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Roulette is a French word that means "small wheel". It is a game with a rich history and it goes back to the 17th century when it was invented by the famed French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Over the years it has evolved and changed. For starters, there are three different versions of roulette that gamblers can play. They are commonly known as the American, the British, and the French versions of the game. Basically, though, the general game is the same.
Entertaining and social – there's always a party around the casino roulette table. While not the fastest moving casino game of them all, roulette protects its spectators and players from getting bored – there's nothing like the thrill of watching the ball spin round and round in the wheel. The ball can even loop around the wheel up to forty times!
In casino roulette, the game is played with a wheel numbered 0 through 36. The numbers have alternating colors of black and red, with the 0 and 00 grooves colored green. A felt covered table, similar to the craps table, has the different betting combinations displayed on it. One of the great advantages about roulette is that players have many different betting options to choose from but the basic game and rules are simple.
Roulette players have the choice of betting on a color, number, odds/evens, and even a group of numbers. Also similar to craps, the game of roulette is a very social game. There is usually a loud and excited crowd surrounding the craps tables in the casinos. Similar to craps, but much easier to learn!
Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to learn. It's fun, easy to learn, and has great payouts so its no wonder that roulette is one of the most popular games around the globe. It is important to remember, though, that there are two different versions of the game so make sure you know which version you are playing at a casino because the odds and payouts will differ.
A lot of noise around the casino’s roulette table. Be it from the spinning wheel and the bouncing ball inside of it, hopping in and out of the players’ temporary fortunes before finding a brief rest in one of the wheel’s pockets, or from the eyes of the spectators’ eyes moving back and forth, tennis-style, between the flying chips and the real ‘wheel of fortune’.
As mentioned already, Roulette has gone global and crossed continents. What do we mean by that? The game knows no international conflict and has adopted styles of play from both American and European influences. The roulette wheel (the same one used in so many metaphors) has the same number and classification of pockets on it as those on the table. In the European version there are pockets for numbers 1 through 37 (that is, 37 possibilities). The American version includes the double zero (00) to make it 38 possible selections for the player.
The setting may look like a messy pool table with a wheel that doesn’t belong to the scene, but the game is in fact simple and enjoyable. Bear with the initial feeling of disorder and the experience will prove to be quite exciting. Begin by observing that the colored numbers (be it 37 or 38 of them) on the table correspond to those on the wheel. This wheel will be in motion for the majority of the game and it is where most of the drama takes place. When the wheel is spun, an ivory ball is thrown against its direction and the crowd waits to see in which pocket it will fall and by that declare a win. Until the croupier (or dealer) declares "no more bets", anyone and everyone is welcomed to place their bets on the table in whichever quantity and/or method (see next section) they choose and speculate the ball’s final destination. The winners will be those who correctly predicted the ball’s landings through specific parameters (number, color, odd/even) and will be paid according to the odds within which they placed their bets. All other chips will be swept away to make room on the table for the next spin of the wheel.
Roulette Rules:
Play Roulette for Free!Roulette is a game of pure guessing and minimal strategy. The wheel, as stated, has between 37 and 38 pockets and a win comes from guessing rather than beating the other players, or the dealer’s hand. The game is not an all-or-nothing situation, however. That is, guessing the exact number on which the ball will fall is not the only way to win. The chances for any kind of win in that situation would be so small that the game would not be very attractive to anxious players. Getting that one in thirty seven or thirty eight bet will indeed give you the table’s biggest payout. But, just as in golf, a hole in one is not the only way to collect winnings in a game. You can make your life easier (and the payout smaller, unfortunately) by taking one of several betting options on the table:
Your bet on the table is determined on where you place your chips. You can place them on several places on the edge of the table where bets are placed and set yourself for different possibilities. You choose from a selection of common characteristics of the numbers on the wheel - odd/even, red or black, and low/high.
The payouts are as follows:
Straight Bet- The big one. Betting on the single number on which the ball eventually lands pays 35 to 1.
Split Bet- Betting on two adjacent numbers and seeing the ball land in one of the two pays you 17 to 1.
Street Bet- Betting on three numbers in a horizontal line pays you 11 to 1.
Corner Bet- Betting on a block of four numbers pays you 8 to 1.
Line Bet- Betting on six numbers in two adjacent rows pays you 5 to 1.
Columns – A bet on the 12 numbers contained in any one of the three columns on the table. Pays 2 to 1.
Red / Black – A bet that the winning number will be the color you bet on. Pays even money 1 to 1.
Odd / Even – A bet that the winning number will be either an odd or even number. Pays even money 1 to 1.
Low / High – A bet that the ball will either fall in the series of lower numbers (1-18) or the series of high numbers (19-36). Pays even money 1 to 1.
Dozens – a bet on either the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36). Pays 2 to 1.
The Roulette table is a grid composed of three columns and 12 rows. The places that are designated to places the chips to indicate what you’re betting on can be very easily understood once you have a visual picture of the table in front of you. Examine it for just a few moments and you’re on your way to being part of the racket around the roulette wheel.
Europe is the way to go...
When it comes to vacation destination, ‘to each his own’. But when you’re heading to the casino, look for the table with the European roulette wheel (without that extra zero of the American wheel, remember how to play roulette?). The American wheel gives the house a 5.3% advantage while the European wheel brings that number down to 2.7%.
If you're in Las Vegas - you can play the European Roulette in the Bellagio, Mirage, MGM Grand, and Wynn casino.
You should place your bets on even money spots and low-odds as they are the ones that represent the lowest house advantage the house has.
Roulette should only be played for brief periods of time. Beware of the intoxicating effect of a winning streak. Everybody’s luck runs out, and when not playing carefully, it crashes.
If you do find yourself playing on the American roulette table, avoid betting on the five spot or the top line of numbers (0, 00, 1, 2, and 3).
Come to the table with a mental setting- set for yourself a specific target amount of money to play roulette with. Once it’s lost, step away.
The roulette table has a way of getting its money back. The old adage “quit while you’re ahead” suits roulette very well.
Make note that the expert's advice is that roulette, more than any other game, should be played principally for its entertainment value.
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