How to Play Roulette on 9Wickets: 5 Bet Types Beginners Should Know

Learning how to play roulette takes about two minutes. Learning which of the five bet types to use, and understanding what each one really costs, is what separates a session that lasts an hour from one that ends in ten minutes.

This guide on how to play roulette skips the wheel’s history and goes straight to the layout. Every wager you can place is one of five types, and beginners routinely pile onto the one that pays the most while ignoring the ones that keep them in the game.

The 9Wickets platform runs standard single-zero and double-zero wheels used in casinos worldwide. If you have already read our poker walkthrough, the change here is that there are no decisions once the ball is spinning everything happens before “no more bets.”

The five bet types in short:

• Straight up — one number, pays 35 to 1
• Split and street — two or three numbers, pays 17 to 1 or 11 to 1
• Corner and line — four or six numbers, pays 8 to 1 or 5 to 1
• Dozens and columns — twelve numbers, pays 2 to 1
• Even-money — red/black, odd/even, high/low, pays 1 to 1

How to Play Roulette Bet 1: The Straight Up

Anyone learning how to play roulette meets the straight-up bet first. You place a chip on a single number, and if the ball lands there you are paid 35 to 1.

It is the most exciting bet and the slowest way to learn. On a European wheel a single number comes up roughly once in 37 spins, so a session built entirely on straight-up bets tends to be long stretches of nothing broken by the occasional large hit.

There is nothing wrong with a straight-up bet as part of a wager. As the whole wager, it burns through a budget faster than any other option on the table.

How to Play Roulette Bet 2: Splits and Streets

A split covers two adjacent numbers and pays 17 to 1. A street covers a row of three and pays 11 to 1. Both are placed on the lines between numbers rather than on the numbers themselves.

These sit between the extremes. They hit more often than a straight-up bet and pay more than an outside bet, which makes them a reasonable middle ground once you are comfortable reading the layout.

The practical use is to spread a single number’s risk. Backing a split instead of one number roughly doubles your chance of a return on that area of the wheel, at a little over half the payout.

How to Play Roulette Bet 3: Corners and Lines

A corner covers four numbers that meet at one point and pays 8 to 1. A six line covers two adjacent rows — six numbers — and pays 5 to 1.

Bet	Numbers	Payout	Rough chance per spin
Straight up	1	35 to 1	~2.7%
Split	2	17 to 1	~5.4%
Street	3	11 to 1	~8.1%
Corner	4	8 to 1	~10.8%
Six line	6	5 to 1	~16.2%

The pattern in that table is the whole game. Every step toward covering more numbers raises your chance of winning and lowers the payout by almost exactly the same proportion. The house edge stays the same across all of them the standard how to play roulette does not offer a “better” inside bet, only a different rhythm.

How to Play Roulette Bet 4: Dozens and Columns

A dozen bet covers twelve numbers 1 to 12, 13 to 24, or 25 to 36 and pays 2 to 1. A column bet covers one of the three long columns on the layout, also twelve numbers, also 2 to 1.

This is the first bet that wins often enough to feel like playing rather than waiting. Roughly one spin in three lands in any given dozen, so the money moves regularly even though the wheel still has its edge.

A common beginner approach is to back two dozens at once, covering 24 of 37 numbers. It wins frequently, but each win only returns a small profit, and the zero still takes the whole stake when it lands. It feels safe without actually being cheaper.

How to Play Roulette Bet 5: Even-Money Bets

Red or black, odd or even, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36. Each covers 18 numbers and pays 1 to 1, and this is where anyone learning how to play roulette should spend their first few sessions.

Even-money bets win close to half the time. They will not build a stack quickly, but they let you watch a full session unfold, learn the pace, and see how the zero behaves without paying tuition in large losses.

One detail worth knowing: when the ball hits zero, even-money bets lose. Some tables apply the la partage rule and return half the stake instead, which is a genuine improvement and worth looking for in the lobby.

Conclusion

Knowing how to play roulette means knowing that every bet trades payout size against how often it wins, and that the house edge is identical across all of them. Start on even-money bets, add dozens once the pace makes sense, and treat straight-up bets as occasional flourishes rather than a strategy.

Roulette is a game of pure chance and no bet type removes the house edge. Play within a budget decided before you sit down, and treat the session as entertainment rather than income.

18+ · Play responsibly.

Our terms page and the verified agent list cover the practical details, and more explainers are collected in the guide library.

FAQ

1. How do I learn how to play roulette quickly?

Start with the even-money outside bets – red or black, odd or even, high or low. They win close to half the time, which lets you learn the table layout and pace without losing quickly. Add inside bets once the rhythm is familiar.

2. What is the difference between inside and outside bets?

Inside bets are placed on the numbered grid and cover one to six numbers at higher payouts. Outside bets sit around the grid and cover twelve to eighteen numbers at lower payouts. The house edge is the same on both.

3. What is the safest bet in roulette?

The even-money bets carry the highest chance of winning any single spin at close to 48.6% on a European wheel. They are the steadiest way to play, though the house still holds its 2.70% edge over time.

4. What does a dozen bet pay in roulette?

A dozen bet covers twelve numbers and pays 2 to 1. Any given dozen wins roughly one spin in three on a European wheel.

5. Do even-money bets lose when the ball hits zero?

Yes, unless the table offers the la partage rule, which returns half the even-money stake when zero lands. Where that rule applies, the house edge on those bets falls to 1.35%.