:: OVERVIEW OF ROULETTE ::

The aim of Roulette is to correctly guess where the ball will land after each spin. This is done by placing bets of varying degrees of risk on one's chosen square or range of squares. Up to eight players usually play against the House, who is represented by the croupier or dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles all the bets and payouts.

In European Roulette, there are 37 numbers on the table - 0 is green , 18 are red and the remaining 18 are black. The 0 gives the house an edge of 2.7% - this means that there is a 1 in 37 chance of the ball landing on any particular square but, if you win, the payout is only 35 to 1 plus, of course, your original stake. In America, most Roulette wheels have 38 numbers due to the presence of an additional second zero.

To play roulette, you place your bet or bets on numbers (it can be any number including the zero) inside the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table has had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier will always say 'no more bets'. From this moment, no one is allowed to put down or change bets until the ball drops in to a slot.

:: INSIDE / OUTSIDE BETS ::

INSIDE BETS

These are quite specific bets which, unless multiple inside bets are spread over the board, carry greater risk and potentially greater returns.

Straight Up
A bet directly on any single number
Odds : 35 to 1

Split Bet
A bet split between any two numbers
Odds : 17 to 1

Street Bet
A bet on a row of 3 numbers
Odds : 11 to 1

Corner Bet
A bet on 4 numbers
Odds : 8 to 1

Line Bet
A bet on 6 numbers over 2 rows
Odds : 5 to 1

OUTSIDE BETS

These are much safer spread out bets with improved odds but naturally lower returns. It's important to mention that the zero is never covered by outside bets.

Column Bet
A bet covering 12 numbers, just under a third of the table
Odds : 2 to 1

Dozen Bet
A bet covering a set of 12 numbers low (1-12) mid (13-24) and high (25-36)
Odds : 2 to 1

Colour Bet
A bet on either red or black
Odds : 1 to 1

Even/Odd Bet
A bet on either even or odd
Odds : 1 to 1

Low/High Bet
A bet on half the numbers either 1-18 or 19-36
Odds : 1 to 1

Although there are additional types of Roulette bets, particularly at some casinos, inside and outside bets are the two most common types that the majority of players will experience.

:: IS AMERICAN ROULETTE BAD? ::

American Roulette is often considered the worst version of Roulette because, in American Roulette rules, there are two zeros which, as a direct result, increases the house advantage to 5.26%. American Roulette is also often known as Double Zero Roulette.

:: 'EN PRISON' and 'LA PARTAGE' ::

'En Prison' is a roulette rule applied to even-money bets only (that's Colour Bet, Even/Odd Bet and High/Low Bet) and a rule applied only by some, not all, casinos. When the outcome is zero, some casinos may allow one to either take back half of his or her bet or leave the bet en prison (in prison) for another spin. If one takes the second option and the second spin produces another zero, the whole bet is lost. It's similar to another rule termed 'La Partage' - however, in the case of 'La Partage', the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of keeping the bet en prison for a second spin. This relative act of generosity effectively cuts the house advantage in half to 1.35%.

:: DID YOU KNOW? ::

It's traditional in every casino for the croupier to start the first spin of the day with the ball lying in the slot number which corresponds to the current day of the month. Obviously, this excludes 0 and 32 to 36.