Roulette has offered glamour, mystery, and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. While its rules are relatively simple and the game’s payouts are large, it offers a surprising level of depth to serious betters who utilize the proper strategy. In this article, we’ll break down all of the basics so you can begin playing with confidence and earning money.
A small wheel with one or two zero pockets and several other sections affording various betting opportunities, into which a ball is spun to come to rest finally in a compartment which indicates the winning number (either odd or even, red or black) and whether it’s high (19-36) or low (1-18). The rotor also has metal or ivory dividers, called separators or frets, and thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black, are numbered consecutively from 1 to 36. On European wheels a 37th compartment, painted green, carries the sign 0. On American wheels there are two green compartments on opposite sides of the wheel carrying the signs 0 and 00.
When you’re ready to leave the table, all you have to do is tell the dealer that you’d like to cash in your chips. The dealer will give you normal casino chips in return. The dealer will place the chips on the table and mark them as “winning” or “losing.” The losing bets are cleared first; the winners are paid; and the process repeats.
The most popular roulette variant in casinos and online is the European version. Its single zero pocket greatly magnifies your chances of winning and reduces the house edge to a coveted 2.7%. Besides that, it has two additional rules which can further improve your odds: en prison and la partage.