How to play Roulette

Beginners tips on how to play roulette. Understanding essentials of the game of roulette. Different types of roulette. How to bet at Roulette.

The game of roulette

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games. It is a table game which is played by spinning a small white spherical ball on a horizontal wheel, the roulette wheel. The roulette wheel has 37 or 38 numbered grooves or slots, depending on the type of roulette. These grooves are marked with numbers from 1 to 36 and a “0″ and/or “00″. The game winning number is decided by which numbered groove the ball finally comes to rest on.

The different numbered grooves also have  three different colors which also decide the outcome of the bets. The numbers “0″ and “00″ are green in color. The numbers 1 to 36 have half of them in Red color and half in Black.

Types of Roulette

There are generally three kinds of roulette found in both land-based casinos and online ones. They are American, European and French Roulettes. Out of this, two are the most popular ones, so we’ll discuss this two here. One is the American Roulette. This type has 38 numbered grooves – numbers 1 through 36 plus one “0″ and one “00″.  The other is the European Roulette. The only difference of this type from the American type is that there are only one “0″ and no “00″. This means that the total numbered grooves in European roulette is 37. This makes the odds of winning greater, that is 1/37 instead of 1/38 in the case of the American Roulette.

The Roulette Betting Board

The roulette wheel is located at the head portion of the Roulette table on an elevated platform. Larger portions of the roulette table, where the betting chips are placed is the Roulette betting board.  This board has the betting numbers and positions inscribed inside rectangles, and is where the chips are placed to denote bets.

How to bet on roulette

There are many different combinations a player can bet on in roulette. The odds of winning vary depending on these bets. Lets explain the popular ones:

Color bets: The simplest of betting is to bet on the winning colors. To bet you simply place your chip in the black or red colored circle which is on the outside of the betting board. See picture.
The Black numbers are 2,4,6,8,10,11,13,15,17,20,22,24,26,28,29,31,33,35. Red Numbers are 1,3,5,7,9,12,14,16,18,19,21,23,25,27,30,32,34,36.

Winning on color(red or black) bets pays 1 to 1 i.e. bet $10, you win another $10 = total balance $20. Since only “0″ and “00″ are green, the only way to bet on those are on single bets.

2. Even or Odd bets: This is also very simple to bet. Bet on Even and you win if the number is even i.e. 2,4,6,8 … Bet on Odd and you win on numbers 1,3,5 etc. The greens “0″ or “00″ do not count. Winning pays 1 to 1, same as color bets.

3. 12(dozen) numbers bet: You can also bet on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd 12 numbers. Bet on 1st 12 covers numbers from 1 to 12, 2nd covers 13-24 & 3rd covers 25 to 36. Wins pay 2 to 1.

4. Half bets: You can bet on 1-18 or 19-36 numbers. Wins pay 1 to 1.

5. Line Bets: The numbers on the boards are placed in three lines. You can also bet on these lines where winnings pay 2 to 1.

6. Single Bets: To place a straight single bet, simply place the chip right on the number or numbers you want to bet on. Winnings on single bets pay 35 to 1 i.e. $10 gets you $350. The chance of winnings is 1/38 on American Roulette and 1/37 on European type.

Single combination bets can be placed in a variety of ways. The rule is that whatever numbered rectangles the chip touches or implies is taken to be covered by the bet. The winning pay will be 35 divided by no. of bets covered. If the result is not a whole number, the lesser amount is paid. Some common examples:

Example 1. Place the chip on the line between numbers 1 and 2 – your bet will be taken as covering both the numbers 1 & 2. It you bet $10, the payment would be [(35/2)=17]x10 = $170.

Example 2. Place the chip on the crosshairs between 25,26,28&29. It will cover the said 4 numbers and pay (35/4=8) x amount of chip.

Example 3. Place the chip on the left side of number 18 touching the right line. This is taken as covering all the numbers from right to left i.e. 16,17 and 18. Pays (35/3=11)x chip amount.

Example 4. Place the chip on the right side between the numbers 9 and 12 touching both rectangles.  This covers all the horizontal 9 & 12 lines i.e. 7,8,9,10,11 and 12. Pays (35/6=5) x chip amount.

Example 5. Place the chip between the numbers 0,2 and 3 touching all rectangles. This covers numbers 0,2 and 3. Pays (35/3=11)x chip amount.

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For our guide article on Roulette playing go to How to win in roulette.

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