Roulette is a very popular game, both in online casinos and traditional ones. Most people know the basic gameplay, but I’ll go over it anyways just in case.
Roulette is played by throwing a small ball into a spinning wheel, and betting on where it’s going to land. There are several different things you can bet on, each with its own set of odds and payouts – obviously the more specific the bet the higher the payout will be.
There are 2 different kinds of roulette, American and French. American roulette has 38 pockets total, while French roulette has 37.
Overview of bets
You can bet on the specific number it will land on (called a straight bet). This type of bet pays out the best – 35:1 in American roulette.
Next type is split bets, which payout at 17:1, are 2-number bets, placed on 2 adjacent numbers.
A street bet, which pays 11:1, is a bet placed on 3 adjacent numbers which are in a row on the game board.
When you make square bets, which are commonly called corner bets, you put the chips on 4 numbers in a square layout, such as 11, 12, 14, and 15. Square bets pay out at 8:1. Line bets pay 5:1, and are inside bets placed on 2 adjacent rows, totaling 6 numbers.
Column bets and dozen bets both pay out at 2:1, and are outside bets on 12 numbers, or inside bets on 12 numbers, respectively.
The last kind of bet you can make in roulette is known as an even-money bet. Like the name suggests, this kind of bet pays out at 1:1. Even-money bets are placed on 18 numbers, which is half the numbers on the wheel. You can place even-money bets on evens, odds, reds, blacks, 1-18, or 19-36.
The rules of roulette are pretty simple. Bets are placed, and then the dealer will throw the ball in the opposite direction that the wheel is spinning. Obviously with online roulette this is all automated.
The game doesn’t really change though from online to off: it’s pretty much the same. There are inside bets, which are bets on any number from 1-36, or on a small group of 2-6 numbers, and then there are outside bets, which are bets placed on colors (red or black), or larger combinations of 12 or 18 numbers.
Obviously outside bets are easier to win, so the payouts are much lower.
Type of roulette tables
American and French roulette have some slight differences. Statistically, French roulette is better for players. American roulette has a “zero” and a “double zero”, both of which cannot be bet on.
French roulette has only a single zero, which means overall you’re more likely to win.
There is also a special rule in French roulette called the La Partage rule. Basically, the rule states that if you place an even-money bet, and the ball lands on 0, you only lose half the money.
This ads a huge statistical advantage, and gives the player an edge over the house. This, coupled with the absence of a double zero slot, make French roulette the favorite of many gamblers.