Roulette rules

Basics:

Players, usually up to eight, play against the house represented by the croupier also called the dealer, who spins the roulette wheel and handles the wagers and payouts. The wheel has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In the USA most wheels have two zeros and therefore 38 slots. Each player buys-in a different colored chips so their bets don't get mixed up. At the end of play, if you won, you exchange back the colored chips with cash chips. These are special chips with the vale amount imprinted on them. There are several denominations in various colors. You then take these chips to the cash desk where they will give you actual cash money in exchange.

To play you place your bet or bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout or on the outside, and when everybody at the table had a chance to place their bets, the croupier starts the spin and launches the ball. Just a few moments before the ball is about to drop over the slots, the croupier says 'no more bets'. From that moment no one is allowed to place - or change - their bets until the ball drops on a slot. Only after the croupier places the 'dolly' on the winning number on the table and clears all the losing bets you can then start placing your new bets while the croupier pays the winners. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.

House advantage:

On a single zero roulette tables the house advantage is 2.7%. On a double zero roulette table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The house advantage is gained by paying the winners a chip or two (or a proportion of it) less than what it should have been if there was no advantage.

The payouts:

• bet on one number only, called a straight-up bet, pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no house advantage it should be 36 to1).
• two-number bet, called split bet, pays 17 to 1.
• three-number bet, called street bet, pays 11 to 1.
• four-number bet, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
• six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
• bet on the outside dozen or column, pays 2 to 1.
• bet on the outside even money bets, pays 1 to 1.

Objective of the game

To win the player needs to predict where the ball will land after each spin. This is by no means easy. In fact, luck plays an important part in this game. Some players go with the winning numbers calling them 'hot' numbers and therefore likely to come up more times. Others see which numbers did not come up for some time and bet on them believing that their turn is now due. Some players bet on many numbers to increase their chances of winning at every spin, but this way the payout is considerably reduced. Other methodical players use systems or methods.