Boost Your Odds of Winning at Roulette
Roulette is one of the most popular casino games around, offering a high level of excitement and glamour. The game is based entirely on luck, but there are several strategies that can help increase the odds of winning. From choosing specific numbers to betting on colors, odds and even-odds, there are many ways to bet in this game of chance. Those who correctly guess where the ball will land can win large amounts of money.
To start playing, players give the dealer a number of chips worth the table’s minimum bet. The dealer then gives them coloured chips, which have a value equal to the amount they gave her. The croupier then spins the wheel and throws the ball into it, and the table watches as it bounces around the numbered pockets until it finds its final resting place. If the player made a bet on that pocket, they have won.
There are several bet types in roulette, and each has its own house edge and payouts. To maximize your chances of winning, it’s important to know the odds of each bet before putting any money down. You can learn about the various bets in our guide to roulette rules.
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel is a solid, convex wooden disk with 38 numbered pockets, which are painted alternately red and black. There is also a 0 and 00 compartment on American-style wheels. The numbered slots on the wheel are not in a continuous sequence, but are separated by metal partitions or “frets” (called canoes by roulette croupiers). The pockets of the European-style wheel contain only red and black numbers; those on an American wheel contain green ones.
Bets can be placed on a single number, multiple numbers, groupings of numbers, odd and even numbers or the first, second, or third dozen. Some of these bets have a higher house edge than others, but they generally have larger payouts. To make an outside bet, place a chip on the end of any “street” (row of three numbers) on the table map.
Inside bets, on the other hand, are bets on individual numbers. They are usually cheaper and have a higher likelihood of hitting, but they also carry more risk than outside bets. They are made by placing a chip on the corner of the rectangle formed by the number slots, or on the line between any two adjacent numbers. For example, a bet on number 1 costs 17 chips and pays 235 chips, while a bet on number 2 costs 27 chips and pays 392 chips. If the player’s number wins, they will receive their wagered chips plus any additional winnings they may have accumulated from their outside bets. Any unwon chips will be left up for the next round.