Roulette

Roulette is one of the most popular and oldest games in the casino and is believed to date from the late 18th century although the present form of the game is from much later. The principle of the game of roulette gambling remains the same as the very early version in that a ball is rolled around a wheel in which there are a number of slots and the idea of the game is to predict into which slot the ball will fall. Early wheels had 28 slots plus two slots which were called house pockets which was to give the house an edge. In today’s Roulette gambling game there are three forms of the game called French Roulette, American Roulette and European Roulette; all wheels today have 36 numbers with European and French Roulette both using a single “house pocket” which carries the number zero and the American version using two house pockets called zero and double zero. It does not take much imagination to realize that the double zero version of the game (American Roulette) gives you worse odds of winning than the single zero games; for this reason we would advise punters to play the single zero version of roulette wherever possible. Unfortunately in places where there is a captive market such as on ferries or cruise ships there will not be a choice other than to play the double zero game.

Roulette Gambling Overview

The game of roulette is actually simple to play which is probably why it is so popular; as already stated the idea of the game is to predict in which numbered slot the ball will come to rest and as the outcome is completely random there is no skill involved. Next to the roulette wheel is a table which enables you to place various sorts of bets which we shall cover here. To start the casino gambling game you will need to decide on the value of each of your chips which once selected can only be changed in between spins of the wheel. You can place as many chips on any bet as you like as long as you remain within the table limits for each bet; these can usually be found written somewhere on the screen.

Roulette Gambling Options

One of the simplest bets is the Red or Black bet. Each of the numbers 1 through 36 is either coloured red or black and a red bet means that you win if the number that comes up is red. There are 18 red numbers and 18 black numbers with the zero usually being coloured green. If zero comes up then all bets on red or black are losing bets. Red/Black bets pay out at odds of 1:1.

Another simple bet along similar lines is the Odd/Even bet so instead of betting on a red number or a black number coming up you are betting on it being an odd number or an even number with again the zero being neither odd nor even. The Odd/Even bet also pays out at odds of 1:1

Sticking with the simple bets, the next is a bet on whether the number is a high number or a low number; numbers 1 through 18 are low numbers and 19 through 36 are high numbers. Again the zero is neither and a bet on High or Low will lose if the zero comes up. High/Low bets pay out at odds of 1:1.

So far we have dealt with bets where you are in fact betting on any one of 18 numbers coming up (there are 18 red numbers and 18 black numbers; 18 odd numbers and 18 even numbers and 18 high numbers and 18 low numbers) so the next series of bets is betting on any one of 12 numbers coming up and there are two ways in which to do this. Firstly along the side of the table are three sectors called “1st 12, 2nd 12 and 3rd 12”. A bet on the first 12 will cover the numbers 1 through 12; a bet on the second 12 will cover all numbers from 13 to 24 and a bet on the 3rd 12 will cover the numbers from 25 to 36. A winning bet on these will pay out at odds of 2:1.

An alternative bet on 12 numbers is the column bet. You will notice that all numbers are in a 12 by 3 matrix with the zero at the top. Every column therefore contains 12 numbers which gives rise to the column bet. Simply place your bet at the bottom of the column that you wish to back and if the winning number is in that column you win at odds of 2:1.

Moving on we come to the possibility to bet on six numbers which is effectively betting on any two adjacent rows of three numbers. To do this you place your chips as shown straddling two rows on the betting table. A winning bet will pay out at odds of 5:1.

The next gambling bet to be covered in roulette is the corner bet which is betting on 4 numbers that are located adjacent to each other on the board. By placing your chips on the corner straddling all four numbers you are betting on one of the four coming up and the winning odds are 8:1.

Next in line is the three number bet or row bet where you bet on any row of numbers. Your chips are placed at the end of the row and you have covered all three numbers in that row. A winning bet will pay out at odds of 11:1.

The two number bet is next which is also known as a double bet or a split bet. Simply place your chips on the line between two numbers and either number coming up will produce a win for you at odds of 17:1. You can place this bet on any two adjacent numbers.

Last but not least is the single number bet or straight up bet which is where you place your chips directly on one number. A winning number pays out at odds of 35:1. It is also possible to place a single number bet on zero.

As we said at the beginning it is possible to place as many chips as you like on the table at any one time in any combination you like as long as you do not exceed the table limits for a particular bet. In online casinos the software will simply flash up a message if you try to do this. In other words you could for example place a straight up bet on number 15 but you could also place a split bet on numbers 14 and 15 and a corner bet on numbers 11/12/14/15 (see above image). If number 15 came up you would win on all these bets.

Similarly if you wish to gamble on two numbers that are not adjacent to each other as in a split bet you can simply place two separate straight up bets on the numbers you like and similarly if you want three numbers that are not in a single row as in the row bet, place three straight up bets on the numbers you wish. As a straight up gambling bet pays out at 35:1 and a the row bet only pays out at 11:1 it may seem strange to say do not worry about being disadvantaged by the odds whichever way bet. The odds at the roulette table are such that it makes no difference which way you go.

To illustrate this let us suppose that you wish to place a €1 gambling bet on each of three numbers; in a row bet your stake would have to be €3 on the row and 3 straight up bets would also be €3. A winning row bet would pay odds of 11:1 giving you winnings of €33 plus your original stake which is returned making a total of €36. In your straight up bets only one of the three bets can win meaning that two bets will lose; your winning number will pay out at 35:1 giving you €35 plus your stake of €1 is returned leaving you with the same €36. This same rule is true for any combination of bets so don’t let it worry you. Roulette is a great game and really easy to play. Pick your favourite online casino from our recommended ones and if you are new to the game play free roulette first until you get the hang of it.