Roulette is an exciting casino game that has its origins in 17th century France. Today, it is played in casinos around the world and is especially popular in Europe. It can also be played online. Up to 8 players participate at one time, with each attempting to guess where the ball will land. Each is playing against the house. The dealer, also known as the croupier, spins the wheels, takes the bets and distributes payouts.
There are two primary types of roulette wheels, the American version and the European version. The house advantage is highest for the American wheel which makes it less appealing to play. The American wheel has 38 slots and one single zero and one double zero whereas the European one has 37 slots, 36 numbers and only one single zero.
In the American version of the game every player gets chips that are a different color from each other. This is to make sure that there are no mix-ups when betting. When a person wins, they will hand their chips to the dealer and he or she will trade them for cash chips. These can be exchanged for real money at the cash desk. .
Players wishing to participate in a game will place their bet(s) on any number that they want in the table or outside of it. After everyone has placed their bet, the dealer will spin the wheel. Prior to the ball dropping the dealer will close off betting. At this point no more bets can be made and there are no allowable changes to bets already placed. Once the ball stops, the dealer will place a dolly on the winning number. He or she will then clear all of the losing bets off of the table and pay the winners.
Winners are those individuals that placed a bet on the winning number and even those around it. Individuals that placed a bet on the outside of the layout might also possibly be winners. If so, they will be able to exchange their chips for cash chips.
The house advantage is one of the biggest differences between the American and European wheel. The European wheel is a much better bet with a house advantage of 2.7%. It is nearly double that for the American wheel at 5.26%. This is why most people suggest that when an individual has a chance, they go with the European wheel. They have a much better chance of winning. Besides the additional 0 on the American wheel, the game is similar, the house advantage simply halves (nearly), which makes much better sense to use the wheel that will give the individual the best chance of success.
Persons considering playing roulette will likely be interested in the payout structure. A straight up bet (one number) pays 35 to 1, split bets pay 17 to 1, street bets pay 11 to 1, a corner bet pays 8 to 1, a six number bet pays 5 to 1, a column bet pays 2 to 1 and an outside bet even money, pays out 1 to 1.
