Roulette

The Roulette Layout

The roulette layout is the cloth-covered area on the table where players post the chips for their betsM. The inner section consists of red and black betting boxes with numbers 1 through 36 in sequential order plus one green pocket for the zero.The American layout contains one additional green box on top for the double zero. The external section comprises the boxes for the outside wagers - red, black, odd, even, high (19-36), and low (1-18), along with the three columns and dozens.Players can post wagers individually on any of these boxes or pick combinations of numbers, in which case the chips are placed on the intersections between the squares (either lines or corners). Tables where call bets are accepted typically feature an additional betting area, known as the racetrack.

Single-Zero vs. Double-Zero Wheels

There are two main types of roulette wheels, European and American. The European wheel contains 37 pockets with numbers 1 to 36 and a single zero. Out of those, 18 are red while the other 18 are black, with the colours alternating. The pocket for the zero is green.Players face a considerably lower statistical disadvantage at European tables. The single-zero wheels give the house an edge of 2.70% only. By contrast, the American format uses an additional double zero (00) that sits opposite the single zero on the wheel.Thus, a double-zero wheel contains a total of 38 numbered pockets, which causes the house edge to jump to 5.26%. Unlike the numbers on the table layout, those on the wheel are not ordered sequentially.Their order is seemingly haphazard, with each type of wheel using a different number sequence. This is done primarily for confusing the player and “balancing” the wheel so that it produces fully random outcomes.

Outside Bets & Their Odds

Outside wagers comprise one of the two major categories of bets in roulette. The chips are posted in the outer section of the table layout within the betting boxes that correspond to number properties like parity and colour.Outside bets offer better winning odds to the player at the expense of lower payoffs. They lose by default if the ball chooses the green zero unless La Partage or En Prison is applicable at the table. Here are the types of outside wagers along with their casino odds:

• Red or Black (Rouse et Noir) wagers are posted in the diamond-shaped boxes of the corresponding colour. They are located immediately under the box for the 2nd Dozen (“2nd 12”). If your chosen colour comes up, you win even money (1 to 1).
• The Odd or Even (Impair et Pair) bet is when you wager that the next number to appear will be odd or even. The layout boxes for these wagers are located on either side of the colour grids, with Odd sitting next to Black and Even sitting next to Red. You get a payout of 1 to 1 for a successful prediction of the next number’s parity.
• With the High or Low bet (Passe et Manque), the player wagers that the winning number will belong either to the low (1 through 18) or the high category (19 through 36). The zero is neither high nor low, so it causes this wager to lose when it gets spun. Winning High/Low bets also pay at even-money odds.
• A Column bet (or Colonne in French) comprises 12 numbers located in a vertical column on the layout. You place the chips at the very bottom of the respective column in the boxes that read 2 to 1 or 2:1, which is how much you get paid when you win with this wager. The numbers that belong to each of the three columns are non-sequential. For example, Column 1 includes 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34. This bet also loses whenever the ball settles in the green pocket since the zero is not part of any column.
• With a Dozen wager (Douzaine), the player is betting that the winning number will belong to one of the three dozens on the layout. The grids where chips are posted are located right above the boxes for the even-money bets. They are often labelled as 1st 12 (1 through 12), 2nd 12 (13 through 24), and 3rd 12 (25 to 36). The payout coincides with that for winning Column bets, or 2 to 1.

Inside Bets & Their Odds

The second major category comprises bets on individual numbers or groups of adjacent numbers on the layout. Such wagers stand a smaller chance of winning but compensate for this fact by yielding significantly higher payouts. The maximum limits for these bets differ from those for the outside wagers, so keep this in mind.

• Straight bets (En Plein) are those made on single numbers. Players have the option to place multiple straight bets within the same round. Provided that your chosen number hits, the house pays you at casino odds of 35 to 1, which means you get £35 on top of every pound you put at stake. Place your chips in the center of your selected number’s grid.
• Split bets (Cheval) cover two numbers in adjacent grids on the table layout, eg. 17 and 20 or 11 and 12. The players position their chips on the line that separates the two neighbouring betting boxes. Expect a payout of 17 to 1 if one of your two numbers shows up.
• The Street bet (Transversal) comprises three sequential numbers located within a single line on the layout, for example 1, 2, and 3 or 16, 17, and 18. To make one such wager, you must place your chips on the outer border of your selected three numbers, i.e. on the line separating 1 and the 1st 12 box in the case of 1/2/3. A winning Street bet pays at casino odds of 11 to 1.
• The Corner bet (Carre) covers four numbers whose grids share a common corner, hence the name. One example is a bet on 14, 15, 17, and 18. The wager wins at casino odds of 8 to 1 provided that the ball settles on any of your four numbers. You put your chips on where the inner lines of the four adjacent gridsintersect.
• The Five Number bet is considered the sucker bet in roulette. This one is placed on five specific numbers in American Roulette, namely 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
• It stands poor chances of winning and pays 6 to 1. The house edge with these casino odds is astronomical at 7.89%. Take our advice and refrain from placing this wager. If you insist on playing these specific five numbers, you are better off covering each of them with a straight bet.
• The Basket bet can be played at single-zero tables only. It comprises four specific numbers, 0, 1, 2, and 3. While it appears similar to the above-mentioned sucker bet, the difference here is that this one pays at higher odds of 8 to 1 (same as the Corner). Thus, the casino advantage it yields coincides with the edges of all other wagers in single-zero roulette, i.e. 2.70%. You position your chips on the outer corner of numbers 1 and 0 or 0 and 3.
• Finally, there is the Double Street wager, or Sixain at the French tables. This one comprises six sequential numbers in adjacent rows on the layout like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, for instance. The player makes this wager on the outer borders of their chosen six numbers. If any of the six lands on the next spin, the casino pays off at odds of 5 to 1.

Racetrack Betting

The two main categories we discussed so far concerned bets on numbers as they appeared on the layout. However, there is a third group of wagers in roulette that comprises what is known as “Call Bets”.These cover entire sections of the roulette wheel but the numbers are not in adjacent grids on the table. Because of this, players must commit with combinations of multiple chips so they can cover all the numbers of theircall bet. The wagers from this category are very fun to experiment with but first, you need to gain a proper understanding of how they work.

• Voisins du Zero encompasses a larger group of 17 numbers on the single-zero wheel and more precisely, those between 22 and 25 including (22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, and 25). You need chips or nine stacks of chips to play this bet. Five of those are placed on the splits between numbers 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, and 32/35, two are posted on numbers 0, 2, and 3 and the last two - as a corner bet on 25, 26, 28, and 29. The payoff depends on which of your nine bets wins.
• Jeu Zero is often referred to as the German bet, or Zero Spiel. This wager comprises seven numbers on the twosides of the zero pocket. It is similar to Voisins but you need only four chips here since you cover fewer numbers. A chip (or a chip stack) is posted on each of the three splits between 0 and 3, 32 and 35, and 12 and 15. You bet the fourth chip straight up on 26. The house pays 35 to 1 for the straight bet or 17 to 1 for a winning split.
• Le Tiers du Cylindre encompasses the 12 numbers between 27 and 33 including. Said sequence spans 27, 13, 36, 11,30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, and 33. If you look closely, you will notice these sit opposite the numbers from the Voisins series. This call bet enjoys great popularity among UK players. It requires a total of six chips to cover the six splits between 10 and 11, 5 and 8, 13 and 16, 27 and 30, 23 and 24, and 33 and 36. The payoff coincides with that for a winning split.
• Orphelins is the French word for “orphans”. This label is very fitting considering the bet covers the two smaller slices of the wheel between the Voisins du Zero and Tiers du Cylindre. There are eight numbers in this category, namely 1, 14, 20, 9, 31, 34, 6, and 17. The splits between 14 and 17, 6 and 9, 17 and 20, and 34 and 31 take one chip each. A fifth chip is placed as a straight bet on number 1.
• Neighbour bets are a particularly interesting bunch. The player begins by picking one of the 37 roulette numbers to use as a pivot. The wager also includes the two adjacent numbers on each side of the pivotas they appear on the wheel. For example, a bet on “21 and the Neighbours” encompasses 21, 2, 25, 4, and 19. One peculiarity to observe here is that your wager is divided into five straight bets to cover all five numbers. You should carefully consider the table minimums for inside wagers. If the minimum limit for individual numbers is £2, for example, you will need at least £10 to make a neighbour bet.