Roulette is one of the most popular casino games. It is a game known to most people and also relatively simple.
Most probably you can sit down and play at a roulette table without even reading about the game. However, proper preparation should not be neglected. If you want to play roulette (whether in a land-based casino or online), you should know the basic roulette rules and the types of bets you can place on this game.
There are several types of roulette, specifically European, French and American. These are very similar in many ways, however, there are some differences that are worth noting.
Roulette is a very simple game in nature. It is played using a roulette wheel which has 37 or 38 numbered and coloured spaces:
A small ball is thrown onto a spinning roulette wheel, and players bet on the number they think the ball will land on. Players can bet on an individual number or on many different groups of numbers. However, bets on fewer numbers are less likely to win, rewarding players with bigger winnings.
- European (French) roulette: numbers 1 to 36 (red or black) and 0 (green)
- American Roulette (double zero): numbers from 1 to 36 (red or black), 0 and 00 (green)
Note that the numbers in roulette are not in ascending or descending order. Rather, they are in a specific order, which is different for European and American roulette.
Apart from the ball and the roulette wheel, there is also a roulette table with a layout used by players to place their bets. Bets can be placed before the dealer spins the wheel and throws the ball. However, they can also often be placed even when the wheel and ball are spinning, until the dealer announces that the bets are closed.
The number on which the ball lands is the winning number. All bets are then evaluated accordingly. The losing bets are collected by the dealer, while the winnings for the winning bets are paid out to the players.