How to Play Roulette: Rules, Table Layout and a Little History
Roulette is played like this: players place chips on a numbered table layout, the croupier spins a wheel and rolls a small ball against the spin, and whichever pocket the ball settles in decides the winning bets. As a home parlour game for a family casino night, it is wonderfully simple to learn and a pleasure to watch.
We make traditional games at Jaques of London, so we will treat roulette here as a tabletop classic to enjoy together rather than a way to gamble. Below you will find the setup, the play, a clear walk through the inside and outside bets, and a little of the French and 18th-century history that gives the game its name.
A little French history (and where the name comes from)
The word roulette is simply French for 'little wheel', a point the Merriam-Webster dictionary sets out plainly, and the Oxford English Dictionary traces its use in English back to the early 1800s. The game as we recognise it took shape in 18th-century France, and one of the earliest clear descriptions appears in a Paris novel of 1796, as the history of roulette records. Folk tradition links the wheel to the mathematician Blaise Pascal and his experiments with perpetual motion, though that story should be treated as a charming legend rather than fact.
The single-zero wheel we tend to picture in Europe owes much to the 19th century. The version with one green zero was popularised at Bad Homburg, and roulette became a fixture of continental spa towns and salons. The double-zero wheel travelled to America and developed its own layout.
It is a game from the same century that produced so many parlour classics. We were already an old firm by then: founded in 1795, Jaques is, as our own piece on the oldest games company in the world explains, older than most of the games you will recognise. Roulette sits happily alongside the cards, dominoes and chess of a well-stocked games cupboard.
Roulette through the years
Setting up the wheel and table
For a home game you need three things: a roulette wheel, a betting layout (the cloth printed with the numbers) and a set of chips. A European wheel carries 37 numbered pockets, the numbers 1 to 36 plus a single green zero, set in the familiar alternating red and black, as the standard wheel description sets out. An American wheel adds a second green pocket, the 00.
One person acts as the croupier, the player who spins the wheel and manages the bets. Everyone else takes a stack of chips. For a family casino night we suggest giving each player an equal number of chips with no money attached at all, just the fun of the wager. You can keep a running tally and crown a 'banker for the evening' if you like a little ceremony.
Spread the layout flat where everyone can reach. Set the wheel at one end, on a steady surface so it spins true. If you enjoy hosting game nights, a set of 120 gaming chips doubles up nicely for poker, while a deck of deluxe playing cards keeps the rest of the evening going. Browse the wider board games collection and card games to round out a games table.
What you need
A weighty set of chips that turns any table into a casino night, equally at home with roulette, poker and family card games.
Half the joy of roulette is the watching: the spin, the slowing ball, the whole table leaning in together.
How a round is played, step by step
A round of roulette follows a calm, repeatable rhythm. Here is the sequence we use at home.
1. The croupier invites players to place their chips on the layout. 2. Each player puts chips on the numbers or sections they fancy; you can spread chips across several bets at once. 3. The croupier calls 'no more bets', then spins the wheel in one direction and rolls the ball in the other. 4. Players watch the ball slow, rattle and settle into a pocket. 5. The croupier announces the winning number and colour. 6. Losing chips are cleared, winning bets are paid, and the next round begins.
The skill, such as it is, lies in choosing where to place your chips, and the charm lies in the watching. Because every spin is independent, there is no 'system' that changes the odds, a point worth gently explaining to children who think they have spotted a pattern. For more on how the European and American wheels differ, the overview of the game is a reliable starting point. If you enjoy a numbers game with the same friendly suspense, our guide on how to play Shut the Box sits nicely beside it.
Reading the layout: inside and outside bets
The betting layout divides neatly into two halves. Inside bets are placed on the numbered grid itself and pay more because they are harder to land. A chip on a single number is a 'straight up' bet, paying 35 to 1, as the payout tables confirm. Place a chip on the line between two numbers for a 'split', on the edge of a row for a 'street' of three numbers, or at the corner where four meet for a 'corner' bet.
Outside bets sit around the edge and cover larger groups, so they win more often but pay less. These include red or black, odd or even, high (19 to 36) or low (1 to 18), each paying even money, plus the dozens and the columns, which pay 2 to 1. The single green zero is the reason the table is never a perfectly even bet, and explaining that to a curious child is a tidy lesson in probability.
We find children take to roulette quickly because the choices are visual: pick a colour, pick a number, pick a row. It pairs well with other games that reward a feel for odds, such as backgammon. The mathematics of the wheel has interested scholars for centuries; the British Library's collections on probability and gaming, catalogued at the British Library, show how the study of chance grew partly from games like this. For a wider overview, see the development of probability theory.
Bets at a glance
- One number
- Pays 35 to 1
- Two, three or four numbers
- Inside bets
- Even money
- An outside bet
- 12 numbers
- Pays 2 to 1
Where a quality wooden wheel fits among traditional games
A roulette wheel earns its place in a household that already loves traditional games. We have always believed the object matters: a well-turned wheel that spins smoothly and a cloth that lies flat make the evening feel like an occasion, the same way a proper board lifts chess or backgammon. If you are building a games cupboard, think of roulette as the lively party piece alongside the quieter classics.
For those quieter evenings, a good chess set rewards a lifetime of play, and our Staunton chess set history explains why the design we launched in 1849 became the world standard. A 15 inch oak backgammon set folds away neatly, and our guide to draughts is a gentle way in for younger players. For choosing between sets, our wooden chess set buying guide and backgammon board buying guide are worth a read.
Whatever you choose, look for solid wood, honest joinery and pieces that feel good in the hand. Independent reviews on Trustpilot tend to mention the same thing: games that last and get played. Browse our best sellers or the chess and backgammon sets to start a collection your family will return to.
A folding board and full set of pieces in solid oak, the kind of classic that earns its place beside a roulette wheel on a games night.
Is roulette suitable for a family games night?
Yes, played for fun it is a fine family game. We suggest handing each player an equal stack of chips with no money attached and keeping a running tally for bragging rights. The choices are visual and quick to grasp, so children pick it up fast: choose a colour, a number or a row. Treat it as a tabletop classic alongside cards and dominoes rather than as gambling, and it makes a lively centrepiece for a home casino night.
What does the word roulette mean?
Roulette is French for 'little wheel', as the Merriam-Webster dictionary records. The name describes exactly what the game is built around: a spinning wheel of numbered pockets. The game took its modern shape in 18th-century France, and the word has been used in English for the game since the early 1800s. It is a neat reminder that many of our parlour classics carry their origins in their names.
How many numbers are on a roulette wheel?
A European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 plus a single green zero. An American wheel has 38, because it adds a second green pocket, the 00. The numbers alternate red and black, with the zero (and double zero) coloured green. For a home game, a European single-zero wheel is the more common and slightly friendlier choice, since it has one green pocket rather than two.
What is the difference between inside and outside bets?
Inside bets are placed on the numbered grid itself and cover one to four numbers, paying more because they are harder to land. A single number pays 35 to 1. Outside bets sit around the edge and cover larger groups, such as red or black, odd or even, or a dozen of numbers. They win more often but pay less, with even-money bets paying 1 to 1 and dozens or columns paying 2 to 1.
Does the green zero matter?
Yes, the single green zero is the reason a roulette table is never a perfectly even bet. When the ball lands on zero, the even-money outside bets such as red, black, odd and even lose. It is a small but important detail, and a tidy way to explain probability to a curious child: the wheel looks balanced, but the zero tips it ever so slightly. An American wheel has two such green pockets.
Can you win at roulette with a system?
No. Every spin of the wheel is independent of the last, so no betting pattern changes the odds of the next result. Stories of foolproof 'systems' make for good tales but do not hold up. We mention this gently because children often think they have spotted a streak. It is actually a good moment to talk about chance and randomness, the very ideas that early mathematicians explored through games like this one.
What chips should I use at home?
Any set of gaming chips works well. A weighted set such as our 120 gaming chips feels satisfying and doubles up for poker and other card games. For a family game we suggest dividing the chips equally between players with no real money involved, so the fun is in the wager rather than the stakes. Keep a small bowl for the croupier's bank and a notepad for the evening's running scores.
How do I act as the croupier?
The croupier runs the round: invite players to place their bets, call 'no more bets', then spin the wheel in one direction and roll the ball the other way. When the ball settles, announce the winning number and colour, clear the losing chips and pay the winners. It is a sociable role, so rotate it between players if everyone wants a turn. A calm, steady rhythm makes the whole table feel part of the occasion.
Is roulette a Victorian game like other Jaques classics?
Roulette is older than the Victorian era, taking shape in 18th-century France, but it flourished through the 1800s in continental spa towns and salons. Jaques of London, founded in 1795, was already an established firm by then and went on to bring many parlour favourites to market. Roulette sits naturally beside the cards, dominoes and chess of a well-stocked Victorian games cupboard, even though its own roots lie a little further back.
What games pair well with roulette on a games night?
Roulette is the lively party piece, so pair it with quieter classics for variety. A chess set rewards a slower, thoughtful game, a backgammon board offers a brisk two-player contest, and a deck of cards keeps everyone involved. Numbers games like Shut the Box share roulette's friendly suspense. Our advice is to keep a mix in the cupboard so the evening can shift from boisterous to calm as the mood changes.
Roulette is, at heart, a shared moment: the spin, the slowing ball and the whole table leaning in together. Played for fun rather than for money, it belongs with the games families have gathered around for generations. Set it beside a good chess set or a folding backgammon board, give everyone an equal stack of chips, and let the little wheel do what it has done since the salons of 18th-century France.