Roulette
Written March 7, 2008 by Jack Jones
Roulette is a very popular casino and gambling game that involves a round wheel which has 36 numbers and either a 0 or a 0 and 00. There are pockets in which the ball rolls into and bettors bet on which pocket the ball will land in. It starts with 1 and goes to 36, with odds being red numbers and even being black. The zeros are green and is the house edge.
The payout on single numbers are 35 to 1, with the bet amount itself also returned. You can also bet on combinations of numbers, ranges, and colors. Colors give you an even money payout.
There are two different styles of roulette: American and European. The American wheel has the two 0’s which bumps the house edge up to 5.3%. In European roulette there is only one 0 pocket which gives the house an edge of only 2.7%. If you are betting online at a reputable casino like Bodog, then you can enjoy European roulette odds from the comfort of your own home.
You can also bet on rows and earn 11 to 1 on your bet amount. The house edge is the same for this bet. Then you can also bet on columns. Column payouts are 2 to 1 as do when you bet groups of numbers such as first 12, middle 12, and last 12. You can also take the first half or the second half of the numbers which pays out 1 to 1. The worst bet you can have is the five number bet of 0,00,1,2, or 3 which pays 6 to 1 but has a house edge of 7.9%.
In order to feel comfortable at the table you need to know some of the lingo. Here are the types of bets available:
- Straight bets: betting on a single number.
- Split bets: betting on two connecting numbers, either vertical or horizontal. The chip is placed on the border of these two numbers.
- Street bet: betting on three numbers on the single horizontal line.
- Corner or Square bets: Bet on four numbers in a square layout.
- Sixline bets: betting on two adjoining streets with the chip placed at the corresponding intersection.