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Casinos> Gambling Articles > The Basics of Roulette
The Basics of Roulette
Roulette has been played since the 17th century
in France and is very popular in Europe today. The Monte Carlo in Monaco draws
people from around the world to its roulette tables. If you’ve never played
roulette, you need some information on the basics of the game. Let’s take a
look at what roulette is, how to play the game and exactly how it is paid out.
In roulette, up to eight people play against the House. The
House is represented by a croupier or dealer, who handles the bets, spins the
wheel and pays out to the winners. In the US, most roulette wheels have 38
slots. In France and most of Europe, the wheel has only 37 slots.
Each player at the table uses different colored chips to
prevent confusion. If you win, you exchange the colored chips for cash chips.
Cash chips have the value stamped on them. Each denomination is a different
color. You use the cash chips to cash out at the pay out desk or window. At
this time, the cashier will give you money for your cash chips.
Playing Roulette
When you play roulette, you bet on numbers which includes
zero, either within the table’s layout or outside. When all bets are placed,
the croupier spins the wheel which launches the ball. Before the ball drops,
the croupier states, “No more bets.” From that time, players cannot bet or
change their bets until the ball drops. The croupier then places the “dolly” on
the winning number and clears all of the bets that lost. While the croupier is
“paying out” the winner, players can once again place bets. Winners consist of
all bets that are around or on the winning number. The bets on the outside of
the table also win if they represent the winning number.
House Advantage
A double zero table gives the House a 5.25% advantage, while
tables with a single zero give the House a 2.7% advantage. The House gains the
advantage by paying players a portion less than it would have been if no
advantage were present.
Payouts
If you bet on only one number at the roulette table, it is
called a “straight up” bet and it pays 35 to 1. That means for a dollar bet you
would collect $36. If there is no House advantage, you collect $37. If you’re
playing in the US on a double zero table, you collect $38.
- Two
number or split bets pay 17 to 1.
- Three
numbers or street bets pay 11 to 1.
- Four
numbers or corner bets pay 8 to 1.
- Six
number bets pay 5 to 1.
- Bets
on the outside column pay 2 to 1.
- Even
money bets pay 1 to 1.
The Object of Roulette
In order to win at roulette, you have to predict where the
ball is going to land after each spin of the wheel. This may sound easy, but it
isn’t. Some roulette players bet on “hot numbers” that they believe will come
up time after time. Other players bet on numbers that haven’t come up in a
while, figuring the odds are in their favor. Roulette players may bet on many numbers,
because they think this will increase their odds of winning with each spin of
the wheel. However, this method reduces the payout substantially. Methodical
roulette players use specific systems to try and increase their chances of
winning. Every player has his or her own method that they believe is the best. None
of these systems have ever proven to be more effective than another.
Choose the method of playing roulette that is most
comfortable for you; enjoy the game and good luck at the wheel.
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