Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to play and for that reason is one of the most popular. The game uses a roulette wheel consisting of slots numbered 1 to 36 and coloured red and black, and either a 0 (for European roulette) or 0 and 00 (for American roulette), as well as a ball and a felt layout for bets to be placed on. The only decision you as a player will make is which numbers or 'patterns' to bet on. You place your bets before the dealer announces ' no more bets', he will then spin the ball and it is simply a matter of waiting to find out which slot on the roulette wheel the ball falls into and therefore whether you have won or not.
The different bets you can make at a roulette table can be divided into 'inside bets' and 'outside bets'. We detail all the different types and their payoffs below:
Outside bets - bets which are not placed on the numbers themselves but on the other boxes available on the outside of the layout:
Odd or even: Simply guess whether the ball will land on an odd number or an even number. This is what's called an even-money bet, meaning that you will double your money if you win. ie. if you bet $10 you will get $10 back, however it's not quite a 50/50 chance. With all outside bets if the ball falls in 0 or 00 you will lose. This is where the house (casino) gets it's advantage from.
Red or Black: Similar to the odd or even bet, decide whether you want to bet on a red or black number to win, and then place your bet in the relevant box.
High or Low: This refers to high or low numbers, another even money bet you gamble on either the ball landing in number 1-18 (low) or 19-36 (high).
Dozens: If you think of the high or low bet splitting the table layout into two then the dozens bet splits it into three. The sections are 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36 and are called the first, second and third dozen respectively. This bet pays 2 to 1 if you win meaning that if you bet $20 and won you would get $60 back ($40 winnings and your $20 stake)
Columns: At the bottom of the table layout you will find the boxes where you can bet on the columns. The three boxes correspond to all the numbers above them up to but not including 0 and/or 00. This bet also pays out at 2 to 1.
Inside bets - bets on either individual numbers or sets of numbers, placed on the inside of the board:
Single number bet: Also called the straight bet or classic bet, you decide on any individual number and place your bet in the middle of the square corresponding to it. The pay out is 35 to 1, ie a winning $10 bet will get $360 back.
Split bet: This is betting on two number using a single bet. Place your chip on the line splitting the two numbers and hope one of them comes in. If it does you get paid at 17 to 1.
Street bet: This bet will cover any row of three numbers across the layout. Place your chip at the end of the row you think will win, on the line dividing the inside and outside bets. The odds paid on this bet are 11 to 1.
Square bet: This bet covers 4 different numbers all joining each other and forming a square, hence the name. To make this bet, put your chip on the intersection dividing all four numbers and hope for a 8 to 1 payout.
There are some other bets we have not included here for various reasons, including the five-number bet (which has a greater house advantage, not good) and the six-number bet (not available at many casinos) but with the bets above you should be able to have more than enough fun playing roulette and hopefully win some money.
