Online roulette: wheels, bets and systems

Roulette is pure chance, so the only real decision is which wheel to sit at and which bets to place. Get those two right and you give the casino half as much as the player next to you.

Three wheels, three prices

• European: 37 pockets, 1 to 36 plus a single zero. House edge 2.7% on every bet.
• American: 38 pockets, with a double zero added. House edge 5.26%, almost twice as much.
• French: the European wheel plus La Partage or En Prison on even-money bets. When zero hits, you lose only half, or your stake waits for the next spin. Edge on those bets: 1.35%.

The bets and what they pay

• Straight up, one number: 35 to 1.
• Split, two numbers side by side: 17 to 1.
• Street, three in a row: 11 to 1.
• Corner, four in a square: 8 to 1.
• Column or dozen, twelve numbers: 2 to 1.
• Even money: red or black, odd or even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36, paid 1 to 1.

On a European wheel, every one of these carries the same 2.7% edge. The bet you choose changes how often you win and how much, not how much you lose on average.

About betting systems

The Martingale doubles your stake after each loss, so one win clears the run, until a long losing streak hits the table limit or your bankroll. Fibonacci raises stakes along 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, more slowly. D'Alembert adds one unit after a loss and removes one after a win. All three can make a session feel more structured. None changes the expected loss, and the Martingale in particular trades many small wins for the occasional very large loss.

RNG wheel or live wheel

RNG roulette spins instantly and takes bets from €0.10, a good place to try the bets above. Live roulette films a real wheel and croupier. Immersive Roulette adds slow-motion replays, Speed Roulette cuts the betting window to keep spins coming fast, and Lightning Roulette pays 50 to 500 times on randomly struck numbers, with straight-up bets paid at 29 to 1 the rest of the time.