Roulette Rules
Roulette consists of a the wheel and the layout. Players sit or stand around the layout - not around the wheel. The layout is long and rectangular and can accomodate six to eight players sitting down and many more standing up. In North America, for the most part, regular casino chips are not used to place bets. Players exchange their chips, or cash, for special colored chips that have differing denominations imprinted on them. Each player receives a different color or chip pattern. This helps the dealer, or croupier, keep the bets straight and reduces player confusion. In European Roulette, player use regular casino chips to place their bets.
The order of play begins something like this; players place their bets and then dealer, or croupier, rolls the a small white ball along a track at the top to of the roulette wheel housing. Interestingly enough, you may still place bets after the ball has been propeled along the track of the wheel. However, once the dealer announces "No more bets!" that is it. No more bets are allowed. But, this ability to place bets after the ball has been rolled along that top track has led to gamblers trying to "clock the dealer". This stems from their belief that the croupier, because he or she rolls that ball so many times during their career as roulette dealer, will develop a rhythm that can be detected and capitalized on. More about this on our roulette strategies page. Generally, you should make your bets prior to the ball dropping out of the top track towards the center of the wheel.
One word of caution here, do not stare to intently at the ball as it spins around wheel and makes its way to a final resting place. The ball spins one way and the wheel the other way. You would not be the first person to get sick at the roulette table. Especially if you have had a lot to drink.
Once the ball has come to a final resting place the croupier will announce the winning and color. Then dealer will collect the bets and pay off the winners and around we go again! The winning number and it's color are posted on a light tower next to the layout. In fact, the last ten winners are usually posted there. You can use this to discover and follow trends.
Now that we know a little bit about roulette, let's take a look at the different bets you can make:
The Straight Up Bet - One Number
You guessed it. This is a bet on a single number on the roulette table layout. To do this you place your bet completely within the box for any one number. Do not let your chip touch a line. For this is another bet entirely. Since there are 38 slots on the wheel (American Roulette) your bet has a one in thirty eight chance of being a winner. They payoff for a winning wager is 35 to 1.
Split Bet - Two Numbers
To make this bet simply place your chip on a line separating two numbers. Now if the ball comes to rest in the slot represented by either number, you win! There are 62 different ways you can make the split bet. The split bet pays off at 17 to 1
The Street Bet - Three Numbers
There are 15 ways you could make a street bet. You could place a bet where the boxes for the numbers 0,1 and 2 intersect. You could make the street bet the same way using the numbers 0,00 and 2 or 2,00 and 3. You can also make a street be by placing a chip on the line that separates the inside and outside are on the layout. This is the line that is between the first, second and third boxes and the rest of the numbers on the layout. Placing a chip on this line gives you a bet on all three numbers in that row. The street bet pays 11 to 1.
Corner Bet - Four Numbers
This one of the more popular bets made at the roulette table. A chip is placed the intersection of four numbers. The are 22 different ways you can make the corner bet. The corner bet pays 8 to 1.
The Five Number Bet
To make this bet you place a chip on the corner intersection where the line that separates the 0 and 00 from 1, 2 and three meets the line that separates the inside and outside parts of the layout. This gives you a bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The five number bet pays 6 to 1.
The Line Bet - Six Numbers
The line bet can be made by placing a chip where a line separating two rows of numbers on the inside layout meets the line separting the inside and outside parts of the layout. This bet gives you six numbers. There are 11 ways to make the line bet. The line bet pays 5 to 1.
The Column Bet
