Introduction to Roulette
Roulette is arguably the most popular game in the casino. It is a game of beautiful simplicity – a ball is spun around the multi-coloured wheel before dropping into one of the numbered pockets. The idea of the game is simply to guess which number the ball will land in!
The roulette wheel is numbered from 0-36. Of the 36 main numbers, half are red and half are black, the zero is the only different one, coloured in green.
Considering it is a relatively simple game, it still allows for a large number of betting options, as we will explore in the next section.
Roulette Bets
Roulette bets are placed on the table adjoining the wheel itself. The typical table layout looks like the image below. There is an appropriately coloured space for each number from 1-36 (red or black), where the “inside bets” are placed. Around the edge of the table are spaces for all the “outside bets,” which are explained below.
Different types of bet have varying probabilities of winning, with the payout varying based on how likely you are to win. Below you will find the common bets and possible wins for each outcome.
Inside bets – these are bets on individual numbers or combinations of multiple numbers.
Single number. An outright bet on a single number. Pays 35/1, so a winning £1 bet will return £36 (£35 profit plus the £1 stake). You can bet on zero as you would any other number.
Split. A bet on two adjoining numbers, pays 17/1. The chip is placed between the two numbers you wish to bet on.
Corner. A bet on four adjoining numbers, pays 8/1. To place this bet the chip is positioned in the centre of a block of 4 numbers.
Street. A bet on a row of 3 numbers, e.g. 1, 2, 3 or 34, 35, 36. The chip is placed at the bottom of the row. Pays 11/1.
Outside bets – these are bets on defined groups of numbers.
Odd/Even. A bet on whether the ball will land on an odd or even number. Pays 1/1, so any winning bet will double your money. If the ball lands on zero this bet loses*
Red/Black. Similar to above, a bet on whether the ball will land on red or black. Also pays 1/1, so any winning bet will double your money. If the ball lands on zero this bet loses*
1-18/19-36. This is the third type of even money bet. A bet on whether the ball will land on a number between 1-18, or 19-36. Also pays 1/1, so again any winning bet will double your money. If the ball lands on zero this bet loses*
* apart from in some UK casinos, where a zero would return half your stake on these three bets.
Column. A bet on one of the three columns of numbers, e.g. 3, 6, 9…, 36. In the image above, the chip would be placed in the space to the right of the 36, where it says 2/1. You can probably now guess that this bet pays out at 2/1!
Dozen. A bet on one of the three “dozens.” These are 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36. In the image above they are shown as the “1st 12,” “2nd 12,” and “3rd 12.” These bets also payout at 2/1.
Other bets
There are also various named bets in roulette, one example being “Orphelins.” These are bets on a predefined set of numbers. These bets usually take in numbers that are physically next to each other on the wheel, and are often called out by the player placing the bet, rather than physically putting a chip on the table. For this reason, you don’t often see these bets at online casinos.
Roulette versions
You might think that the roulette wheel is a fairly standard thing. However, depending on where you play the game you will come across a couple of variations of the wheel – these are European and US roulette. Each version has its own number layout, but the big difference is that the US version has an extra space on the wheel, known as “00″ or “Double Zero.” Despite this addition, the payout for a single number remains the same at 35/1, making the European version a marginally better game to play!
If you are yet to sign up to an online casino you should note that most of them will allow you to register then try out the games for free!