<Roulette, though as simple a game as any, can be pretty daunting to the newcomer at the casino. And the perception that everybody else knows exactly what it is that they are doing, “except for me”, makes approaching the Roulette wheel for the very first time even more off-putting.
The good news is that not only is Roulette dead-easy to play, but the different bets are even more easy to explain. And so, we’ve put together a brief explanation of Roulette bets, how to place them, their odds, and what to expect from them in the event of winning or losing.
The Basics
Roulette bets, not unlike most other games on the casino floor – with the lone exception of slots – are wagered by placing chips on a general betting area. Once all bets are placed, the wheel (containing numbers and the ball) is spun by the dealer in charge of the game.
Once the ball has run its course round the wheel and has slowed to the point of coming to a standstill, it will land in one of the little “pockets” on the outside circumference of the Roulette wheel. This results in either a winning bet or a losing bet – determined of course by the final landing position of the ball.
Just as soon as all bets have been removed and settled, the players huddled around the table may wager the next round of bets.
About Chips
Many casinos accept actual currency notes. Dealers will however replace actual currency with casino chips of an equal value.
Roulette chips, though they come in different colours for the purpose of making it easier to differentiate between different bet-sizes, are all the same size. Roulette chips will however have their respective values clearly indicated on both sides of each chip – and so there can never be any confusion regarding the monetary value of each chip.
About Bets
Roulette makes provision for several types of bets.
Single Number Bets: single number bets are mare by placing a chip or chips in one of the boxes marked by a numeral, i.e. 1, 2, 5, 7, etc. There are a total of 37 single number bets a player is able to make – this in addition to the 0 and 00 results.
How single number bets work is that a win is only registered as a win whenever the ball lands in the pocket denoted by the exact number that the bet in question was wagered on. If not, the bet is considered lost.
Due to the high-risk nature of single number bets, they pay at a rate of 35 to 1.
Section Bets: Section bets are placed by positioning a chip or chips in any one of the boxes marked 1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12. This is the standard format, no matter the casino or variety of Roulette wheel.
A section bet placed on the section (or box) marked 1st 12 is only considered a win in the event that the outcome of the spin falls within the range of 1 to 12. The same mathematical principle applies to the boxes marked 2nd 12, and 3rd 12. Section bets pay a rate of 2 to 1.