It’s from French: “small wheel”. A roulette wheel consists of a spinning disk with divisions around its edge that revolves around the base of a bowl. A ball is spun around the outside of the bowl until eventually ball and wheel come to rest with the ball in one of the divisions. The divisions around the wheel are numbered from 1 to 36 in a seemingly random pattern and alternate red and black. Additionally, there is a green division numbered 0.
Prior to rolling the ball, people place bets on what number will come up by laying down chips on a betting mat, the precise location of the chips indicating the bet being made. On a traditional table, the French terms on the betting area are still used even in English speaking areas. However, on most US tables, English terms and a slightly different style of mat are used. Roulette is a banking game, and all bets are placed against the bank—that is the house or the proprietor of the game. Roulette is one of the most preferred casino games of all times, which attracts the players with payouts of up to 35 times the bet.
How to play roulette
As the ball is whirling around the roulette wheel, the croupiers in attendance calls for the players to make their bets, put your chips down on your favourite numbers, colour (as long as it’s red or black), or a combination of the two. You can bet on the numbers 1 to 36, which alternate in colour between red and black, plus 0 and 00, which are green.
The croupier usually starts the wheel spinning in a counterclockwise direction and then spins a small ivory or plastic ball onto the bowl’s back track in the opposite direction. Players may continue to place bets while the wheel and ball are in motion until the ball slows down and is about to drop off the back track, at which time one of the croupiers announces that no more bets may be made.
When the ball falls and comes to rest between any two metal partitions of the wheel, it marks the winning number (or a 0 or 00), the winning colour, and any other permitted bet that pertains to a winning number or symbol. The dealer immediately announces the winning number and its colour and places a special marker on the corresponding number on the layout. He first collects all losing bets, not disturbing the chips that are resting on winning spaces, and then pays off any winning bets.
American roulette vs European roulette
Pros and Cons of American Roulette
Many gamblers enjoy American roulette and understand how double zeros can change the odds of winning. Each outcome pays out in equal money, if successful you will get double the money, if unsuccessful you will lose your stake. However, double green zeros give the casino an edge on these bets, which increases when you put double zeros into the mix. In fact, your chances of winning your bet range from 48.65% on European Roulette to 47.37% on American Roulette. Whichever bet type you choose, your chances of winning are slightly diminished in each instance. Over time, these tiny profits accumulate.
Pros and Cons of European Roulette
After comparing the pros and cons of American and European roulette, many new players choose the European roulette because the layout of the single zero roulette ensures that you have a better chance of success with each spin of the roulette wheel, and because European roulette rulesgive gameplay an extra twist with the player having more agency over the outcome than the pure luck American version.
In French roulette, when you place an outside bet and the ball lands on zero, you can either choose “la partage” and get back half of your bet, or “en prison” to maybe win your full bet. If you choose the latter option, the croupier will mark your bet as “locked” or “in prison” and you make the same bet again, either winning it or having to give it up for the second loss.
Choose between American and European Roulette
While most new online casinos offer both live roulette in the American and European, it always helps to build up a better understanding of both. Because of the lower house edge, maybe you’re more likely to be successful in the long run when playing European roulette, and the French roulette ensures you at least get a second chance or half your stake.
Both American and European roulette have their own unique appeal. Whenever the dealer spins the roulette, there is always a sense of excitement as the red and black colors blur together! You can always play both types of roulette at live casinos and keep in mind the main differences listed in this guide!