One of the most iconic casino games in the world, Roulette has been played for centuries in casinos from New Orleans to Monte Carlo. No matter what type of gamer you are, you probably recognise the design of the Roulette wheel and the pattern of the green tabletop layout.
It’s a game with a lot of history and three major variations – not to mention all of the online varieties, such as Red Door Roulette – so we’re here today to walk you through all of the things you need to know about Roulette.
The very basics of Roulette
A game of Roulette involves placing wagers on where players guess the ball will land within this chance-based game. Once the wagers are all placed a croupier will spin the wheel in one direction, then spin the ball around the rim in the opposite direction. Whichever pocket it eventually stops in is the winning position.
The number of pockets on the wheel varies slightly depending on which format you’re playing. A European Roulette wheel has 37 pockets and a single, green zero. On the other hand, an American Roulette wheel has an extra pocket, the double zero.
Players don’t just wager on the specific number pocket the ball may stop in. Other common wagers include odds/evens, black/red, high/low, or which group of 12 the final number will be in (the first, second, or third dozen).
Types of bets
As you can see, there are different wagers that players can make when it comes to Roulette. Different wagers carry different odds, which are generally conveyed in the design of the table layout.
The main division between types of Roulette wagers are outside (even) or inside, depending on where they are positioned on the layout. Inside wagers are those placed on a specific number or group of numbers, such as straight, split,or corner bets.
Outside bets fall on the outside of the numbered grid, including options such as red or black, odd or even, or whether the number will come from one of the three vertical columns. These generally carry lower payouts, as the odds are higher.
European and American Roulette
Most games of Roulette you’ll encounter are based on either the European or American format. For the most part, the two are played very similarly. The only major difference between the two is the addition of the double zero pocket on American Roulette wheels.
Adding that extra zero pocket has an impact on the house edge, meaning that the odds are generally a little more in the house’s favour when you’re playing a game of American Roulette.
Most casinos around the world offer European Roulette as standard, but with online casinos, players aren’t limited to just the format that’s most popular in their region.
But there is also a third major Roulette format, which is the French one. This uses the same basic wheel as the European version, featuring only one zero pocket. What sets French Roulette apart is its ruleset.
La Partage and En Prison are two rules that come into effect if the ball lands in the zero pocket and reduces the impact of such a loss. With La Partage, players who made even bets will have half of their wager returned, with the other half taken by the house.
En Prison offers players a chance to recover more of their wager under the same circumstances. If they opt to put their wager ‘in prison’, players can have the full amount returned to them if the ball lands according to their bet on the next spin of the wheel.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, do you better understand the ins and outs of the casino classic Roulette?
