Anyone who has ever visited a casino, be that a land-based one or an online one, will in all likelihood have tried their luck on the roulette wheel. When it comes to casino games, roulette is one that enjoys plenty of popularity due to the fact that it is a simple game to play and can provide a lot of entertainment and suspense. If you are new to roulette and have no idea how to play it, do not fear as we are here to change that. Keep on reading and you will find out all that you need to know about playing roulette.
The Basic Playing Rules
Roulette rules are really straightforward. When you are playing roulette, you will see a wheel that has the numbers 1-36 written on them in red and black as well as a green pocket that has 0 on it. There are different variants of roulette and some of these have a wheel that has an additional green pocket with a double 0 on it, but we can talk more about that a bit later on.
To begin a roulette game, the dealer, also known as the croupier, will get the ball in motion by giving the wheel a good spin, and this is the sign for those at the table to put their chips on the layout that is right in front of them. While the wheel is still in motion, the croupier will call out “no more bets” and then everyone at the table just as to wait until the wheel has come to a complete stop to see where the ball landed and who has won. If you happen to predict correctly, then you will land some money. If your prediction is wrong, then your stake is lost. It does not come much simpler than that.
The Different Kinds of Roulette
When you are playing roulette at a casino online, you will find plenty of variants that you can choose from, but there are three main types, and these shall be looked at in more detail right now.
European Roulette
If you are playing roulette outside the US, then it is likely that this is the roulette variant that you are playing. This roulette wheel has one green 0, while there are the numbers 1-36 on the other pockets on the wheel.
If you are playing this variant at a land-based casino, then you can hand the croupier some extra money to drop the ball where and when you say. Also, you can get them to place your bet for you – some people believe that this leads to a bit of extra luck. This is something that is not possible in the two other variants below, and you can obviously not do this if you are playing roulette online.
American Roulette
The main variation between this type of roulette and the one that we just mentioned above is the fact that the American wheel has a single 0 slot and a 00 slot. You might not think that this extra pocket makes much of a difference, but it does actually since it lowers your chances of being victorious since the ball has one additional pocket on it now that it can stop in. When you are playing European Roulette, your chances of winning are 37:1, but whenever you sit down to play American roulette, the odds will increase to 38:1.
Another variation between European and American roulette is the fact that the numbers are on the wheel in a different sequence. For instance, in European roulette, the numbers are placed on the wheel randomly, while in American roulette they are placed opposite the number that comes after them when counting. For example, opposite 25 you will find 26 and opposite 27 you will find 28.
Also, there are some bet types that you can place in American roulette that you are not able to make in European roulette. For instance, you can make a five-number bet which is where you are hoping that the silver ball comes to a halt on one, two, three, zero, or double zero.
French Roulette
Roulette was created in France, so it can be argued that French roulette is the game’s most authentic variation. This roulette game is similar to European roulette because there is just a single 0 slot on the wheel and the numbers and different bets are the same. However, the betting table comes with a bit of a slightly different layout.
The main way that this game differs from the European variant one though is the fact that there are two extra rules, and these are La Partage and En Prison. With the former, if you place an even bet for the ball to land on black or red, or even or odd, and it stops on the green 0, then you will be given half your wager back. You do not have to take this wager back though – you can decide to leave it out there on the table for the next spin. Your stake is now “En Prison”. If you win on your next spin, you will receive the full stake, not just a half of it. However, if you lose on the next spin, the whole stake is gone.
Different Roulette Bet Types Available
When it comes to roulette betting, there are two kinds of bets available and these are known as outside and inside bets. If you place an outside bet, then you are putting your money on a large set of numbers such as black or red, even or odd, or 1-18 and 19-36. If, however, you go for an inside bet, then you will be putting your cash on one number or a small set of numbers. Inside bets are harder to land than outside ones, but you will end up with a lot more profit if you are successful.
Why are the called inside and outside bets? Well, when you sit down to play roulette you will find that there is a layout in front of you that has the various betting options available on it. You make your bet by placing your chips on the section that you want to bet on. The sections on the outside of the layout are known as outside bets, while those on the inside are, you guessed it, known as inside bets.
We shall now have a look at the various outside and inside bets that you can make when you are playing roulette.
Outside Bets:
Red or black: If the ball stops in a pocket that has the same colour that you predicted, there is a 1:1 payout.
Odd/even: If you wager that the silver ball will stop on an odd number and it does, there will be a 1:1 payout. There is the same payout if you predict an even number and it stop on one.
Low/high: If you decide to bet on a low, then you need to ball to stop on any number between 1 and 18, while if you go for high, then you need the ball to stop on any number between 19 and 36. There is, once again, a 1:1 payout.
Columns: You will find three different columns on a poker layout with 12 different number on them. If you make a bet on a column and the ball stops on one of the numbers, then the payout is 2:1.
Dozens: The 36 numbers on the wheel are split into three groups of three dozen and these are 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. If the ball stops on a number from the group that you chose, there is a 2:1 payout.
Inside Bets:
Straight-up: You place your money on the one number and if the ball stops on that number, then you will be awarded with a payout of 35:1.
Split-Bet: You select two numbers side by side on the wheel, and if the ball stops on one of these numbers, then there is a 17:1 payout.
Corner bet: You put your money on 4 numbers in a group, and if the ball stops on one of these four numbers, there is a 8:1 payout.
Street bet: Select three numbers from a row and if the ball stops on a number that you chose, there will be a payout of 11:1.
Five number bet: This kind of wager is only possible in American roulette, and with it you are putting money on the ball landing on 0, 00, 1, 2, or 3. You will get a 6:1 payout for this.
Line bet: Here you put your cash on two lines that are next to each other, and if the ball lands on one out of your six numbers, you will get a 5:1 payout.
Practice by Playing for Free
Roulette is an easy game to learn how to play, no matter what variant you are playing, and this is one of the reasons why it is now one of the most popular games at casinos. However, even though it is a simple game to play, it comes with quite the high house edge.
Therefore, before you start playing roulette with your own money, you should play it as a demo so that you get to grips with the different types of bets.
Also, there are various roulette strategies that you can use to improve your odds of winning when you are playing roulette, although keep in mind that wins are never guaranteed. If you are thinking about making use of a new roulette strategy, then think about testing it out for free on a demo game before you start to risk your own money. Once you feel that you know the different types of bets well and know the ins and outs of a new strategy, you can start to think about playing for real money.
Nowadays, online casinos are well aware that casino players want the option of being able to play roulette (and the other games on offer) for free, so you will find that most online casinos offer their players demo versions of most of their games.