Roulette

A basic overview

Roulette may seem like a complicated game, but the truth is that it is actually quite easy. The only thing to really learn is how the betting works at physical and online casinos. Sure, you can calculate different probabilities, but in the end it boils down to luck.

A roulette table usually seats up to 8 players who all play against the house. The dealer in this case is called the croupier. The croupier’s responsibility lies in spinning the roulette wheel and handling the respective bets. European roulette wheels have 37 slots. The numbers range between 0 and 36. The American version of the game differs slightly in the fact that the wheel has 38 slots with the numbers range starting at 00, then 0 and through to 36. The 00 and 0s are always green where the other numbers alternate between red and black.

Placing a bet

The first step is to purchase chips. Every player’s chips will differ in color to ensure that there is no confusion at the roulette table. This only to applies to the American casinos. The European chips are all the same color, so keeping an eye on your own chips is advisable. Online roulette does not have these problems as all the chips are automated to only be played by you.

The types of bets

There are quite a few types of bets in roulette that you have to get your head around if you want to play roulette properly. There’s nothing worse than sitting at a roulette table with everybody playing fluently, and not knowing exactly what to do. Feeling out of your depth is the last thing you want when gambling. You have to be in control.

Inside bets

A straight-up bet is a bet made on just a single number. This can include 0 and 00. Although this does pay 35:1, the odds are even slightly higher, so this is not ideal if you’re just starting off. A split bet is when you place your chips between two numbers. The payout for a successful bet is 17:1, so these odds are slightly better. If you decide to place a street bet, this means that you are covering three numbers in a row. If you win, you get paid out 11:1. A corner bet is when you bet on 4 adjoining numbers that form a square. This pays out 8:1. Corner bets are also known as square bets or quarter bets. If you decide that you want slightly safer odds, you may do well with a five number bet which pays you out 6:1. If you want to be even safer on the inside bets, you can go with a row bet (or line bet). This pays out 5:1.

Outside bets

These bets are the bets that you place on the outside of the roulette table. Any outside bets are counted as a loss if the ball lands on either 00 or 0. The first option available is the dozens option. You can either bet on the 1st (1-12), 2nd (13-24) or 3rd (25-36) batch of numbers. A winning bet pays out 2:1. A column bet is when you bet on any of the three columns. This bet also covers one of three dozens and pays out 2:1. The safest odds are when you bet on either red or black. The downside to safe odds is that you only get paid out 1:1. The same applies when you bet on odds or evens or low/high. Low/high is when you bet on 1-18 or 19-36. This also pays 1:1.

Other roulette rules

There are some casinos that apply a rule called “en prison.” This literally means “in prison.” This rule is applied to all 1:1 bets. If the ball lands on 00 or 0, the player has an option to either take half their money back or let the bet ride for another round. If the ball lands on 00 or 0 again, the bet is lost.

Summary

These rules are only a broad guide to roulette. If you really want to excel at this game, you need to play it. The more you play – online or land based – the better you will get and the more comfortable you will feel. There are some online casinos that offer free roulette with no real bets so that you can gain the confidence needed to play well. Once you think you’re at that level, find an online or physical casino at your convenience and try your luck.