How to Win at Roulette

How to play roulette at the casino

I know a lot of people search online for “roulette tips“ or “how to win at roulette” because they plan on going to the casino and want to know the basics of this fun casino game…if this is you, then here is what you can expect.

When you arrive at the roulette table grab the first available seat and place your money on the table.  The person that runs the table, (called the “croupier“) will take your money once the current play finishes, and may ask you, “inside or outside?”.

It’s a way of seeing what kind denomination chips you prefer.  Will you be playing mostly inside or outside bets?

Just say “inside”. I mean, if I buy in for $100 and I’m playing mostly the “inside numbers” I’ll want (100) $1 chips.  If I preferred to play the outside (dozen bets, red/black, etc) I’d get  (20) $5 chips or even (10) $10 chips.

In any event, if you have $1 chips you can still play outside bets (for example $10 on red) you just have to make sure your bets meet the table’s minimum bet limit (which should be prominently displayed).

sidenote roulette tips: Most casinos assign each player a specific color chip stack so that it’s easy to keep track of who places which bets.

At this point I would watch the roulette wheel for one round without betting…ask the waitress for a gin and tonic (or whatever you drink). Look around, get a feel for how others are betting, loosen up. Tip the waitress with a $1 coin when she returns with your drink.

Wait until the croupier clears all the losing bets and pays out the winners before you place a bet on the next round.  Place your bet on the roulette numbers you want to hit (see betting options here).  There is a limited amount of time for you to place your bets.  The croupier will announce when they have spun the ball (consider this a “last call for bets”).

Once the ball has been spun you have a few more seconds to put in a bet before the croupier will wave their arm over the board indicating NO MORE BETS.

17! BLACK…You win!

sidenote roulette tips: The croupier pays winning outside bets first, followed by winning inside bets.

Sit back and allow the croupier to place the marker over the winning roulette number on the table.  Be patient.  Give him or her time to clear all other losing bets and individually pay out all winners, wait your turn.  Wait until the croupier indicates he’s done and pushes your chips toward you before you take them.  Enjoy the next round of roulette!

P.S. Don’t forget the other kind of roulette tips (ie. don’t hesitate to tip your croupier if you win a big bet).