Casino Basic Skills – Roulette

At first, Roulette may seem to be quite complicated. However, once the basic rules, possible bets and odds are understood, it really is quite a simple game to play.
Casino Roulette
Roulette consists of a ball being spun around in a wheel. The wheel is separated into 37 numbered compartments (not in numerical order), coloured alternating red and black and a 0. The compartment for the 0 is coloured green. American Roulette also has a green 00, which considerably changes the odds in favour of the house – in fact, it almost doubles the house edge! This is well worth remembering when deciding whether to play European or American Roulette. The objective of this game is to beat the house by placing a bet on where the ball will land when the wheel stops.

Possible bets consist of two categories: inside bets (which are placed on specific numbers within the inner segment of the table layout), and outside bets (various betting options arranged around the outer edge of the layout).
There are five possible ways of making an inside bet. For the Straight up bet, simply choose a number and put your chips on it. A win will pay out at odds of 35 to 1. A Split bet lets you place one bet on two neighbouring numbers and will pay out at odds of 17 to 1. To bet on 3 numbers in a row, a Street bet, paying out at 11 to 1, places your chips on the outer line of the row you wish to bet on (for instance, for betting on numbers 1-3, you would place your chips on the line outside the 3). Another combination, known as a Corner or Square bet, is played by placing your chips on the spot where four number squares join. The ball landing on anyone of these numbers will pay out at 8 to 1.

Three of the five possible outside bets are paid out at evens. These are the bets on either red or black, odd or even (the 0 is not counted as either) or low (numbers 1 – 18) or high (19-36). Areas for placing these bets are clearly marked around the table. The Columns bet, placed at the end of the numbers area in boxes marked 2 to 1, is a bet on the column of numbers corresponding to the box chips are placed in. Any number within the column will pay out at odds of 2 to 1. The Dozens bet (first (1-12), second (13-24) or third (25-36) dozen), also paying out at 2 to 1, is done by placing chips into the rectangular areas usually labelled 1st, 2nd and 3rd 12.

One more thing to remember – inside bets must at least equal the table minimum (for example on a $5 table, you could bet on 5 numbers each at $1, or one number at $5). Outside bets must be the minimum bet each and they may not contribute to inside bets.