Since its invention in the 18th century, the game of Roulette has experienced massive growth and is now a staple in casinos all around the world. Despite its simplicity, few other games can bring you such edge-of-the-seat excitement. But, before you decide to play, let’s look at the basics.
Pre-Spin Activity
A roulette wheel contains red and black slots that have the numbers 1-36 on them, and a green slot with a zero (in Europe), or two green slots (in the US) with a zero and a pair of zeros. The game begins when the dealer asks the players to make bets by placing their chips on two sections of the table: the inside bets area and the outside bets area.
Inside Bets
Inside bets are placed on a number and seven types of these bets can be made. A straight is a bet on a single number and all you have to do to bet a straight is place your chip on any number on the mat. You can also make a split bet. This involves placing your chip on the shared line of two numbers’ squares. Betting on three consecutive numbers is called a “street” and to do this, simply place a chip on the outer corner of the line that contains the three numbers.
If one line is not enough for you, you can bet on two adjacent lines by resting your chip on the common corner of both lines. This kind of play is labelled a six line. A corner (square) is a flutter on four numbers and all you have to do is place your chip on the line between any four numbers, to carry out one of these.
A trio bet is a three-number bet that includes a zero or zeros and if you wish to make one of these bets, place a chip on the line that falls between a zero and two numbers. Finally, a basket is a wager on the numbers 0-3 and can be made by placing a chip on the corner shared by the zero and the first line.
Outside Bets
Meanwhile, outside bets in roulette are bets placed outside the number field and are based on other possible wheel outcomes. For instance, you can bet on dozens, columns, odd or even numbers, low or high numbers, red slots or black slots and so on...
The Spin
Once some bets have been made, the roulette dealer spins the wheel and throws in a small ball. You can continue betting until the ball slows down and the dealer announces that no more bets can be made. When the ball finally comes to a stop, it marks the winning number, colour or symbol. The dealer then collects all the losing bets before paying off the winning ones.
Final Thoughts
Roulette carries a level of excitement that few games are capable of generating. And since you are now up to speed with the basic rules, why don’t you give it a spin?