Roulette

Roulette is an easy game to learn and play despite the crowded looking table with numerous slots and different colored chips. It is slow paced and the tables are never too crowded. You can thus play for long periods of time without worrying about great losses even though the house edge is much higher than other games like blackjack or roulette craps player.

The wheel is divided into 38 slots, evenly spaced wherein the ball lands after the roulette wheel has been spun. Each slot has a number and color that matches corresponding numbers and colors on the betting table. The numbers are from 1 to 36, with half black and half red. The remaining two slots are for zero and double zero, both of which are colored green. American Roulette games have 37 numbers including one zero effectively cutting the house edge in half. The dealer spins the wheel and then spins a small ivory or steel ball around the rim of the wheel in the opposite direction. When the ball finally comes to rest in one of the slots, the dealer calls out the winning number and color and places a marker over that number on the betting table for all to see.For more information betting in roulette check our article on roulette - how to bet.

There are many different bets indicated on the betting table, as follows :

• The individual numbers: you can bet on 1 number, 2 numbers, as many as you like.
• The three marked columns of 12 numbers each.
• The 1st Dozen, 2nd Dozen, or 3rd Dozen
• The high numbers, indicated on the table as 1-18. The low numbers, indicated on the table as 19-36.
• Even Numbers or Odd Numbers
• Red Numbers or Black Numbers (note that this excludes the 0 and 00).

All bets have exactly the same house edge which is 5.26%! This is because of the single and double zero system. These numbers do not win for any bet except for if you bet them as a number. In other words, they do not count for high, low, odd, oven, red or black, the dozens or the rows of 12 numbers. Since these two out of the 38 numbers don't count except as a number, this is what gives the house it's 5.26% edge. (2 divided by 38 equals 5.26%). Also, a winning on a single number pays 35 to 1, while there are 38 numbers on the table, which again gives the house it's 5.26% edge.

Here are the odds paid on the various bets: Individual numbers pay 35; The 12 number columns pays 2 to 1; The Dozens pays 2 to 1; The high numbers and low numbers pay even money; The even and odd numbers pay even money; The red and black numbers pay even money.