In 1655, Blaise Pascal, a French physicist, inventor, and mathematician was trying to invent the perpetual motion machine, a device that would operate without drawing energy from any external sources. It was a popular notion for the science of that time. Unfortunately, he failed, but, the experiment was not a total failure because it gave us Roulette, the most popular casino game of all time. The key to playing Roulette successfully is to understand its layout and why it is designed the way it is. While the position of the numbers may seem random at first glance, it most certainly is not. There are three key elements you need to know before you start playing Roulette, namely, the Roulette Wheel, the Betting Table, and the Bets.
Here is a detailed overview of all three.
The Roulette wheel
There are two primary kinds of Roulette wheels based on the number of pockets.
European Roulette: There are 36 numbers (1 to 36) and a zero (0) on this wheel, arranged in the following sequence: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, and 26.
American Roulette: There are 36 numbers (1 to 36), a zero (0), and a double zero (00) on this wheel, arranged in the following sequence: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, and 2.
In both the wheels, the layout is the same with the red and black pockets arranged in an alternating sequence. However, because of the double zero in the American Roulette, you can see an extra red pocket on the wheel. The presence of the double zero significantly increases the house edge (and reduces your chance to win).
When playing in online casinos, you may also encounter some other kinds of games.
French Roulette: With the same wheel as the European one, the French Roulette has a particular rule. It pays the players half of the even-money bets they lose on the number zero, reducing the house edge to 1.32%.
No-Zero Roulette: As the name suggests, this Roulette has no zeros in it, and the house edge is reduced to 0.0%.
There are many other variants of this game online, and since the rules are different for all of them, the house edge changes as well. You, as a player, get to choose which one to go for.
The betting table
The croupier throws a little white ball onto the wheel to spin, and the bets are placed on where the ball may land. As the image below shows, there are numbers and a few other options on which you can place your bet.
- 1st Dozen
- 2nd Dozen
- 3rd Dozen
- Red
- Black
- 1 to 18
- 19 to 36
In the American Roulette, the double zero is added beside the single zero as well.
The bets
As mentioned before, there is a range of bets you can place in Roulette.
Inside bets: These bets have a higher paying odd and refer to the stakes-placed in the numbers enclosed inside.
- Betting on any one number pays 35 to 1.
- Splitting between two numbers pays 17 to 1.
- Betting on three numbers pays 11 to 1. The chip can be placed on any street, i.e., the row of three numbers on the table.
- Betting on four numbers pays 8 to 1. In this corner betting, the chip can be placed between the intersection of the four numbers.
- Betting on six numbers pays 5 to 1. The chip lies on the edge of the adjoining streets.
In the American Roulette, there are two additional inside bets.
- Betting on five numbers which pay 6 to 1. These numbers are 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
- Betting on the Row 0 which pays 17 to 1 and covers 0 and 00.
Outside bets: These bets are placed on groups of numbers or colors and not on any specific numbers. They are safer than the inside bets, but the payout is also lower here.
- Betting on a red or black color pays 1 to 1.
- Betting on even or odd numbers also pays 1 to 1.
- Betting on 12 numbers (one of the columns) pays 2 to 1.
- Betting on 1 – 18 (low) or 19 – 36 (high) pays 1 to 1.
Come home to online Roulette
So, there you have it! You know all there is to know about the Roulette table. Some bonus tips to help you with the game are to take note of the house edge and learn more about the odds so that you can efficiently play in the online casinos, starting today!
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