The History of Roulette
The word “Roulette” originally came from the French term meaning “small wheel”. The tradition goes that soldiers from Rome took the wheel off their chariots to use them for entertainment purposes. Others suggest it was Chinese monks within the Middle Ages who started the game. However the game first began, we can be sure that it was played throughout Europe during the 18 th and 19 th centuries and especially became popular in Monte Carlo and France. Back to today, the game of roulette is played across is globe and has become a symbol of prestige, excitement and glamour amongst the casino elite.
Roulette Introduction
The cousin of European roulette, played many in US shores, is American roulette . The interior of the wheel has 38 different subdivisions with the black and red colored numbers going from 1-36 and the addition of “0” & “00” colored in green. The primary game is almost identical with European roulette, the main difference being the French casinos play without the double zero- “00”. Roulette wheels are made from polished wood and designed in a way that they spin easily on their base. The dealer begins by spinning the wheel and then throws a small ball in the reverse direction. The ball slowly makes its way towards the interior center of the wheel where it will eventually stop in one of the numbered divisions. Of course, many times the balls will jump from one number to another before it properly stops. This motion of the ball together with the wide variety of available bets, no doubt all add to the games excitement.
Start of Play
The players all take their places around the table. Money can normally be exchanged for tokens either at the table with the croupier or the cash desk. When the minimum number of bets has been placed, play can begin! The ball is released by the dealer and the action unfolds.
If you play online, it is surprisingly similar to what you might expect in a land-based casino. You will first be expected to place your bet, including other players if you join a communal table, before the “Spin” button can be used to release the ball. You can place as many bets or combination of bets that you want. To make it easier, there is also a “Re-Bet” button which can be used to place the identical bets to those placed on the previous turn. Press “Spin” again to launch the ball. There still may be opportunity to place bets while the ball is in motion but all bets are closed by the time the ball finally rests. The resulting number is then posted on the table or on the screen if playing online. Losing bets are removed and all wagers that have won are now paid. A table is shown below detailing all the bets & the resulting payment:
Payment Table |
|
Bet - Internal |
Pays |
Straight Up (1 number) |
35:1 |
Split (2 numbers) |
17:1 |
Street (3 numbers) |
11:1 |
Triples (3 numbers) |
11:1 |
Corner (4 numbers) |
8:1 |
Basket (1 st 5 numbers: 0-00-1-2-3) |
6:1 |
Six line (6 numbers in 2 lines) |
5:1 |
|
Bets- External |
Pays |
Column (12 numbers) |
2:1 |
Dozen |
2:1 |
Black or Red |
1:1 |
Even or Odd |
1:1 |
Low numbers (1-18) or high numbers (19-36) |
1:1 |
Internal Bets
The internal wagers are bets placed within the central grid of the numbers that are displayed on the table. These bets are:
- Straight bets for specific numbers (0,00,1-36). These are paid at 35 to 1.
- Splits are bets placed between the intersection of two numbers (2-3/ 13-16). When either of these numbers come up, the payment is 17 to 1.
- Street or Line bets are placed on the primary vertical line of numbers, which is opposite to a column of 3 numbers (seven, eight, nine). If any one of these number come up, then the payment is 11:1.
- Triple bets are bets placed at the top of the numbered grid where the “0” and “00” are located. They are placed at the intersection where the three numbers touch, for instance 0,2,00 or 0,1,2 or 2,00,3. If any of these numbers come up, the bet is paid at 11:1.
- Corner bets are placed at the middle of four numbers (as in 22,23,19,20). This pays 8:1.
- Basket bets include the numbers 0,00,1,2,3. Payment is 6:1.
- Six Line bets are a combination of 6 numbers across 2 columns. This paid at6 5:1.
External Bets
External Bets are the groups of wagers placed around the central grid of numbers. These are sometimes located to one side of the grid or around the grid. The various bets are below:
- Column bets are bets on one of the three vertical columns of numbers (like 2,5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35). Notice that these do not have the 0 or 00. Column bets that win from any of the 12 numbers pay 2:1.
- The Dozen bets are bets placed on the sets of twelve numbers (1-12/ 13-24 & 25-36). These bets pay 2:1.
- Even or Odd bets are basically on even or odd numbers, again these do not include the zeros. This bet when it wins pays 1:1.
- Red or black bets are bets on the numbers that are colored red or black. The payment is 1:1.
- Bets on the Low numbers (1-18) and High numbers (19-36) also pays 1:1.
Payment
Payment for winning bets are paid in the following way. Suppose you made a $40 straight-up bet on number 8; this pays 35:1 for a total of $1440 (35x$40 is $1400, plus original bet of $40= $1,440). If you had gone for one of the even odds bets (1:1), let's say a $500 bet on “black” you get back $1000 ($500 win plus your original stake of $500). Please note, that there are minimum & maximum bets for both the internal and external bets. Check the table before limits carefully before play.
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