The Basics of Roulette

Roulette is a casino game that involves placing bets on different groups of numbers. These bets carry different odds for winning and varying payouts. The roulette wheel consists of thirty-six compartments, painted alternately red and black and numbered 1 to 36, plus two green ones (zero and 00 on American wheels).

The croupier then throws a ball into the spinning wheel. Players continue making bets until the croupier announces “no more bets.”

Variations

There are many different roulette variations. Some have unique betting rules and bets while others have additional features that boost the payout potential. If you are a beginner, it is best to avoid games that include special bets and rules as they tend to have higher house edges than the traditional European version. Other options include the French Roulette, which uses a standard single-zero wheel and the same bets as the European version. It also includes the en prison and la partage rules that reduce the house edge to 2.7%. Other variations include Double Action Roulette, which has two concentric rings on the wheel, and Lighting Roulette, which offers high payouts.

Bets

There are several betting options on roullete. The simplest is to bet on whether the ball will land on a red or black number, which pays out at 1:1 and has low odds. Another bet is called a street bet, which covers three numbers in one row of the layout and has a payout of 11-1. Finally, there’s the split bet, which lets you place your chips to straddle the line between two numbers and offers a 17-1 payout.