It is obvious that roulette wheelis the main and movable part of roulette table which determines the winning bet: it is divided into black and red components, and there is also one green component which represents 0 at the roulette wheel; all numbers 1-36 are located not sequentially.

• In theory, roulette can still be played without a betting board. However, such a game can be very, very complicated without a betting layout to keep track of your bets. Thus, the roulette board truly is an essential component, as it contributes greatly to the simplicity that makes roulette the highly enjoyable game it is now.
• This is because payouts in roulette are generally designed to be fair for a wheel with 36 pockets, with the house edge coming from the fact that there are actually 37 (European roulette) or 38 (American roulette) pockets for the ball to fall into.
• Many players do not understand the nuances of the roulette board. There are subtle differences between the types of wagers and their associated odds and expectations. Unfortunately, the casinos make the worst bets appear to be the most attractive. The board on roulette is divided into two general categories of wagers. The first are called.

Remember to stay realistic about the long odds on this popular game of chance. Approach roulette with the sober realization that, with a house advantage of 5.26 percent on the American wheel, roulette is among the worst bets in a casino. Despite the odds, you can still use some simple strategies to stretch your roulette bankroll and enjoy the thrill of the spin. This article contains a few tips that can help you improve your chances of winning.

Roulette is a drain on your wallet simply because the game doesn’t pay what the bets are worth. With 38 numbers (1 to 36, plus 0 and 00), the true odds of hitting a single number on a straight-up bet are 37 to 1, but the house pays only 35 to 1 if you win! Ditto the payouts on the combination bets. This discrepancy is where the house gets its huge edge in roulette.

Starting with the basics

Strategy is critical if you want to increase your odds of winning. The first time you play roulette, the players sprinkling the layout with chips may look as if they’re heaping pepperoni slices on a pizza. You can make many different bets as long as you stay within the table’s maximum limits. Consequently, few players make just one bet at a time.

Of course, the more bets you make, the more complicated and challenging it is to follow all the action. Here are two possible plans of attack to simplify matters:

• Stick to the table minimum and play only the outside bets. For example, bet on either red or black for each spin. This type of outside bet pays 1 to 1 and covers 18 of the 38 possible combinations.

• Place two bets of equal amounts on two outside bets: one bet on an even-money play and the other on a column or dozen that pays 2 to 1. For example, place one bet on black and one bet on Column Three, which has eight red numbers. That way, you have 26 numbers to hit, 4 of which you cover twice. You can also make a bet on red and pair it with a bet on Column Two, which has eight black numbers. Again, you cover 26 numbers, and 4 of them have two ways to win. Pairing a bet on either red or black with Column One (or on one of the three dozens) covers 24 numbers, and 6 numbers have two ways of winning. Spreading bets like this won’t make you rich, but it does keep things interesting at the table.

Playing a European wheel

If you happen to find a single-zero European wheel, you greatly improve your odds: The house edge is half that of roulette with the American wheel — only 2.63 percent. You may see a European wheel at one of the posh Vegas casinos, such as Bellagio, Mirage, or Caesars Palace. If you can’t find one on the floor, it’s probably tucked away in the high-limit area along with the baccarat tables, so you may need to ask. You can also find the single-zero wheel at some other upscale casinos around the country.

Because casinos set aside the European wheel for high rollers, you’re likely to find a higher table minimum, say $25. But because the house edge is half that of a double-zero wheel, the European wheel is the better roulette game to play for bigger bettors.

Your chances of winning get even better if the casino offers an advantageous rule called en prison. Sometimes available on the European wheel, the en prison rule lowers the house edge even further to a reasonable 1.35 percent. The rule applies to even-money bets. For example, say you have a $10 bet riding on black. If the ball lands on zero, your even-money bet doesn’t win or lose but remains locked up for one more spin. If the ball lands on black on the next spin, the house returns your original bet of $10, but you don’t win anything. If the ball lands on red, you lose. And if the ball repeats the zero number again, your bet stays imprisoned for another round.

Roulette remains one of the world’s most iconic table games, and one that combines both betting strategy and opportunism with effortless ease.

It’s also a relatively straightforward game, and has been “one of the most popular casino pastimes for centuries”, according to online-casinos.com. Put simply, your task is to wager on a number, combination of numbers or alternative outcome while the ball spins on a roulette wheel.

If the ball lands on a slot that corresponds to your wager, you’ll win. If not, you’ll lose your stake ahead of the next spin.

Interestingly, roulette is also a game packed full of interesting rules, bets and side bets. We’ll explore the latter below, while asking how these can impact on the game and your chances of winning.

Roulette – The House Edge and Probability

Every roulette iteration that you play will follow this basic premise, but each one will also have minor differences that impact on everything from the gameplay to your fundamental odds of winning.

This is what makes roulette one of the most exciting games to play in the digital age, even in an increasingly competitive and diverse marketplace.

Even on a basic level, there’s French, European and American roulette versions, the latter of which feature a roulette wheel with two ‘zero’ slots and a significantly higher house edge of around 5.3%.

Conversely, French and European iterations have a house edge of just 2.7%, creating an effective return-to-player (RTP) ration of 97.3% for every £1 wagered on average.

It’s also interesting to note that French roulette versions aren’t widely available in the UK, which is why the European iteration remains the most popular format online.

Appraising the Available Bets – What do You Need to Know?

When it comes to wagering, your options are split into two main categories: inside and outside bets.

The former refers to wagers placed on single digits or a combination of numbers and tend to offer the longest odds and highest potential returns.

For example, a ‘straight-up’ wager requires you to bet on a single number, with this paying out at the generous price of 35:1 when playing European roulette. However, such odds are also prohibitive, so this is a risky betting strategy that’s only recommended for players with large bankrolls.

The ‘split’ bet sees you place a chip between two different numbers, having the available odds to 17:1 and the subsequent value of the pay-out.

Similarly, street and corner bets cover targeted lines and sections of the roulette wheel, while paying out at odds of 11:1 and 8:1 respectively.

Line bets are also available and very similar to street wagers, except for the fact that they cover two rows of three numbers (such as 1-6) instead of one row of three. This remains one of the most popular inside bets, and one that pays out at odds of around 5:1.

When it comes to outside bets, there are other factors that you can wager on that offer much higher odds of winning but considerably smaller returns.

These include dozen and column bets, for example, both of which cover 12 numbers overall and provide a 2 in 1 chance of success. As you’d expect, this pays out at 2:1, and offers an appealing value proposition in terms of bet coverage and rewards over an extended period of time.

What Is A Roulette Board Look

On a final note, there are four additional outside bets that pay-out at 1:1, and offer a 50% chance of coming in.

These require you to make a choice between black and red, even and odd and low or high numbers, each of which affords you access to approximately half of the roulette wheel.

In the case of the latter, any digit between one and 18 is classed as a low number, while those placed between 19 and 36 represent high numbers. So, you’ll simply speculate on which category the result of the next spin will land, affording you a relatively good chance of securing a return on your stake.

The Last Word

Most gambling disciplines are games of chance, which means that players have minimal control over specific outcomes.

This definitely includes roulette, even though players can deploy a betting strategy and optimise their coverage of the wheel to optimise their chances of winning over time.

To this end, there are some additional side bets available in roulette, including call wagers. Only accessible in physical European and French roulette iterations, these wagers are announced verbally instead of you placing your money on the table at a land-based casino.

From an online player’s perspective, there are other side wagers available in some roulette versions. One such option is the basket bet, which requires you to cover numbers 0,1,2 and 3 with your take and pays out at around 6:1.

Then there’s the unique snake bet, which covers the seemingly random numbers of 1,5,9,12,14,16,19,23,27,30 and 32 with a single wager.

What Does A Roulette Board Look Like

What Is A Roulette Bet

This bet is so-called because of the snake-like pattern that forms when you highlight these numbers, while it pays out at odds of 2:1 on average.