The Basics of Roulette
Despite being one of the most popular and romanticised table games, roulette is probably the worst pick of the bunch. The house edge is incredibly high, so any profits you might get are usually lost in a sea of losses. If you are looking to diversify your betting portfolio, and you have seen roulette in the movies, turn back now!
Of course, our warnings can only take you so far. If you are determined to try roulette, we cannot stop you. The only things we can do is tell you about its history and teach you how to play. Who knows – perhaps you will be the lucky sod that will be the big winner at the roulette table. Loyal Casino offers multiple roulette versions, so you can rest easy knowing you have options.
The Game
Roulette differs slightly depending on whether you are playing the American or European version. For the sake of completion, we will be discussing the American version here, and will list differences later.
You are faced with a large wheel that is spinning in one direction. The wheel is split into various notches, with different colours and numbers written on them. Number ranging from 1 to 36 are randomly positioned on the wheel. Gamblers will also find a single green 0, and another green 00 slot. In the European version, only the green 0 exists.
Once you select your bet, a ball will be spun. It will travel in the opposite direction of the wheel itself. The ball eventually loses speed and stops in one of the slots on the wheel. Depending on where it lands, you may win or lose.
The numbers from the wheel are present on the roulette table in front of you. Here, you have multiple betting options to choose from.
- Exact Number: You can try to guess the exact number where the ball will land. This is the most difficult to guess, but often comes with the biggest prize attached.
- Odd & Even: You can put cash down, trying to guess whether the number the ball lands on will be odd or even.
- Colour: You put your chips down on the red or black colour. If the ball lands on a number with a matching colour, you win.
- Dozen Bet: Here, you bet that the ball will land in the first, second or third set of 12 numbers. There are a total of 36 numbers on the wheel, so they can be neatly split into three sections.
- Field Bet: This is similar to the Dozen Bet. Here, you pick whether the ball will land on first 18 numbers, or the later numbers marked from 19-36.
- Column Bet: Each column has a 2:1 number set on its right side. Placing money there means you predict the ball will land on one of the numbers from the column. 2:1 usually refers to the cash prize you will win if you guess correctly.
- Zero & Double Zero: To the left of all the numbers you have the zero and double zero numbers. You can set cash directly that the ball will land on these slots in particular. As the odds of this are rare, the prize is usually awesome if you can land it.
Other than the exact number bets, all other belong in the ‘outside bets’ section. These are more suitable for new players because they are less risky. There are section tricks and tactics for inside bets, too. However, if we choose to discuss them, it will be for a roulette guide that does not focus on the very basics.
The Variations
For the most part, Roulette is split into two categories: European and American. The largest difference between these lies in the zeros. European Roulette only has a single zero, where as American version has both the zero and the double zero.
European Roulette, especially the French versions, also have some speciality bets. These are targeted towards a specific section of the roulette table. Once again, this is more for advanced players, so we will not be covering it here.
If you choose to play, we recommend European Roulette. It has a more favourable house edge compared to the American version. Remember to keep yourself in check, and try to stick to safer bets!
At Loyal Casino, you will find multiple versions of roulette. Standard European and American roulette tables are present. But you can also find French, English and Arabic roulette, all with their little quirks. You also have some fun variations like double ball, dragonara, blaze and alphabet roulette.