It may seem complicated at first, but roulette is actually one of the easier gambling games you can learn how to play. Players must only take the time to familiarise themselves with the different types of bets, and everything else pretty much falls into place. In this guide, we will teach you how to play basic roulette in a matter of minutes.
First up, you need to understand the setup. Before you, will be the roulette wheel itself as well as the betting board. It is on this table that you will place your bets. Before you can place your bets, you need to familiarise yourself with the board, the locations of the numbers, and the types of bets you can make. To do that, let’s take a look at the two types of bets you can make.
Inside Bets
Roulette has two types of bets – inside bets, and outside bets. Inside bets can include Straight Up bets (betting on a single number), Split bets (betting on two numbers), Street bets (betting on three numbers), Corner bets (betting on four numbers), five number bets (in American roulette), and Six-Line bets. These bets are less likely to come off, but will win you more money if they do.
Outside Bets
Outside bets are far more likely to come good on the roulette wheel, but they pay less. They include betting on Reds and Blacks, Odd or Evens, Columns (12 number bets), Dozens (the first 12 numbers, middle 12, or final 12), or on High (19-36), or Low (1-18) numbers.
Roulette variants
The way you bet should also be based on which roulette game you are playing. American roulette games contain 36 numbers and two zeros. European roulette tables contain 36 numbers and a single zero, just like French roulette. However, French roulette can see you place additional bets (Voisins du Zero, Tiers du Cylindre, and Orphelins, for example), or engage in the En Prison, or La Partage rules. These need looking up and studying if you are going to consider playing French roulette.
Playing roulette
Once your bet is made, the croupier will spin the roulette wheel. The wheel consists of 36 numbered pockets (coloured red and black), and either 1 or 2 zero spots (0, or 00), based on whether you are playing European (French), or American roulette. If the ball lands in the zero, you will lose your bet unless you are playing specific French roulette rules. If it lands in a numbered pocket, then you can win, based on the pocket the ball lands in, and its relevance to your bet.
Roulette pay-outs
Roulette pay-outs vary. The smallest pay-outs are reserved for Outside bets. These include pay-outs of 1:1 for Red, Black, Odds, Evens, High or Low bets. Pay-outs of 2:1 are possible for Column bets, and Dozen bets. Inside bets pay better, and these include 5:1 for Six-line bets, 8:1 for Corners, 11:1 for Streets, and 17:1 for Split bets. The biggest pay-out is 35:1 for Straight Up bets. It is worth noting that in some casinos, the house may take a cut on your winnings, but it will seldom be any more than 5% of the total haul. This is becoming increasingly rare, though.
So, there you are. In just a short space of time, you have familiarised yourself with the rules of roulette. Now all you need to do is put that knowledge to good use by practicing, and playing the roulette game of your choice.
