Roulette Basics
Roulette is one of today’s most popular casino table games. At first glance, the table seems to be complicated and rather large, once you learn the rules of the game, it is surprisingly easy. All you have to do is place your bets, and wait for the spin. Of course, there is more to it then just throwing your money down anywhere, but even the most sophisticated bets in roulette are easy to make. The game is simple as players try to bet that the little white ball will land in the numbered hole that they have chosen. Of course, there are ways to be on special numbers, combinations of numbers and other varied outcomes. It's so simple!
The Basics Players, usually up to eight, play against the house represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. In the USA most roulette wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots. Each player buys-in a different colored chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colored chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the value amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colors. You then carry these chips over to the cash desk where they will give you cash money in exchange. To play this game, you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the dolly on the winning number on the table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented. Object of the game To win at roulette the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them 'hot' numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use specific roulette systems or methods, money management systems, or both. The House Advantage On a single zero table the house advantage is 2.7%. On a double zero table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The house advantage is gained by paying the winners a chip or two (or a proportion of it) less than what it should have been if there was no advantage. The 'En Prison' Rule The 'La Partage' Rule The La Partage rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the 'outside' even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero. Both the La Partage and the En Prison roulette rules essentially cut the casino edge on the 'even-money bets' in half. So a bet on Red on a single-zero table with the la partage rule or the en prison rule has a 1.35% house edge and one on a double-zero table has a house edge of 2.63%. The Payouts A bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no house advantage you should collect 37 (38 in the USA on double zero roulette wheels). A two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1. A three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1. A four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1. A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1. A bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1. A bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.
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