Let’s take a look at the picture below before we start explaining the rules of one of the most popular casino games around: 
This is a standard roulette table layout. There is a wheel on the left side of the table, and the options are on the right side where bets can be placed. If you look carefully at the wheel, you will see that there is only one “0” on it. That means its European roulette. American roulette has one more section in addition to 0; “00”. 0 and 00 are the casino’s sections. So if the ball stays in one of these, all the players are considered lost.
All the remaining sections belong to the players. You can bet on any one or more than one. Roulette betting options are:
- Single/Straight Bet: It means betting on a single number. For example, Red 7.
- Split Bet: It means betting 2 numbers at the same time.
- Street Bet: You are betting on 3 numbers at the same time.
- Square Bet: You are betting 4 numbers at the same time.
- Top Line Bet: It means betting over 5 numbers. This option is only available in American version and is known as the worst bet possible.
- Line Bet: It means betting over 6 numbers.
- Column: You are betting on 6 numbers standing close together.
- Dozen: It means betting on 1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12. So you bet over 12 numbers in total.
- Low / High: This means placing a bet on the entire numbers between 1-18 or 19-36.
- Even / Odd: You are betting on whether the outcome will be an odd or even number.
- Red / Black: You are betting on whether the outcome will be in red or black color (the number is not important).
As you can guess, European roulette is more advantageous than American one. To make a comparison, the house edge in the European version is 2.7%. For American roulette this figure is 5.26%. So in European roulette, your chances of winning are higher. If you find a version based on the original French rules (en prison roulette) do not miss this opportunity: This version offers the best odds for the players.
Roulette Payouts:
Roulette is a game based on mathematical principles, and payout values are determined accordingly. Simply put, the lower the value of probability, the more it pays. If you bet on a lot of numbers, your chances of winning are increasing, but the payout is falling at the same time. If we show it as a table:
|
Bet Type
|
Payout
|
|
Straight
|
35 to 1
|
|
Split
|
17 to 1
|
|
Street
|
11 to 1
|
|
Square
|
8 to 1
|
|
Top Line
|
6 to 1
|
|
Line
|
5 to 1
|
|
Column
|
2 to 1
|
|
Dozen
|
2 to 1
|
|
Low/High
|
1 to 1
|
|
Odd/Even
|
1 to 1
|
|
Red/Black
|
1 to 1
|
You can increase your money 35 times by playing straight bet and winning. But do not forget that the probability of this option is very low. Professional players usually opt for the last 6 options listed.
The Odds of Roulette: Which Bet Is The Best?
|
Bet Type
|
Odds In European Roulette
|
Odds In American Roulette
|
|
Straight
|
2.70%
|
2.63%
|
|
Split
|
5.41%
|
5.26%
|
|
Street
|
8.11%
|
7.89%
|
|
Square
|
10.81%
|
10.53%
|
|
Top Line
|
Not Available
|
13.16%
|
|
Line
|
16.22%
|
15.79%
|
|
Column
|
32.43%
|
31.58%
|
|
Dozen
|
32.43%
|
31.58%
|
|
Low/High
|
48.65%
|
47.37%
|
|
Odd/Even
|
48.65%
|
47.37%
|
|
Red/Black
|
48.65%
|
47.37%
|
In other words, there is no such thing as the best bet: There are bets that your chances of winning are the highest. In this regard, beginners should choose red/black, odd / even, and low/high bets. Column and dozen bets offer an ideal risk/reward value. All of the other options are rather risky and totally depends on luck. Unfortunately, none of the existing roulette “systems” work. For this reason, make sure you do not deposit too high on risky bets.
