This page describes each and every way you can place a bet at the roulette table, which can effectively be read as a set of roulette rules. Now this doesn't exactly read like a poker rules site would, it's more of a guide on learning the different bets available to you, what you're allowed to make, and how you're allowed to do it. Since this site is dedicated to roulette, and gambling around the world, I don't like to leave anyone out. So if you're visiting here from Germany, and you're looking for information on glücksspiel, and if you're interested in spiel-roulette, you're in the right place.
The first thing you should know before you learn anything about the bets you can make, is when and how you can make those bets. Each roulette table moves in sessions, each session is associated with a spin of the wheel and that spin's result. A session ends when the ball lands where it may, and the dealers clear the board of losing bets (and pay winning ones of course). At this point the dealer will say 'place your bets' and everyone at the table will start throwing chips down like crazy. If you haven't read up on the rest of the site I'll quickly go over the different colors of chips and how they relate to the rest of the roulette rules. Each player plays with their own color chips. You trade in your checks (which most people think of as regular casino chips, but they're actually called checks) for roulette chips when a new session starts, and the dealer assigns you a number and denomination. All of your chips of the same color are worth the same amount.
When the new session starts you can put your chips down where you want to bet, and you don't really have to be in a hurry. Most roulette sessions move at a fairly slow pace, to accommodate the number of people betting, and the variety on which they can bet. If you have a player you likes to put down twenty different bets each time they play, the sessions are going to move a little slower. There aren't many specific things that can be considered roulette rules at the table, but here's one you shouldn't forget. After the ball has started spinning, the dealer will wave his hands across the table and say 'no more bets'. At this point, as you intuition may have mentioned to you, you can't place any more bets. Just sit back and let the ball fall where it may. Now lets take a look at each of the individual bets you can make.
Roulette rules - inside bets
The inside bets are made up of specific numbers or combinations of numbers within the number layout, or along the border of it. On inside bets, the total of all of your bets must add up to at least the table minimum.
Straight-up bet - this is the classic roulette bet. Choose any one of the 38 numbers and put your chips down on that number for the chance to win back at 35 to 1. True odds on this bet are 37 to 1, but roulette rules dictate a 35 to 1 payback, so the casino robs you of two dollars each time you win (that's how they make their money, for more info on this read the roulette odds page).
Split bet - you can place a single bet on two individual numbers if those numbers are beside each other on the table layout. To do so put your chips down on the line between them. This bet pays 17 to 1 if either of those numbers come up.
Street bet - This is a bet not unlike a split. It allows you to bet on three different numbers with the same bet. You can do this by placing chips on the outside of the row of numbers you want to bet on. So if you want to bet on the numbers 1, 2, and 3 all at once, put your chips down on the line that is the outside edge of the 3. This bet pays 11 to 1.
Corner bet - another combination wager, the corner bet lets you bet on four adjoining numbers. Placing your chips at the point where four numbers meet will indicate you want a corner bet. This is sometimes referred to as a square bet. If any of the four numbers come up, you're paid 8 to 1.
Fiver number bet - There is only one five number bet available, and as such, it's referred to as the five number bet. To make this bet place your chips at the intersection of 0 and 1 on the corner (not the corner that joins with two, but the other one). You can win if any of 0, 00, 1, 2, or 3 are hit. You are paid 6 to 1. This is the worst bet in all of roulette betting. Even the casinos know they should pay you back at 6.2 to 1, but since that's too hard, they just round down. This rounding makes the five number bet the only roulette bet that differs in the house edge, sadly though it makes it even worst, so it's not even worth thinking about.
Click here for more roulette rules and descriptions of the outside bets.
