If you’re planning a visit to a casino and want to try your hand at roulette, the first step is understanding how to bet. Roulette wheels are iconic, but there’s a specific way to place bets; which can vary depending on the version of roulette you’re playing.
Inside and Outside Betting
When playing roulette online, or at a physical casino, you can choose between making an inside bet or outside bet. The inside betting area contains individual numbers. The outside betting area has options like odd/even, red/black or different number groups. The numbers on the inside are arranged into twelve rows of three numbers each. This forms three columns, which helps to make it easier to visualise your options.
If you’re playing American roulette, you’ll have zero and double zero in the top column. European roulette only has one zero, so the odds of winning might be higher. Remember that even though the odds of winning on European roulette are higher, the outcome is still random. This is usually made possible by a number generator, which ensures every game is fair.
In a traditional game at a physical casino, each player at the table will have a chip of a different colour. You can only use the chips at the table you are at, and when the game is over, you will cash them in for regular chips. You can’t just cash your roulette chips in for money when playing at a casino. Additionally, each roulette table has minimum and maximum betting limits, which players must observe when placing their bets.
Breaking Down Your Betting Options
Roulette offers various betting options that vary in payout odds and complexity. A straight-up bet, for instance, is a bet on a single number with the highest payout. A split-bet covers two numbers; in a traditional casino, you place the chip on the line between the two chosen numbers. A street-bet covers three numbers in a row, and you place the chip on the line that separates the inside and outside betting areas.
For more options, you could try a six-line bet, where you place a chip on the intersecting point of two rows. A corner bet, on the other hand, covers four numbers, and you place the chip where all four corners meet on the grid.
Placing outside bets is also very easy. You just need to place a chip on the boxes that indicate red/black, or odd/even. Place your chip on 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36 if you’d like to make a dozens bet. Meanwhile, column bets are placed in boxes at the bottom of each column on the grid.
So as you can see, mastering roulette is largely about learning chip placement; this indicates the type of bet you’d like to place and your potential payout. Although roulette involves a mix of strategy and luck, the odds will fluctuate depending on whether you’re playing on an American wheel, or a French or European one. The odds and house edge vary, so it’s helpful to check the casino’s posted odds before you start betting.