Roulette Rules
Roulette is a classic casino game that is recognizable by its large spinning wheel. It’s one of the most popular and identifiable casino games in the world. The simple rules of the game and the possibility for high payouts make it a game that attracts casino newbies and veterans alike.
How to Play Roulette
The goal of roulette is to make money by correctly guessing where the ball will land when dropped into the spinning roulette wheel. The wheel itself is composed of 37 slots: the numbers 1-35 plus 0. The numbers are arranged in a circle around the outer edge of the wheel, alternating in color between red and black. The zero slot is the odd one out – it is green in color.
Note – American roulette wheels have an additional sport reserved for 00 (double zero). The additional zero slot increases the house advantage significantly so American roulette wheels should be avoided at all times. European roulette wheels only have a single zero slot.
Making Bets
Bets are made by placing your chips on the appropriate spot on the roulette layout. The layout is a simple representation of all the possible number slots, usually located on a table next to the wheel. When you place your chips on the layout, that signifies your bet.
There are many different types of bets you can make in roulette. You can place bets on individual numbers, groups of numbers, on whether the ball will land on red/black and more. The amount you can win on each bet is determined by how difficult the bet is. For example, a bet on a single number pays 35 to 1. For a full list of roulette bets and their payouts, check out the following page:
House Advantage
The house advantage in roulette is derived from the existence of the green zero slot. Any time you place an even money bet such as red/back, even/odd or high/low, the zero slot counts as a loss. These bets pay exactly 1 to 1 even though you are slightly less than 50% to win the bet. As a result, there is an inherent house advantage.
Other bets, such as bets on single numbers, have the same house advantage because they pay out as if there were 36 slots instead of 37. A bet on a single number pays 35 to 1 even though there are actually 37 slots on the wheel. This results in the following house advantages:
House advantage of European roulette: 2.7%
House advantage of American roulette: 5.26%
Online Roulette Rules
Online roulette is incredibly easy to learn because the game is fully automated and you can take as long as you need each round. Most online roulette tables start out with table limits of $500 per round. You can place as many bets you want on each spin as long as the total sum of bets is $500 or less. However, high rollers can usually e-mail or call their online casino to get increased betting limits.
The payouts for online roulette are the same as for live roulette. You can also choose between American and European roulette tables. As a rule, you should play only at European roulette tables. The only difference between the two is that American roulette has twice as much of a house advantage.