Online Roulette - European and American Casino Games
How To Play
A player places bets on numbers (including the zero) inside the table layout or outside the table layout - these are known as inside or outside bets. Once everyone at the table has had a chance to place their chips on the table, the croupier will announce ‘no more bets’ and then spins the wheel, throwing the ball in the opposite direction. After the ball lands in a slot the croupier will place the dolly over the winning number and clear away all the losing bets. Only once this is done, can players place new bets while the croupier pays the winners.
Types of Bet
There are quite a variety of different types of roulette bet, each one covering a different set of numbers and distributions.
Inside Bets
Straight Bet: Betting that a single number (including 0) on the wheel will come up. The chip is placed directly on top of the individual number. Payout = 35:1.
Split Bet: Bet wagered on any two adjacent numbers, by placing the chip on the dividing line between the two numbers. The player will win if the ball lands on either number. Payout = 17:1.
Street Bet (Trio or Three Number Bets): Betting that any three numbers in a particular row will come up, by placing the chips on the outer left boundary line of the row on which one wants to bet. The player wins if any of the numbers in the row come up. Payout = 11:1.
Corner Bet (Square or Four Number Bets): Covers four numbers which are all touching on the table. The player places the chip in the central point of the four numbers and wins if any of the four come up. Payout = 8:1.
Five Number Bets (American roulette only) Trio: A bet that either the 0, 00, 1, 2 or 3 will win. This bet is done by placing a chip on the outside line the separates the 0 and 1. If any of these numbers come up, the player wins. Payout = 6:1. Please note that on the European roulette table layout, E is a four number bet and is paid out 8:1.
Six Line Bet: A bet that one of six numbers on two adjacent rows (two street bets) will come up in the next spin. The chip is placed on the closest boundary line on the table, where it is intersected by the line dividing the two rows. If any of the numbers come up the player wins. Payout = 6:1
Outside Bets
These bets typically have a smaller payout but with better odds at winning.
Column Bet: A bet on the short side of the roulette table there are three boxes marked 2 to 1. By placing the chip in one of these boxes, you mark the numbers in the column above it (excluding 0). Payout = 2:1.
Dozen Bet or Column Bet: A bet that divides the table into three sections: 1-12; 13-24; 25-36. This bet is made by placing chips in one of the three boxes marked 1st 12; 2nd 12 or 3rd 12.
Payout = 2:1.
Red / Black, Even / Odd or High / Low Bets: A bet is placed in one of the boxes along the left, long side of the table numbers. Each variation covers half of the table numbers (excluding 0).
Payout = 1:1.
Variations
There are a number of differences between American roulette and European roulette:
- The major difference between the two forms of the game is the wheel. The European roulette wheel only has one 0 while the American roulette has a 0, and a 00. This change in the wheel numbering transforms the house edge in favour of the gambler in European roulette. European roulette’s house edge is 2.7%, while American roulette’s house edge is 5.26%.
- European roulette offers players the option of the ‘en prison’ rule.
If a table’s minimum wager is $5 and a player is using $1 chips, then the chips may be placed in one or more of the inside spots, as long as the total bet makes up the table minimum. A player may place as many inside bets as he wants, as long as he doesn’t top the table maximum.
When making outside bets, a player cannot divide the minimum bet over a number of fields – the entire amount must be placed in one field. Of course, more wagers may be placed in other fields, as long as they do not exceed the table maximum.
En Prison Rule
This rule, generally offered in European casinos, applies to the outside even-money bets only. If the spin shows a zero, the player is given the option to either take back half his bet or to leave it ‘en prison’ for another spin of the roulette wheel. If the second spin comes up again with zero, then the whole bet is lost.
La Partage Rule
This rule is similar to the ‘en prison’ rule except that in this case, the player loses half his bet and is not given the option of leaving the bet ‘en prison’ for another spin. Again, this rule is only applied to even-money bets, when the spin result is zero.
Roulette Strategies
Roulette is 99.9% a game of chance and there is not much one can do to alter the outcome of the results. But having a good knowledge of the bets and payouts that are available will help your chances. Here are some tips which may work in your favour.
- The five-number bet covering 0,00,1,2,3 is the least profitable of all the bets, with a house advantage of 7.89%.
- Players should play the European wheel if at all possible because this gives the player more favourable odds than the American wheel.
- Play with the ‘en prison’ option when offered as this brings down the house edge even more on European wheels. When the en prison rule is offered, the house edge for European roulette drops to an even more attractive 1.352 % - a big difference to American roulette’s 5.26 %
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