Roulette online: virtual and live tables

Roulette is a casino table game that dates back to the 18th century France and Italy. The game primarily features a wheel with segments, on which an ivory ball is spun to determine outcomes for each round. On the table, there are also spots where you can place your bets.

Like blackjack, roulette is also a banking game, where bets are placed against the house. Roulette is not like poker or other tables games where players play against each other, and your bets are independent of any others placed by other players at the table.

Roulette has been around the block for over four centuries, and several games have emerged from roulette's basic wheel concept. Presently, there are three main versions of the game around the world, and Royal Panda has a vast collection from which you can choose, as well as plenty of unique variants developed by some of the best gaming providers.

Placing bets is straightforward and the result is absolutely random -- simply guess where the wheel will stop next. Choose a combination of numbers between 1 and 36, coupled with either black or red, and hope you've picked the right match. The green 0 is another option.

The roulette wheel features red and black colored pockets numbered between 1 and 36, plus one or two green pockets numbered 0 and 00.

On the Europe and and French boards, inside and outside bets are clearly marked, along with the two-color combination of black and red, while the American version has an additional double zero pocket on the roulette wheel.

Our roulette guide includes info regarding the payout ratio, which varies between 1:1 and 35:1, Lower odds offer potentially bigger payouts, for example, the payout on a bet on a single number ('21-black', for instance) is 35 to 1.

Roulette odds strongly depend on the bets you make and the chance of favorable results. European and French roulette tables have better odds as there is only one single green pocket on the roulette wheel. The green pockets maintain the house edge, which means that if the wheel stops on green, all players' bets are lost. This mechanism is part of the casino's profit margin.

Red versus black, low versus high, even versus odd, column and dozen are the bet types with the best odds.

There are three main versions of roulette -- French, European and American. If you're entirely new to roulette, it's best to start off by understanding the differences between these three. American Roulette is the easiest to identify, as there are both a zero and a double zero on its wheel. Because of this, it has the highest house edge from all the other versions at 5.25%.

European and French roulette only have one green zero on their wheels, and you can only tell them apart by looking at their betting tables. French Roulette has two unique rules which you will not find on either the European or American tables. La Partage provides you with half your bet back if you lose an outside bet due to the ball landing on the zero. Meanwhile, En Prison gives you the choice of placing the same bet on the next round.

Both European and French Roulette have a house edge of 2.7%, but when placing an outside bet on French Roulette, the house edge is reduced further to 1.35%.

It's incredibly easy to learn how to play roulette:

1. Select the value of your bet, and click on the applicable portion of the table to place it there.

2. Decide whether you want to place optional side bets on the racetrack.

3. As soon as the betting time has run out, sit back and watch the ivory ball determine the result.

Roulette is entirely a game of luck, and there's no way to guarantee a winning result. All you have to do is adhere to your bet limits, and place them responsibly. The main bets are divided into inside and outside bets. There are also optional side bets when you play European or American roulette online.

Irrelevant of which roulette version you're playing online, each game comes with the same variety of inside and outside bets. There are a few bets from American Roulette which we've left out in the list below.

The main inside bets are:

Straight-up - Bet on a single number on the table, including zero, to win a payout of 35:1.

Split - This bet allows you to wager on two numbers and provides a payout of 17:1.

Street - Bet on a three-number row with a potential payout of 11:1.

Corner - Place a bet in the corner, combining four numbers. This bet offers a payout of 8:1.

Basket - This bet is one where you're betting on 0, 1, 2, and 3 and the payout for winning this bet is 8:1.

Double Street - Bet on six numbers from two complete horizontal rows. This bet pays out 5:1.

Your main outside bet options are:

Column/Dozen - Bet on groups of 12 numbers with a potential payout of 2:1.

Low/High - This bet splits numbers 1 to 36 into two equal groups. The low group is made up of numbers 1 to 18, whilst the high group is made up of numbers 19 to 36. With either bet covering 18 numbers, you will receive an even payout, meaning 1:1.

Red/Black - Bet on all the wheel numbers that are either red or black and get a potential payout of 1:1.

Odd/Even - Rather than betting on a number's value or colour, you can bet on whether it is odd or even. This bet covers 18 numbers and pays out 1:1.

When playing Roulette online, you'll find that the table offers a collection of bets which are in an oval shape, similar to a racetrack. On this racetrack of sorts, you'll find optional side bets that group together various numbers based on their position on the roulette wheel. These are called call bets, which can grant you higher potential payouts than most main inside or outside bets. They're a great way to enjoy Roulette once you've mastered the basics.

The four possible racetrack bets that you can place on Roulette online are:

Zero, or Jeu Zero - Bet on a section of the wheel that covers seven numbers with four chips. The maximum winning payout from this bet is 35:1.

Orphelins, Les Orphelins - Place five chips and combine eight numbers together to have a chance of winning up to 35:1.

Voisins, Voisins du Zero, or Serie 0/2/3 - Bet with seven separate chips to combine 17 numbers at a go with a winning potential of 17:1.

Tier, Tiers du Cylindre, or Series ⅝ - Bet on a total of 12 numbers using six chips and stand to win up to 17:1.

We've compiled a detailed racetrack betting guide for our players to learn more about these optional side bets, and how to best place them. Check out our casino guide to learn more.

Playing roulette at Royal Panda live casino comes with a river of perks, such as our extensive catalogue of roulette games which are offered by the very best game developers in the industry. As soon as you've grasped the basics of roulette, you'll be able to explore all these variants, as well as additional side bets or a more heightened gameplay.

To mention but a few of our most sought-after games, Live Lightning Roulette merges European roulette with the bright lights of a game show. The game is hosted by a personable and professional dealer from an interactive studio, with a chance for you to win up to 500x your stake. Alternatively, there's also XL Roulette, which is an interactive roulette variant that also has 500x up for grabs. Developed by Authentic Gaming, XL Roulette features four playing modes for you to enjoy.

There's no way of guaranteeing a particular outcome in roulette, be it online or in a land-based casino. All our games, both virtual and live, are determined by software that has been audited as fair and unbiased.

However, plenty of players adopt popular strategies to improve their chances of winning. One such tactic is the Martingale strategy, which you can only apply on outside bets that cover groups of 18 numbers. Therefore, the tactic can only be used on Red/Black, Odd/Even, or Low/High. The Martingale System guides you to double your last wager when you lose a bet, and reset the value of your wager when you win one.