Roulette (French: rolle) is a casino game in which a ball is spun around a wheel and players bet on the number it will land on. Bets may be placed on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the colors red and black, or whether the number is odd or even. A variation on the game is mini roulette, which features a wheel with only 12 numbers instead of 36.

Despite its simple rules, the game of roulette offers an almost endless amount of depth for serious betters. In this article, we will take a look at the basics of the game and how you can use your knowledge to increase your chances of winning big.

The roulette wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. A rim surrounds it, and on the rim are metal separators, called frets, or compartments, each colored alternately red and black. Thirty-six of these compartments, plus the zero and the double zero, make up the thirty-seven total numbers on a European-style roulette wheel; on an American-style wheel there are two green compartments for the numbers 0 and 00.

A croupier spins the roulette wheel and then rolls a small white ball in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel, across the numbered slots until it stops in one of them. Upon each spin, the dealer clears the table of losing chips, pays winners and starts a new round. Before the start of a game, players place their bets by laying them down on a betting mat, with the precise location of the chips indicating the bet being made. Bets on individual numbers or on six or fewer numbers are called “inside bets”; bets on groups of 12 or more are referred to as “outside bets”.

Before you play, set a budget for yourself and choose a table within that range. Each roulette table carries a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Also, if you win a bet, cash out the chips and continue betting with your predetermined budget rather than using them to place more bets. This will prevent you from making risky bets that may result in a big loss if you don’t have enough money to cover them. In addition to the above, avoid betting on the same numbers as other players.