Roullete is a casino game of chance played at online and land-based casinos around the world. It has been around since the late 1700s and is a staple of any good casino. While roulette is a simple game to play, it has plenty of subtleties that every player should be aware of. These include the differences between American, European and French roulette as well as the various betting options on each. There are also a number of strategies that can be used to maximize your chances of winning.
In roulette, bets are placed by laying down chips on a betting mat before the spinning of the wheel. These chips indicate the bet type and amount. A bet on a specific number is known as an inside bet while other bets on positional groupings of pockets or odd/even or red/black have different payout odds and are known as outside bets.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid disk slightly convex in shape with thirty-six metal divisions (known as frets by croupiers) alternating between red and black and carrying the numbers 1 through 36. The roulette wheel also has two green divisions numbered 0 and 00 on the American version of the game.
A successful bet means that the ball lands in one of the numbered slots on the roulette table. A number that appears in the same row as your bet is called a street and a row of three numbers is known as a block. A bet on all the red numbers on a single row is called a color bet and pays 35 to 1. A bet on the first, second or third 12 on the roulette table is known as a column bet and pays 2 to 1 when the ball lands in your chosen column.
European roulette is the most popular variation of the game both at physical casinos and on the internet. It has a lower house edge than the American version and has an extra ‘zero’ pocket which makes it a more favorable bet in terms of your chances of winning. There are also two rules within the game that make it even more advantageous to play the European version; la partage and en prison. Both of these rules allow players to get half their stake back on any even money bets if the ball lands in zero. This makes the game much more attractive and accessible for novices.
