Over the years, two distinctly different versions of the common roulette game have adapted for casino use. One is known as French or European roulette. The other is American roulette, played at online casinos and land-based casinos throughout the United States. The major difference between the two versions is that the American roulette wheel sports a double zero field, while the French or European version has just one zero.

A roulette wheel consists of 38 slots or pockets which are numbered from 1 to 36 and colored red or black. Two special sections ''zero'' and ''double zero'' appear in green. In order to play roulette, players place wagers on a condition or a number of conditions that the roulette wheel will stop at. After bets are placed, the wheel is spun and a ball is thrown into it that runs in a counter direction from the one the wheel is spinning in.

When the ball stops and comes to rest on a section, the number of the section will dictate the win. The numbers are arranged for even distribution by value, color, high or low and odd or even so that the ball has an equal chance of ending up in any one of them.

A player wins if the ball lands on a number or color that corresponds with the player's wager. He loses if he makes any wager on numbers or colors that the ball does not land on.

In terms of betting, three actions are most commonly used. When a player bets, he places his chips on corresponding positions on the table. If he chooses to repeat a bet, he simply replaces all the chips he placed in the previous spin. If he wishes to clear a bet, the move effectively cancels all previous bets.

A series of different bets are possible in a game of roulette. You can choose to arrange chips on individual numbers or on number sequences or colors.

• A bet on one number is known as a straight up and has a payout rate of 35 to 1.
• A bet on two numbers is known as a split and has a payout rate of 17 to 1.
• A bet on three numbers is known as a street and has a payout rate of 11 to 1.
• A bet on four numbers is known as a corner and has a payout rate of 8 to 1.
• A bet on six numbers is known as a six line and has a payout rate of 5 to 1.
• A bet on a column has a payout rate of 2 to 1.
• A bet on a dozen has a payout rate of 2 to 1.
• A bet on a sequence of low numbers (1-18) has a payout rate of 1 to 1.
• A bet on a sequence of high numbers (19-36) has a payout rate of 1 to 1.
• A bet on even numbers has a payout rate of 1 to 1.
• A bet on odd numbers has a payout rate of 1 to 1.
• A bet on red numbers has a payout rate of 1 to 1.
• A payout on black numbers has a payout rate of 1 to 1.

The number of minimum and maximum outside bets that can be laid in a game of roulette are found outside the number frame. Outside bets are represented by large groupings of numbers along the outside of the roulette table. These bets include 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12, 1-18, 19 - 36, Even, Odd, All Reds (the red diamond), All Blacks (the black diamond), and the 12 number columns at the bottom of each column of numbers.

The number of minimum and maximum inside bets that can be laid in a game of roulette are found inside the number frame. To lay an inside bet, you must place your chips directly on a number or between numbers.