Roulette is a casino game of chance that has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. It is a simple enough game to play for beginners, yet offers a surprising depth of strategy for the serious better. The right system can reap high rewards, so we’ve put together a quick guide to this popular table game.
The game revolves around a wheel with numbered compartments. When the ball is released it will fall into one of these numbered pockets as it slows down to a stop. Bets are placed on which number, or groupings of numbers, the color red or black, whether it is odd or even, and so on. A player’s bets are made by laying down chips on a special betting mat, the precise placement of which indicates the bet being placed. Depending on the type of bet, there are various payouts for winning bets.
In addition to the 37 regular numbers from 1 to 36, a single green zero (on American tables there is an extra green division numbered 00) is included in the wheel. This greatly increases the house’s advantage, as it effectively doubles the odds of hitting a number in a straight-up bet. The same applies to other combination bets.
Despite this disadvantage, many people still enjoy playing roulette, and some have developed elaborate systems for beating the house. A simple Google search will return millions of different betting systems, some easy to use, others involving complicated mathematics and others simply claiming to be foolproof.
Most of these strategies involve varying the size of your bets, or betting opposite to other players’ bets. The truth is that these methods do not reduce the house edge significantly, and the best way to maximize your chances of winning is to set a budget before you start playing. If you win, be sure to cash out your chips as soon as possible, and do not dip into your winnings for future bets.
If you are new to the game of roulette, it is best to stick with bets on outside bets, as these have the highest likelihood of winning. These bets are based on the fact that, on average, the house will pay you 35 to 1 for a winning bet, whereas inside bets, which have lower odds of winning, will only return about 36 to 1. However, there is always the possibility that a number will not come up, and so it pays to be prepared for this. This is why it is important to choose a table within your budget before you start betting.