How to play Roulette? Complete Roulette Guide
Preface: Roulette is French for ‘Little Wheel’. The game was invented by a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal back in 1655. He was seeking to create a perpetual motion machine, but happened upon a new game which gave rise to the modern-day game of roulette. This enticing game has become the poster child of casinos the world over, reeling in players by the truckload as they attempt to beat the odds and rake in the cash. Roulette is a numbers game, and despite an above average house edge there is still plenty of opportunity to win big in this casino table game.
The objective of roulette is simple: Place a bet on your favorite selections on the roulette racetrack; if the white ball lands in the right pocket, you will get paid out accordingly. Yet, despite its simplicity, many new players are intimidated by roulette games at the casino. Perhaps it’s the formal structure and layout of the game, with the nattily-clad dealers and the posh milieu? Perhaps it’s the dignified manner that roulette players are seated around the table. In any event, this CConversations guide to roulette will dispel the myths, superstitions, and seeming complexity of roulette and provide you with easy-to-understand rules to play roulette online.
At first glance, the roulette racetrack – the entire betting felt – is a smorgasbord of betting selections. Depending on the roulette variant that you are playing, this can be somewhat unsettling to new players, so it’s important to keep things as simple as possible. In this CConversations roulette guide, we are going to take you through the most common variants of roulette, explain the rules, roulette bet selections, RTP and house edge, and payout potential of each roulette variant.
There is no failsafe strategy to win money on roulette; however, there are sensible betting practices and bankroll management techniques that can help you to maximize your enjoyment of roulette online. Incidentally, the sum total of all the numbers on the roulette wheel is 666 – the number of the devil. Blaise Pascal’s version of the game remained untouched for a century until an additional zero was added to the roulette wheel by François and his brother Louis, increasing the house edge to 5.26%. We will tackle each of these options in this guide, and in subsequent chapters. We now begin with an introductory discussion of Types of Roulette Bets.
Different Types of Roulette Bets
Inside Bets – Inside bets are located on the ‘inside’ of the roulette racetrack. They include either individual numbers or combinations of numbers.
Straight up Bets – bets on individual numbers – 35:1 payout
Split Bets – bets on more than a single number by placing the roulette chip between two numbers – 17:1 payout
Street Bets – 3 number bets – 11:1 payout
Corner Bets – 4 number bets – 8:1 payout
Five Number Bets – only available on American Roulette games (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) – 6:1 payout
Six Number Bets – bets on six numbers – payout 5:1
It’s worth emphasizing that ‘inside bets’ have much better payout odds than outside bets, since they are less likely to occur. For example, you get 35:1 on an individual number (Inside Bet) since it is pretty difficult to correctly guess the right number (1 in 37 or 2.70% in European Roulette, and 1 in 38 or 5.26% in American Roulette).
Outside Bets –
High and Low Bets – the high numbers are 19-36 and the low numbers are 1-18. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, the High and Low Bets lose. The payout on these bets is even money, or 1:1.
Dozens Bets – these are bets on either the first dozen, second dozen, or third dozen set of numbers on the roulette racetrack. The payout for correctly anticipating Dozens Bets is 2:1. If you land either of the zero combinations, the dozens bet loses.
Even/Odd Bets – Even Numbers and Odd Numbers are peppered across the roulette racetrack. However, 0 and 00 are not part of the Even/Odd Bets. The payout for even bets is even money otherwise known as 1:1.
Column Bets – the columns are indicated by the 2:1 designations under each of the three rows on the roulette racetrack. These bets pay at odds of 2:1. Be advised that the 0 and the 00 are not part of the Column Bets and will cause you to lose if they land.
Red/Black Bets – these bets are placed on red or black numbers respectively. If the green numbers land, both Red or Black bets are disqualified and loose. The payout on Red/Black bets is even money, a.k.a. 1:1.
Once you’ve got your roulette bet selections in mind, you can buy in by placing your chips on the roulette racetrack. Be sure to meet the minimum/maximum table betting requirements on all your roulette bet selections.
European Roulette: Quick Synopsis
European Roulette is one of the world’s favorite roulette variants. It is universally played at casinos online and at land-based establishments. The primary difference between European Roulette and others is the single green zero slot on the wheel. This means that the roulette wheel has 37 numbers. These include 0, and 1-36. In total, that’s 37 numbers. Every number has a 2.70% chance of occurring, and the house edge in European Roulette is 2.70%. The RTP is 97.3%. The difference between the true odds and the game payouts is more favourable in this game than in other games like American Roulette.
French Roulette: Quick Synopsis
French Roulette is similar in many respects to European Roulette. It features 37 numbers. These include 0, and 1-36. Of course, this game is different to European Roulette in several ways. There are two important rules in French Roulette that can further reduce the house edge to as low as 1.35% – that’s half the house edge of European Roulette. These include ‘En Prison’ and ‘La Partage’ rules. Simply stated, ‘En Prison’ keeps your bet in prison until the next spin if you place an even-money bet and 0 lands. If you win on the next bet, the bet can be removed from the table. The other rule is ‘La Partage’ which effectively allows you to lose just 50% of your bet if 0 lands on an even-money bet.
American Roulette: Quick Synopsis
American Roulette is hugely popular, despite it’s really high house edge. There are 38 numbers on the American Roulette wheel, including 0, 00, and numbers 1-36. The house edge is skewed in favor of the casino, by dint of the fact that the payout on an individual bet remains 35:1, despite the fact that there are 38 numbers on the wheel. If it were a fair game, the payout would be 38:1 on an individual number – that’s how the casino edge is calculated. Nonetheless, the addition of an extra number is enticing to players, since it’s something else to bet on.
This introductory roulette guide will get you started on the types of roulette bets you can place, the payout odds you can expect from those bets, and the roulette variants which offer the lowest house edge. In subsequent guides, we are going to go in-depth to provide you with detailed insights into roulette bankroll management, roulette variants, roulette bet types, and betting systems that you may wish to attempt.
