A Beginner's Guide to Playing Roulette

2006 June 04, Erana Hansen

A large felt is placed next to the roulette wheel which has all the possible roulette numbers on it, 0-36 for a total of 37 numbers. Some roulette wheels have a double-zero (00) - you should avoid these wheels if you can, and the house edge is doubled, making it harder to win.

To bet in roulette, you simply place your wager on a particular number. You can also bet on whether the ball will land on a red/black number, whether it will land on an odd or even number, or whether it will land in certain sections of the wheel or within certain number groupings, such as numbers 1-12. Your payout odds are determined on your chances of hitting - for example, the highest odds are for a 'Straight-up' bet, which is picking the exact number the ball will land on. This is the hardest bet to guess correctly, and if you get it right, you therefore get the highest payout.

No matter where you place your bet on the layout, the house edge is the same. Your return may be different depending on whether you wager on high-risk wagers like 'Straight-ups' or 'Splits', but the house edge remains the same, no matter where your bet lies on the layout. This makes roulette an easy game to play. You don't have to think very hard at all, which makes it a good game to pass the time with.

Your betting options:

• Straight-up - a bet placed on a single number. This pays 35:1.
• Split - a bet placed on the line between two numbers. If either number is rolled, your bet pays 17:1.
• Street - a bet placed on a 3-number combination. If any of those 3 numbers come up, you get 11:1.
• Corner - a bet placed on a 4-number combination. This pays 8:1.
• 6-Line - a bet placed on a 6-number combination. This pays 5:1.
• Column - a bet placed on a 12-number combination, which pays 2:1.
• Even money bet - a bet placed on black/red, odd/even, numbers 1-18 or 19-36. Like the name suggests, these wagers are paid at 1:1 if they win.

Conclusion:

As you can see, roulette is a fairly easy game. You don't even need to remember the above names to play the game and have fun. Simply place your bets on the felt layout or place your virtual chips on the virtual layout if you're playing online, hear the dealer call "No more bets please!" and sit back and hope you get lucky!

Ed note: Hit some lucky straight-ups at Mansion Casino.