Have you ever wanted to try Roulette? There’s absolutely no need to feel intimidated, it’s one of the most popular casino games for a reason and the trick is getting to understand the game and learning how to bet effectively. It’s well worth taking a little time to discover how roulette works so that you can move on to having fun! Here are a few tips and tricks and a short guide to the basics. Beginners can get started very quickly, but there is plenty of complexity to keep you intrigued and learning for years to come.
A brief history of Roulette
In the mid-1600’s a man named Blaise Pascal was trying his best to create a perpetual motion machine. He didn’t succeed in the end, but his loss was the gain of the gambling world as his invention turned out to be the forerunner of the modern roulette wheel.
How it works
There are three versions of Roulette: American, European and French. A roulette wheel consists of 36 pockets, alternately coloured red and black and a ceramic ball. American Roulette has two additional ‘0’ pockets and European has one ‘0’ – these extra pockets engineer the house edge (house advantage) by reducing the odds of players winning.
As a beginner, it may be wise to choose European Roulette with it’s lower house edge while you get used to the game. Players place bets on a range of numbers, red or black, odd or even, high or low numbers or a series of other combinations. The ball spins in the opposite direction to the wheel and lands in one of the pockets determining the outcome of your bet. Each player purchases special roulette chips and each player has a different colour so the croupier can easily see who to pay out.
Inside & Outside Bets
There are two categories of bets: inside and outside bets. Inside bets are placed on the 36 numbers inside the grid on the table. Outside bets are placed on the sections outside of the main grid and focus on red/black, odd/even, columns, dozens or high/low.
Beginners would do well to start with Outside bets – they are simpler and less risky, the house edge is a little lower and while payouts are lower too, you’ll be able to play for longer while you find your stride. Be sure to check out the minimum bets per table and how they are structured across inside and outside bets. For outside bets, each bet must equal the minimum, whereas for Inside bets all your bets together must equal the minimum. Different bets pay out differently, so in time you’ll learn how to combine a variety of bets strategically for the most efficient use of your bankroll.
A Game of Luck
Do bear in mind that Roulette is first and foremost a game of luck. While you can’t control the outcome, it’s a very exciting game as each spin could bring a win. You never know when Lady Luck could show up!