Roulette is played on the Roulette wheel which is divided into several numbered slots. These slots vary from 37 to 38 and are numbered from 1 to 36. While some wheels have a slot for zero (0), others have two slots for zero. Therefore, odds vary between these two kinds of Roulette wheels. Every Roulette game also has a table which carries all the numbers printed on the wheel. You lay bets on these numbers and their groupings. Players can lay two kinds of bets- Inside and Outside. Inside bets have lower odds but higher payouts than Outside bets.
Examples ofInside bets
Inside bets comprise bets laid on single numbers and on a number belonging to groups of three, two, or four numbers. A good example of an Inside bet is the Straight bet. Here you lay your stake on a single number, such 1, 2, etc. If your bet comes true, you win money in the proportion 35:1. This means you win 35x your staked amount. In a Split bet, you stake money on either of the two numbers divided by a line, e.g. 2/3, 4/5, etc. Here, the payout is lower, but is still a very attractive 17:1.
There is yet another Inside bet and that is the Street bet. Here, you lay bets on one number belonging to a row of three numbers, such as 1,2,3 or 4,5,6. etc. The payout becomes lesser here at 11:1. In a Corner bet, you are staking on one of the 4 numbers that make a corner in the betting table. Examples are 1,2,4,5 or 2,3,5 and 6. The payout for a Corner bet is 8:1. Have a look at the Line bet. Here you are betting on any one number belonging to two rows of 3 numbers each.
An example of a Line bet is 1-6, 4-9, 7-12, etc. If your Line bet comes true, yu get paid in the ratio 5:1. In American Roulette, you can place a Five-Number Bet. These five numbers are 00, 0, 1,2 and 3. Similarly in European Roulette, punters can place the Basket bet (0,1,2,3). The last two bets have payouts of 6:1 and 5:1, respectively. In the Snake bet, you place bets on these numbers: 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34. These numbers form a snake-like figure. The payout from this bet is 2:1.
- High rollers prefer Inside bets
Understanding Outside bets
These bets have higher odds but lower payouts. Payoffs range from 2:1 to 1:1. In a Dozen bet, you bet on any number belonging to 1st 12, 2nd 12, and 3rd 12 numbers. There is a Column bet as well, and here you are staking money on any number belonging to the three columns on the betting table. Please note that the payouts of these bets are 2:1. You can also bet on High/Low, Black/Red and Odd/Even numbers. Payouts for these numbers are 1:1. Generally, new gamblers prefer Outside bets because of their high odds. Please keep reading.
You can reduce the house edge on this game by using the right betting strategy. Take the Fibonacci strategy for instance. Here, you are betting according to the series 1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. However, this strategy has a limitation, because most Roulette tables have upper netting limits. There is another betting strategy- Martingale strategy. Here, you double your wager every time you lose. At the same time, you halve your bet when you win. This tactic assumes that you would win ultimately at some point of time. Please note there is no perfect betting strategy in Roulette.