Roulette offers a bewildering number of betting options, but the bets are actually straightforward enough. In order to make sure you get the correct payout, you’ll want to make sure that you put your chips in exactly the right place on the table. Missing a payout because your chip isn’t in the right spot is a drag.
Roulette is a drain on your wallet simply because the game doesn’t pay what the bets are worth. With 38 numbers (1 to 36, plus 0 and 00), the true odds of hitting a single number on a straight-up bet are 37 to 1, but the house pays only 35 to 1 if you win! Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number, various groupings of numbers, the colors red or black, whether the number is odd or even, or if the numbers are high (19–36) or low (1–18).
Roulette payouts work like this. The odds are stated in the form of x to 1, which means you’ll win x dollars for every dollar you’ve bet. For example, the single number bet offers a payout of 35 to 1. If you win, you’ll get your dollar back plus the $35 for the win.
Payouts on the Outside Bets
On the edge of the table are a series of bets which are “outside” the 38 numbers on the table. Each of these bets refers to a specific set of numbers or colors. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, you’ll lose on any of the outside bets.
The outside bets include:
Red or Black – This bet pays out even odds (1 to 1) if the ball lands on the color you chose.
Odd or Even – This bet pays out even odds (1 to 1) if the ball lands on odd or even, depending on which you chose.
Low or High – This bet pays out even money (1 to 1) if the ball lands on 1-18 if you bet low, or if the ball lands on 19-36 if you bet high.
Columns – The numbers on the layout are organized into three columns of twelve numbers each. A “columns” bet wins if the ball lands on one of the numbers in the column you chose. This bet pays out 2 to 1 when you win.
Dozens – There are 36 numbers on the table, so you can bet on the first dozen (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36). This bet also pays out 2 to 1.
Payouts on the Inside Bets
You can also bet on specific numbers and sets of numbers on the inside of the layout. These bets win less often, but they pay out more when you do win. The house edge on the inside bets is the same as the house edge on the outside bets.
The inside bets include:
Straight-up – This is a bet on a single number. It pays off at 35 to 1.
Split bet – This is a bet on any two adjacent numbers. You place the chip on the line between the two numbers in order to make this wager. This bet pays out at 17 to 1.
Street bet – This bet covers three numbers. You place your bet on the line outside of the three numbers in the row where you want to win. This bet pays out at 11 to 1.
Corner bet – Some people call this a square bet or a quarter bet. It’s a bet on a corner that makes a square, and it’s a bet on four numbers. A win on this type of bet pays out at 8 to 1.
Five-number bet – You can only make one five-number bet, and it’s the only inside bet that offers different odds from all the others. The problem is that it has a higher house edge, making it the worst bet on the table. This bet is on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, and you place the chip on the outside corner line between the 1 and the 0. This bet pays out 6 to 1, but only masochists place this bet.
Six-number bet – Some people call this a line bet. It covers two adjoining rows of numbers. It pays out at 5 to 1.
How Roulette Payouts Give the Casino an Edge
These payouts all have one thing in common—they pay out less than the true odds of hitting a win. That’s why the casino enjoys a house edge of 5.26% on roulette. Your odds of winning are always less than the payout amounts.
For example, the odds of winning a straight-up bet are 37 to 1. There are 37 numbers on the wheel that lose, and 1 bet on the wheel that will win. But the bet only pays out 35 to 1, not 37 to 1, so the house wins more often than it loses.
Colors On A Roulette Table For Kids
A split bet offers you odds of winning of 18 to 1, but it pays off at 17 to 1.
Colors On A Roulette Table Top
I could list all of them, but you get the idea by now. The casino has an unassailable mathematical advantage on every bet. No betting system or strategy can overcome this advantage.
Of course, in the short run, anything can (and often will) happen. This is called “standard deviation”, and it explains why some people walk away from the roulette table as winners. The mathematically true results only come around the closer you get to an infinite number of spins.
So the best way to approach roulette is as a lark. It’s a fun game. You can relax and socialize while you play. But don’t expect to win, because the odds are against you. And if you do win, walk away and smile, because you beat the odds.
On the grand scale of American casino games, roulette has one of the smallest followings, with nowhere near the popularity of slot machines, video poker, blackjack, or craps. It draws more players than baccarat, mostly because the baccarat pits have traditionally been closed to low-budget players. But roulette is in danger of being passed in popularity by newer games such as Caribbean Stud Poker and Let It Ride. In Europe, on the other hand, roulette draws big crowds. It is one of the mainstays of Monte Carlo and other European resorts.
The difference is the 00 featured on the American wheel, which is not placed on the French wheel in use at European casinos. The French wheel has 36 numbers plus a single 0; the American wheel has 36 numbers plus 0 and 00. All bets at both wheels are paid at odds that would be true if only the 36 numbers existed. The house advantage in roulette comes from the 0 on the French wheel and the 0 and 00 on the American wheel.
Colors On A Roulette Table Youtube
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Color Roulette Wheel
The bottom line is that American roulette players buck a house edge of 5.26 percent on all bets but one, which carries a 7.89 percent house edge. European players face only a 2.7 percent edge, and that is lowered to 1.4 percent on even-money bets by a rule called en prison, which is described later in this article. At 1.4 percent, roulette becomes competitive with other casino games; at 5.26 percent, it's a very difficult game to beat.
A few French wheels are in use in the United States mostly in high-limit rooms. They usually carry larger minimum bets than American wheels -- but a player in these areas who plans to make larger bets and wants to play roulette should seek out a French wheel.
Even at the higher house advantage on an American wheel, most casino-goers sit in for a few spins sooner or later. It can be an entertaining, relaxing way to spend some time. The dealer -- the French may call them croupiers, but in the United States they're dealers -- gives players plenty of time to choose among the dozens of available betting combinations; then it takes time to spin the wheel and the ball before a winner is determined.
So while craps moves at 100 or so rolls per hour and blackjack about 60 hands per hour, roulette moves at a more stately pace -- roughly 45 spins per hour. Facing fewer decisions per hour, the roulette player who bets $5 per spin faces an expected loss per hour only slightly higher than that of an average blackjack player who has not learned basic strategy. In this article, you will learn the basics of roulette, as well as how and when to bet, to increase your odds of winning. Let's begin by getting you familiar with the equipment and rules of the game.
Equipment and Table Personnel
Roulette is played at an elongated table. At one end is a wheel, with a notch in the table where the dealer stands. The table is covered with a felt layout with boxes for the numbers 1 through 36 arranged in three columns and 12 rows. At the end of the portion of the layout closest to the dealer, above the numbers 1, 2, and 3, are boxes for 0 and 00. Each of the numbers 1 through 36 is surrounded by either a red or black oval or rectangle. The 0 and 00 have green backgrounds. This rectangular grid, with a box for each number, is used for wagers called 'inside bets.'
Outside the numbered boxes are several other boxes for 'outside bets,' encompassing up to 18 numbers at a time. Most of the areas for outside bets are on the long side of the table across from the dealer. However, at the end of the rectangle away from the dealer are boxes for bets on each 12-number column.
The wheel itself has 38 numbered slots, each with the same colored background as the corresponding number on the table layout. The small, hard ball used to be made of ivory; now it is usually plastic. The dealer spins the wheel in one direction, then spins the ball in the opposite direction around a track on the bowl-shaped recess that holds the wheel. When the speed of the ball decreases, it falls off the track toward the wheel itself, and bounces around until it settles in a numbered slot.
Colors On A Roulette Table Video
Roulette Chips
Regular casino chips are not usually used at a roulette table. Instead, when the player places money on the layout and asks for chips, the dealer will give out special roulette chips. Each player gets a different color of chips so the dealer can keep track of which chips belong to which player. Because the house does not want to get in a dispute over what chips belong to whom, couples or friends playing together may not share chips. Even husbands and wives playing together are required to play separate colors.
Roulette Colors Crossword
The dealer also will ask the player what denomination to designate the chips. At a $5 minimum table, for example, the player usually may designate each chip to be worth $1, but has the option of making them worth $5, $10, or any other denomination. Once the designation has been made, the dealer will place a chip atop a rail near the wheel, then place a marker atop it to indicate the value of that color chip for that session.
Because the next player to use the same color chips may designate a different value, roulette chips have no value away from the roulette wheel. The cashier's cage will not accept them. When ready to leave the table, place all remaining roulette chips on the layout and ask the dealer to cash out. The dealer will exchange them for the equivalent amount of regular casino chips.