Roulette

Due to its simplicity, availability and excitement one of the most popular casino games is Roulette, both in real casinos and online casinos. As with most casino games the rules vary but there are basic rules which are common to every roulette table. The most basic object is to place your stake on a number between 0 and 36. The croupier then rolls a small ball into a spinning wheel (hence roulette). The roulette wheel has slots in it numbered from 0 to 36. If the ball comes to rest in the numbered slot which matches the number on which you have placed your stake then the house will pay out at odds of 36 to 1 (for every £1 you gamble you receive £36 back). The more advanced methods of betting on numbers is explained further down.

Colours

The numbers on the roulette wheel are nearly always coloured either red or black; the 0 is usually coloured green, this will be explained further on. These colours enable you to bet on whether the ball will land in either a red coloured slot or a black coloured slot. If it lands in the colour on which you placed your stake then the house pays out 2 to 1 (double your money). But beware - if the ball lands on the green zero then you will lose your bet, no matter which colour you bet on.

Odds or Evens

The same rules as betting on the colours apply if you are betting on the ball landing on an odd or even number. If you place your stake on Odd and the ball settles in a slot numbered with an odd number (and visa versa with even numbers) then you will receive a pay out of 2 to 1. Again, if the ball lands on 0 then you will lose your bet.

Rows

On the betting area the numbers are displayed in three horizontal rows of twelve numbers. This enables you to bet on twelve numbers all at once. If the ball lands on a number which appears in the row you have bet on then the house pays out at odds of 3 to 1.

Sections

The numbers are also divided into three vertical sections of twelve numbers. The same rules as gambling on rows apply if you gamble on the ball landing in the first, second or third section of numbers.

Advanced Numbers

The numbers are arranged in a grid of three rows. It is possible to bet on various combinations of numbers by placing your gambling chips on the dividing line between two or more numbers. The more numbers you bet on, the more your odds are reduced.

For example, if you place your stake on the line between the 1 and the 2 then you are effectively betting on two numbers at once. Therefore your odds are halved from 36 to 1, to 18 to 1. If you place your bet on the corner of four numbers then your odds are reduced further to 9 to 1.

You can also bet on one or two columns of numbers by placing your gambling chips either at the bottom of one column or at the bottom of the line between two columns. In this case your odds are reduced to 12 to 1 and 6 to 1 respectively.

If you don't want the hassle of trying to work out the best method of placing your bet then it can be just as much fun (and just as profitable) by doing as many gamblers do and simply betting on red or black or your lucky numbers.