Roulette offers glamour and mystery to casino-goers around the world. But despite its simple appearance, the game provides a surprising depth of strategy for serious players who know how to play. This article will break down the basics, from how to place your chips at the table to handling your winnings.
Before you start playing, it’s a good idea to set a budget for your bets. Then choose a table within your betting range. Every roulette table carries a placard with a description of the minimum and maximum bets allowed. In general, minimum bets are higher for inside bets than outside bets, and tables usually allow players to make multiple wagers per spin.
To spin the wheel, the dealer places a small ball in a metal basket attached to a slanted rotating disk called a rotor. The rotor is spun in one direction while the slanted track, which runs around the perimeter of the wheel, is moved in the opposite direction. When the rotor stops, the ball drops into one of the 36 slots marked red, black, odd, or even on the roulette layout. Depending on the type of bet you made, the payout will vary.
A Straight Up Bet: A bet on a single number. This bet costs 17 chips and pays 35 to 1 if the number wins. A Split Bet: Also known as a cheval in French. A bet placed by placing your chip(s) to straddle the line between two numbers on the layout. A Street Bet/Three Number Bet/Side Bet: A bet on a single row of three consecutive numbers. A win on this bet pays 11-1. Odd or Even Bet: You’re wagering that the winning number will be either one of the 18 odd numbers or one of the 18 even numbers. Neither the 0 nor the 00 count for this bet, so if one of these numbers comes up, you lose.
The house edge in Roulette is the result of the existence of a double zero on the American roulette wheel, which gives the house an additional 2.7% advantage over European roulette. This is a little more than the 2.70% advantage enjoyed by bettors using the La Partage rule, which divides all even-money bets in half, keeping half for the house and returning the other half to the player.
