Uniformly appreciated by millions of players around the world, roulette gives pride of place to absolute chance. Therefore, the house derives a certain profit margin from it. Roulette is defined as a rotating circular cylinder with a sleeve on top and dotted with numbered squares. It’s such an iconic game that every age group must have heard of it. Luck will rule the players ‘ fortunes once the cue ball is thrown into the cylinder in action. To date, no strategy can determine in advance in which numbered square the resin ball will end its course. On the other hand, the players are fully responsible for the way in which they place their bets. This article is intended to help you understand the rules of roulette to play it almost professionally.
In roulette, the one and only thing over which you have any decision-making power are where you will place your bets. The odds vary widely depending on whether you play European Roulette or American Roulette. The boxes are numbered from 1 to 36. They are arranged in such a way as to ensure an alternation between the black numbers and the red numbers. European Roulette also has a green square marked with a zero, where American Roulette has a second, marked with a double zero. It is precisely this extra slot unique to American roulette that increases the house advantage. In fact, it is better to favor your European counterpart. The way to play roulette comes down to some subtleties like this. On this page, you will find a detailed explanation of the rules of roulette as well as practical advice on how to play it optimally. If the terms used in roulette seem a little cryptic to you, check out our roulette glossary to dispel your doubts.
How to Play Roulette?
If roulette is your favorite game, you’re in luck. Indeed, any self-respecting online casino must include roulette among its range of games. If you’ve never played it in your life, here are the ground rules. If you look at a roulette table, you will notice that the stack consists of numbers between 1 and 36. There is also a green zero (if you are playing European roulette). If you are playing American Roulette, you will notice that there is also a square marked with a double zero. The object of the game is to guess in which square the cue ball will come to rest. Players will have the option of betting on an individual number or on a group of numbers, with the odds of occurrence increasing or decreasing as a result. To put it simply, the greater your chances of winning, the lower the payout ratio will be.
When the dealer declares, “Place your bets!” », He asks the different players to place their bets on the different sections of the table. Bets are made using chips of different colors. In physical casinos, either the player arranges his bets on the table on his own, or he leaves it to the dealer to do it for him by announcing the individual number or group of numbers on which he wishes to place a bet. The bets placed must comply with the minimum and maximum limits of the table in question.
When the croupier announces, “Nothing is going well! », It ends the period during which bets can be made. He turns the roulette wheel in one direction and throws the ball in the other direction.
As soon as the ball comes to rest in one of the numbered boxes, the dealer announces the winning number loudly and intelligibly. The winners get payouts depending on the type of bet made and the house, for its part, captures the bets of the losers.
Types of Roulette Bets
When it comes to roulette betting types, you will be spoiled for choice! Depending on the amount of money the player wishes to invest, the winning bets he places will generate various and varied payouts. The same goes for most other casino games. In craps, a specific type of bet (the “Odds Bet”) completely destroys the casino’s house advantage, where other types of bet propel it to more than 10%. In roulette, the house advantage remains unchanged, regardless of the type of bet you place. However, this does not mean that your chances of winning will be the same depending on the type of bet placed. As you learn the rules of roulette in more detail, this is a crucial point to keep in mind. For example, if you place your bet on even numbers, you will win almost half the time. On the other hand, if you bet on an individual number, you will have only one chance in 37 or 38 (depending on the variant) of winning it. The bets that offer the best payout ratios are obviously the most lucrative but also the riskiest. But in the long run, the advantage remains in favor of the casino. So what are the types of roulette bets? We have listed them in the table below.
- Full number = A bet is placed on any individual number (including zero). The payout is 35 to 1.
- Straddle = A bet is placed on two adjacent numbers. The stack of tokens must be placed on the line between these two numbers. The payout is 17 to 1.
- Full Cross = A bet is placed on all three numbers in the same row. To do this, the stack of tokens must be placed on the row at the start (or end) of said row. The payout is 11 to 1.
- Square = A bet is placed on a group of four numbers. The stack of tokens should be positioned at the intersection of these four numbers. This type of bet can also be placed on the first four numbers of the stack (0, 1, 2, and 3). The payout is 8 to 1.
- Single cross (or sixain) = A bet is placed on six numbers (two rows of three numbers). The stack of tokens is placed on the point of intersection of the two rows in question. The payout is 5 to 1.
- Dozen = This is also a type of bet that involves 12 numbers (as the name suggests). The stack of tokens must be placed on “1st 12” (for numbers between 1 and 12), on “2nd 12” (for numbers between 13 and 24), or on “3rd 12” (for numbers between 25 and 36) ). The payout is 2 to 1.
- Column = This bet involves an entire column (of 12 numbers). The stack of tokens is placed in the “2 to 1” section (located at the bottom of the column in question). The payout is 2 to 1.
- Red / Black = This is a bet that involves either all red numbers or all black numbers. Place your stack of chips on “Red” or “Black” to initiate this type of bet. The payout is 1 to 1.
- Even / Odd = This is a bet that involves either all even numbers or all odd numbers. Place your stack of chips on “Odd” (odd) or “Even” (even) to initiate this type of bet. The payout is 1 to 1.
- Miss / Pass = By making this type of bet, you bet either on all the numbers between 1 and 18 (miss) or on all the numbers between 19 and 36 (pass). The payout is 1 to 1.
Always Favor European Roulette
Now that we have gone through all of the betting types and their associated odds let’s take a closer look at how a game of roulette works. Unlike the disparaging gossip you might have heard about it, roulette is a game that presents no particular difficulty. The rules are so simple that many players have made it their game of choice. As soon as the bets have been placed on the mat using chips of different colors to distinguish between the players taking part in the action, the croupier activates the roulette wheel, throws the white resin ball, and declares that the game is over. Nothing is going well. As soon as the ball is immobilized in a box, the croupier announces the final result, captures the lost bets, and pays the winners. Otherwise, the whole point of roulette does not end there. Indeed, some casinos apply additional rules (in particular to the French roulette) such as the “rule of the division” and the “rule of the setting in prison” to spice up the parts. These two rules, when applied, help reduce the house edge by half (or just 1.35%) on simple odds (red or black numbers, odd or even numbers, miss or pass).
Avoid American Roulette as Much as Possible
In North America and some Caribbean countries, roulettes have a double zero (in addition to a single zero). If zero or double zero comes out, all bets will be lost (except those specifically placed on one of the two zeros). As a result, in American roulette, a player’s chances of winning are diminished as the house advantage inevitably increases. This is precisely why American roulette is less popular. As a bonus, some US casinos will allow you to place a combination bet (a “Basket Bet”). To do this, you will need to place your chips on the border of the line that separates the row of zeros (0 and 00) from that of the first three numbers (1, 2, and 3). This type of bet offers a payout of 6 to 1, which is one of the worst bets in roulette in relation to its actual odds of occurrence (and a house advantage which, by the way, climbs to 7.89%). All things considered, it’s best to look away from American roulette and only have eyes on European roulette!
