edge on that bet to around 2.90%. Read the game's published RTP before you sit down: if the site does not show it, assume it is worse than 97.30%.
What the strategy guide will and won't tell you
No betting progression changes the expected value of a roulette bet. Martingale, Fibonacci, D'Alembert and Labouchère all reshuffle when you lose, not whether you lose over time. Our roulette strategies guide walks through each system with the numbers, shows what table limits do to them, and lists the three decisions that genuinely affect your results: wheel choice, la partage, and the bet type that matches the swings you can stomach.
- Learn the layout, bets and payouts in how to play roulette
- Understand why systems fail and what actually helps in roulette strategies
- Test any idea against a real distribution with the free roulette simulator before you stake money
- Look up any term — la partage, orphelins, true odds — in the casino wiki
Roulette simulator
Spin a European or American wheel thousands of times, apply any staking plan and watch the long-run numbers.
Open the simulatorBankroll management
Session limits, stake sizing and how spins per hour change what a night costs.
Read the guideBlackjack academy
A game where decisions do change the house edge — down to about 0.5% with basic strategy.
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The other low-edge table game: banker bet at 1.06% with no decisions to get wrong.
Learn baccaratFrequently asked questions
Which roulette wheel has the best odds?
French roulette with la partage or en prison, played on even-money bets, has the lowest house edge at 1.35%. European roulette (single zero) is next at 2.70% on every bet. American roulette (double zero) costs 5.26%, and its five-number bet costs 7.89%. Always choose single-zero over double-zero.
Is online roulette rigged?
At a licensed casino, no. RNG roulette uses a certified random number generator audited by independent labs, and live dealer roulette uses a physical wheel you can watch. The casino does not need to rig anything: the zero already guarantees its margin. Unlicensed sites are a different matter — check our blacklist before depositing.
Can you beat roulette with a strategy?
Not with a betting system. Every progression — Martingale, Fibonacci, D'Alembert, Labouchère — leaves the expected loss per euro staked unchanged. The only decisions that improve your results are choosing a single-zero wheel, using la partage tables for even-money bets and controlling how many spins you play.
What is the difference between live and RNG roulette?
RNG roulette is software with a random number generator and plays at 200–600 spins an hour. Live roulette streams a real wheel and croupier at roughly 35–60 spins an hour. The house edge per spin is identical for the same wheel type; the faster game simply exposes your bankroll to more spins.
What does RTP mean in roulette?
Return to player is the long-run share of stakes paid back: 100% minus the house edge. European roulette has an RTP of 97.30%, American roulette 94.74%, and French even-money bets with la partage 98.65%. A roulette game advertising less than 97.30% has altered payouts or extra zeros.