Know the equipment. Roulette is French for "little wheel." On this wheel are 36 numbers and a 0; on some American tables, there is a "00." A croupier sends a small white ball spinning that will eventually land on one of the numbers. Bets are placed on the table, correlating with the slots the ball can possibly land in.

• On the table are the numbers and a few other options:
   

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• 1st 12
• 2nd 12
• 3rd 12
• 1-18
• 19-36
• Even
• Odd
• Black
• Red

Know the different "inside" bets. In roulette, you have to anticipate the number or type of pocket on which the ivory ball is going to land. To do this, there are a range of bets you can make.^[1] "Inside" bets, or bets placed on specific numbers, generally have higher paying odds. You can bet:

• "Straight up" betting on one number pays 35 to 1
• Split betting on two numbers pays 17 to 1
• "Street" betting on three numbers pays 11 to 1
• Three numbers can be bet with just one chip. It can be placed on the end of any "street" (the row of 3 numbers) on the table map.
• Corner betting on four numbers pays 8 to 1
• The chip lies on the intersection of the four numbers.
• Six line betting on 6 numbers pays 5 to 1
• The chip lies on the edge of two adjoining streets.
• Additionally, for American roulette, there is the Five-number bet which covers "0,00,1,2,3" and pays 6:1, and the Row 00 bet which covers 0 and 00 and pays 17:1.^[2]

Learn about "outside" bets. These bets do not involve specific numbers and are made on the outside of the number map, hence the name.

• Color betting (red or black) pays 1 to 1.
• Even or odd betting pays 1 to 1.
• Column or betting on 12 numbers pays 2 to 1
• Dozen betting (1st 12, etc.) pays 2 to 1
• High or low bets pay 1 to 1.

Realize your odds. At every roulette table (and at every game in the casino itself), the house always has an edge. All bets at both wheels (French or American) are paid at odds that would be true if only the 36 numbers were on the wheel. Their advantage comes from to 0 -- and the 00 in America.^[3]There are theories as to how you can improve your odds, but they don't work. However, there are some variants that change how the favor lies:

• At American tables, the "00" slot increases the casino's advantage even more. On a roulette table with a single zero, the casino has an advantage of 2.7%. On a roulette table with a double zero, the casino has an advantage of 5.26%.^[4]
• Some French tables will employ rules that generally help out the players. The "La Partage" and "En Prison" rules apply to outside even money bets like odds or even, black or red and low or high; they also apply when the ball lands in the zero slot. They are similar in the sense that players only lose half of their bet, but players cannot leave their bet on the table for another spin with the La Partage rule. If a player loses, they can collect half their bet in the En Prison rule, or leave half their bet on the table for the next spin with the La Partage rule.