Traditionally, the game of roulette is considered one of the most popular table games in land-based and live casinos, usually attracting numerous players around a single table.
I’ve noticed that for a new or inexperienced player, this can be quite intimidating, but you don’t have to worry as roulette is actually a very straightforward game to understand. It’s worth mentioning, however, that there are several different types of roulette variations that you need to be aware.
In my opinion, after enjoying years of roulette myself, I find that the most complicated part of roulette is knowing the different types of bets you can make.
The basic aim of roulette is for you to either bet on a colour or a number that you think the little white ball will eventually land on when it’s spun in the opposite direction of the roulette wheel. The roulette wheel will either contain 37 or 38 numbers. If it contains 37 numbers, it will be a European roulette wheel, and if it contains 38 numbers, it will always be an American roulette wheel. The numbers on the roulette wheel will either be coloured black or red, and is prearranged by their position in a number sequence that I will explain in detail shortly.
After bets have been placed, the croupier will spin the ball on the outer edge of the roulette wheel. Once the white ball loses momentum and slows down, it will drop into one of the numbered wells located around the wheel. The croupier will then place a dolly on the winning number and remove all losing bets. Wins are then paid accordingly and another round of betting will begin.
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The Roulette Wheel
The European roulette wheel contains 37 numbers and range from 1 to 36 with the addition of a 0. The odd numbers between 1-10, as well as 19-28, are coloured red and the even numbers are coloured black. The odd numbers between 11-18, as well as 29-36, are coloured black and the even numbers are coloured red. The additional 0 is usually green in colour. The American roulette wheel has the same number layout in the same predetermined colour arrangement, but contains an additional 00 (double zero) that is also usually green in colour.
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Bets
The bets can either be described as Inside Bets or Outside Bets. Inside bets are wagers on numbers or a combination of numbers within the numbered grid. Outside bets are wagers placed on patterns and number combinations outside the numbered grid. I would also like to point out that Inside bets offer higher odds when compared to Outside bets. In addition, there is also a range of special bet patterns that are often referred to as French Bet’s that I will gladly explain in more detail below.
Inside Bets
- Straight Up: This is a bet on a single number and will pay 35 to 1.
- Split: This is a bet placed on the line separating any two numbers, either vertical or horizontal and will pay 17 to 1.
- Basket: This is a bet covering 0-00-2 or 00-2-3 or 0-1-2 and will pay 11 to 1.
- Street: This is a bet covering any three horizontal numbers that are in a row, for instance 7-8-9 or 1-2-3, and will pay 11 to 1.
- Corner: This is a bet placed on the intersection of four different numbers, for instance 29-30-32-33 or 7-8-10-11, and will pay 8 to 1.
- Top Line: This is a bet covering 1-2-3, 0, 00 and will pay 6 to 1.
- 6 Line: This is a bet that will cover two adjoining streets, and therefore 6 numbers will be covered and will pay 5 to 1.
Outside Bets
- Column: This is a bet that will cover one of three vertical columns and will pay 2 to 1
- 1st Dozen: This is a bet that will cover numbers 1 to 12 and will pay 2 to 1
- 2nd Dozen: This is a bet that will cover numbers 13 to 24 and will pay 2 to 1
- 3rd Dozen: This is a bet that will cover numbers 25 to 36 and will pay 2 to 1
- Odd: This is a bet that will cover all odd numbers and will pay 1 to 1
- Even: This is a bet that will cover all even numbers and will pay 1 to 1
- Red: This is a bet that will cover all red numbers and will pay 1 to 1
- Black: This is a bet that will cover all black numbers and will pay 1 to 1
- 1-18: This is a bet that will cover all numbers from 1 to 18 and will pay 1 to 1
- 19-36: This is a bet that will cover all numbers from 19 to 36 and will pay 1 to 1
French Bets
The French roulette wheel is divided into three different sections, including Orphelins, Le tiers du cylinder, and Voisins de zero. One of my favourite bets is to place a wager on all numbers on one of the sections of the roulette wheel. A “Racetrack” has been created allowing you to place such wagers without the need to remember the sequence of numbers or the locations of the sectors on the wheel. You simply place your bet on the Racetrack and the dealer will take care of the rest. It’s basically the same online when using the Racetrack as the software interface will place your wagers exactly where you want them.
Important Facts About Live Roulette
The game of roulette is fantastic as a live casino game. I just need to remind you that roulette is a game of chance, so regardless of what you read or what you’ve been told, the house will always have an edge, especially over the long-term. The 0 and 00 are the casino’s built-in house edge and I will quickly explain how this works:
With the single zero there is a total of 37 numbers you can place a wager on. If you place a wager on every single number, you will obviously win, but the casino will only pay 35 to 1. So, you will get back 36 and the casino will take 1. Therefore, you will lose even when you win, making the house edge 2.70%.
With the double zero the odds are even worse. If you place a wager on all 38 numbers and win, the casino will pay 35 to 1. Therefore, you will get 36 back but the casino will take 2. This gives the casino a house edge of 5.26%.
The best advice I can give you is to look out for the La Partage rule, giving you a reduced house edge. This rule will allow you to retrieve half of your bet if you made an even money bet and lost it on a green zero.
Best Live Roulette Casinos
It’s been quite a challenge to provide a shortlist of my favourite Live Roulette Casinos as they are pretty much standard across the board. In my experience, there are a couple of things that make a huge difference when deciding where to play Live Roulette. I’ve played and researched plenty of Live Casinos and used the following factors to help me with my shortlist:
- The Game: American or European
- Streamed from land-based casino or studio
- The language spoken by live dealer
- The speed of each round
- The level, detail and game statistics
- The speed of pay-outs and stake limits
- Tools to assist you in making bets
- Quality of live dealers and visual experience
- Mobile friendliness
I’m mainly after the stakes, the speed of the game, and the ability to place wagers easily. I mostly play live roulette at Leo Vegas Casino as they offer 6 live casinos, which always provides a great gaming session. I also trust them implicitly. The list of other casinos also offers a fantastic experience and they all have a marvellous reputation for being trustworthy, honest, and pay-out in a timely fashion.
LeoVegas Live Roulette
LeoVegas is at the top of my list at they offer six live casinos where European roulette is offered at all of them. The tables are streamed from both land-based casinos and studios. They offer a wide range of language tables and every single variety of roulette you could possibly ask for. The stakes start at a mere $0.75 and peaks at a maximum of $75,000.
Unibet Live Casino
Unibet Live Casino is best known for their variety of Live Roulette games and their wide range of foreign language tables. Their stakes range from $0.25 up to a maximum of $250,000 and they also offer La Partage. Their spin to spin time on their Evolution Gaming powered tables are 25 seconds and they are renowned for their fast pay-out times.
BetVictor
Bet Victor is another reputable Live Casino with two live casinos. They offer a wide range of incredible live roulette games with stakes starting at $0.10 and increasing to a maximum of $75,000. They also offer the La Partage rule and spin to spin takes around 25 seconds with their tables from Evolution Gaming.
Betfair
Betfair offers a great range of roulette tables with several play options. There are roulette tables from both European and Asian dealing rooms and English speaking live dealers are provided at both. They offer prestige high definition roulette and boasts with a fantastic mobile product. Their spin to spin time on average is around 35 seconds with stakes ranging from $0.50 up to $10,000.