Roulette is one of the world’s most popular casino games. It’s a game of pure chance, and it is played around the world in land-based casinos and online. The goal of the game is to predict which slot on a revolving wheel the ball will fall into when it stops spinning. The first step in the game is to place your bets on a roulette table. The dealer then spins the wheel in one direction and rolls a small ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track that runs around the outer edge of the wheel. The ball is then dropped into a compartment, or “pocket”, which corresponds with one of the numbers on the betting table.
A traditional roulette wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with a rim containing thirty-six colored and numbered nonconsecutive compartments or pockets (called frets). The roulette ball makes contact with the wheel at a point between two of these compartments. On European wheels, there is a green pocket marked with the sign 0; on American wheels there are two green pockets, marked with the signs 0 and 00.
Once the wheel has stopped spinning, the croupier (dealer) announces “no more bets.” This locks in your chips before the ball is released from the track and bounces around the table until it stops on a number. If you made a bet on that number, you’ve won!
The game of roulette is easy to learn and is a lot of fun. There are several different types of bets that you can make. Some of them pay out big sums of money, but others have a much lower probability of winning. The trick is to figure out which ones are best for you and your bankroll.
Before you start playing, choose a roulette table that is within your budget. Each table will carry a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Look for a table with a minimum bet of $5 for inside bets and a maximum bet of $1,000 for outside bets.
Inside Bet: The best bet is to bet on individual numbers. You can also bet on small groups of numbers, such as odd or even, or whether the next number will be red or black. You have until the croupier says, “No more bets,” to place your chips where you want them on the table map.
Street Bet/Three Number Bet/Side Bet: This is a bet on a row of three consecutive numbers on the table map. The payout is 11-1. Dozens Bet: The dozens bet (douzaine in French) is a bet that the winning number will belong to the first dozen on the table, the second dozen or the third dozen. The payout is 2-1.
This game may seem like a waste of time, but it can be quite entertaining. It’s definitely worth watching over the typical mainstream dreck that will leave you feeling empty and disappointed after 90 minutes of your life!