Roulette Rules and Gaming Strategies
How to play the game of Roulette?
To win, you need to guess the correct number or color that will come out after each spin. For many experts, this is considered a pure game of chance. Players play against the house which is handled by a casino dealer. The dealer is the wheel spinner and he manages the wagers and payouts. Several versions of roulette like the French and European version have 37 slots consisting of "0" and numbers "1-36". The American version has 38 slots consisting of "0", "00", and numbers "1-36".
A player needs to buy a set of different colored chips for betting. The denominations of these chips are printed on them. Each color has a different value. If you won, you can exchange it back with the usual casino chips. These chips can then be converted to cash at the casino counter.
Game procedure
- Place your inside or outside bets on any number in the table layout. When everyone has placed their bets, the casino dealer spins the ball.
- A few seconds before the ball drops, the dealer will halt the betting. This means no one is allowed to place or change his bets.
- The dealer then places a marker on the winning inside and outside bets and clears all the losing wagers. While the marker is on the table, no players can collect, place or remove bets.
The house advantage
The house advantage on European and French roulette table (single "0") is 2.7% while the American version (which has "0" and "00") has a 5.26% advantage. The house advantage is the difference between the true odds and the odds that the casino actually pays you when you win.
The "En Prison" rule
"En Prison" rule is a chance to recover one's bet in the game of roulette .This is only applied for odd-even, high-low, red-black money bets. When the outcome of the spin is "0", the player has the option to either take back half of his bet or to place his original bet "En Prison" for the next spin. If he wins, the player's bet is returned and if he loses, then the bet is forfeited. This is not applicable to all casinos. Different casinos implement different rules.
The "La Partage" rule
The "La Partage" rule is almost the same as the "En Prison" rule, the only difference is the player automatically loses half of his bet when a "0" comes out and does not have the option to leave his bet "En Prison". Both rules decrease the house edge in half for even-money bets. This means that a single "0" roulette table which applies "En Prison" or "La Partage" rule has a 1.35% house advantage and a double "0" roulette table has a 2.63% house advantage.
The payouts
A straight bet or single number bet pays 35 to 1. You will get a total of 36 including your bet.
A split bet or betting on 2 adjoining numbers pays 17 to 1.
A street bet or betting on 3 numbers on a single horizontal line pays 11 to 1.
A corner bet or betting in 4 numbers in a square layout pays 8 to 1.
A six line bet or betting on 6 numbers on 2 adjoining street bets pays 5 to 1.
A column bet or betting on 12 numbers on any of the 3 vertical lines pays 2 to 1.
A dozen bet or betting on the first (1-12), second (13-24), or third (25-36) of twelve numbers pays 2 to 1.
A snake bet or even money bets pays 1 to 1.
Inside Bets
- Straight Bet = En Plein
- Split Bet = Cheval
- Street Bet = Transversale
- Corner Bet = Carre
- Six Line Bet = Sixainne
Outside Bets
- Column Bet = Colonne
- Dozen Bet = Douzaine
- Red or Black Bet = Rouge, Noir
- Even or Odd Bet = Pair ou Impair
- Low or High Bet = Manque, Passe
