Roulette is a casino game where players place bets on which number they believe will appear on the roulette wheel. The game has many variations and players can choose to bet on a single number, various groups of numbers, the color red or black, or whether a number is odd or even. Before the wheel is spun, players place their chips on a betting mat, with the precise location of each chip indicating the bet being made. This game of chance is played in casinos, sportsbooks, and other gambling dens around the world.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with 38 separate compartments, or pockets, arranged alternately in red and black and numbered 1 through 36. A separate green compartment, marked 0 or 00 on European wheels, and two additional green ones on American roulette wheels (marked 0 and 00) give the house an edge over the player.
During the course of each spin, a ball is launched from the center of the spinning wheel and lands in one of the pockets. The winning number is then determined and the losing bets are removed from the table. The wheel and ball are spun again until the winning pocket is found and payouts are granted to the winners.
Before a game of Roulette is played, the players establish a budget for the session and place their bets accordingly. Each roulette table carries a placard that describes the minimum and maximum bets allowed on that table. In general, the minimum and maximum bets for inside and outside bets are based on the expected probability of hitting the bet.
To make a bet, a player simply places a chip on the appropriate area of the table, or on the betting mat if playing at an online casino. When a player is happy with the position of their chips, they press the spin button, and the wheel will be spun in a few seconds. When the winning number is determined, the winner’s chips are cleared from the table and payouts are granted automatically.
When choosing a casino to play at, the best option is to play European/French roulette, since these games have a much lower house edge. American Roulette is more common at land based casinos, but it has a higher house edge because of the two extra green pockets on the American roulette wheel. Some online casinos offer an optional rule called “la partage” that reduces the house edge even further, to just 1.35% on most outside bets.
