One of the most iconic, historic, and widely played casino games is roulette. It has always been a favourite among casino enthusiasts and can now also be enjoyed as online roulette. Today, we’re taking a closer look at this classic game on the Casino777.nl blog: How do you play roulette?
The Origins of Roulette
Although roulette is often considered a French game, some historians suggest that its origins can be traced back to ancient China and Greece. In China, there was reportedly a popular game involving 37 animal figures arranged in a square, which collectively formed the number 666. However, the earliest written reference to roulette appears in a document on gambling laws from New France (present-day Quebec, Canada) dating back to 1758. In this document, roulette was listed among banned games. The first roulette wheel used for the game is attributed to the mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal, who likely developed it during his attempts to create a perpetual motion machine.
How to Play Roulette
The aim of roulette is to predict which number or colour the ball will land on, or within which number range on the roulette wheel. Bets are placed at the start of a round, before the croupier spins the wheel and drops the ball. There are two types of roulette wheels: European roulette, which has 37 pockets (numbered 1 to 36 and a single zero), and American roulette, which has 38 pockets (numbered 1 to 36, a single zero, and a double zero). There are countless types of bets available, each offering different payouts. Players can place multiple bets in the same round.
Roulette bets can be divided into two categories: inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets are placed on specific numbers on the table, while outside bets are placed on the areas surrounding the numbered grid.
Inside Bets
- Straight/Single: A bet on the ball landing on a specific number. This is placed by putting chips directly on the chosen number on the table. The usual payout is 35:1.
- Split: A bet that the ball will land on one of two vertically or horizontally adjacent numbers (e.g., 1 and 4 or 2 and 3). Chips are placed on the line shared by the two numbers. The typical payout is 17:1.
- Street: A bet that the ball will land on one of three consecutive numbers in a horizontal line (e.g., 4, 5, and 6). This is done by placing chips on the outer edge of the row. The payout is typically 11:1.
- Corner/Square: A bet that the ball will land on one of four numbers that form a square on the table (e.g., 7, 8, 10, and 11). Chips are placed at the intersection point shared by the four numbers. This bet usually pays out 8:1.
- Six Line/Double Street: A bet that the ball will land on one of six consecutive numbers that form two adjacent horizontal rows (e.g., 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21). Place your chips at the outer edge where the two rows meet. The typical payout is 5:1.
- Trio: A bet that the ball will land on one of three numbers involving the zero. On a European wheel, this could be 0, 1, and 2 or 0, 2, and 3. On an American wheel, this may be 0, 1, and 2 or 00, 2, and 3. Chips are placed on the intersection of the chosen trio. The payout is usually 11:1.
- First Four: This is a bet unique to European roulette, where the player bets that the ball will land on one of the first four numbers (0, 1, 2, and 3). Place chips at the corner shared by 0 and 1 or 0 and 3. This bet typically pays 8:1.
- Basket: This is a bet in American roulette that the ball will land on one of the first five numbers (0, 00, 1, 2, and 3). Chips are placed at the corner shared by 0 and 1 or 00 and 3. This bet generally pays out 6:1.
Outside Bets
- Low/High Outside Bets: A low bet (also known as Manque) is placed on numbers 1 through 18. A high bet (Passe) is placed on numbers 19 through 36. These are made by placing chips on the sections marked “1 to 18” or “19 to 36”. These bets typically pay 1:1.
- Red/Black: A bet on whether the ball will land on a red or black number. On both European and American wheels, the colours correspond to:
Red: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36
Black: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35
Note: 0 and 00 are not included in this bet as they are green. Bets are placed on the corresponding coloured areas of the table (labelled or colour-coded). This bet typically pays 1:1. - Even/Odd: A bet on whether the ball will land on an even or odd number. 0 and 00 are excluded from this bet. These are placed on the sections marked “Even” and “Odd” and usually pay 1:1.
In some casinos, particularly with European roulette, if the ball lands on 0 during a low or high outside bet, the player may receive half of their stake back.
- Dozen: A bet that the ball will land within the first dozen (1–12, also called Première douzaine), second dozen (13–24, or Moyenne douzaine), or third dozen (25–36, Dernière douzaine). 0 and 00 are excluded. These are placed on the “1 to 12”, “13 to 24” or “25 to 36” areas and typically pay 2:1.
- Column: A bet that the ball will land within a specified vertical column of 12 numbers (e.g., 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34). Chips are placed at the bottom of the chosen column. The usual payout is 2:1.
- Snake: This is a bet that the ball will land on one of the following numbers: 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34. To place this bet, chips are positioned at the bottom left corner of square 34. This bet usually pays 2:1.
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