Betting on a Game of Roulette

The game of Roulette has a long history. Originating in France of the 1700s the game migrated throughout Europe and into the United States in a very short period of time. By the 1800s the game was incredibly popular throughout most of the world, and it had even had a few alterations made to it by the inhabitants of the “Wild West”, including the addition of a “double” zero to the wheel (which increased the advantage held by the “house” or casino) and a modified layout table.

Wagers for the game are placed in a large number of ways. The rules allow for a player to make as many bets as they want, until the moment the dealer, or the “croupier” as they are called in France, says “no more bets”. Usually that moment comes just before the ball lands in the winning pocket on the wheel.

Wagers are placed on the layout table, the green felt board upon which the wheel rests. If a player is unable to reach their desired bet they must put their chips on the table and ask the dealer to place it for them.

The design of this gaming table has changed over the centuries, with a large amount of cheating obliging casinos to make the wheel a free standing unit unable to be tampered with or mechanically altered, and a single wager layout instead of one on either side of the wheel.

Today’s Roulette tables have the wheel, a special location for the dealer or croupier and a single layout table where all of the players make their bets. All tables have their “minimum” and “maximum” wagers, but they vary according to whether the bet is an “inside” or “outside” wager.

An inside minimum bet, such as a five dollar wager, can be spread in even increments along the inside. An outside wager, again let’s assume a five dollar bet, must be the full amount on each outside bet.

Outside bets constitute the lower payout bets because they have a higher probability of winning for the player. They include:

Colour bets, meaning Red or Black. On a Roulette wheel are thirty six colored pockets – eighteen in black and eighteen in red. A player lays their wager on the red or the green diamond on the table, and if their color is hit they win an even award. Even bets payout an amount equal to the original wager. An example for a colour bet would be a player laying a five dollar chip on the red diamond, the Roulette would be the twenty-two, and the player would receive five dollars in addition to keeping their original bet of five dollars.
Even and Odd bets. These are made almost exactly the same way a colour bet is made. The player lays their bet on the “Even” or “Odd” box on the layout table. If Roulette is an even number, the even wager pays even money, if it is odd the winner who lays a bet in the “Odd” box wins even money as well.
Dozens bets. On the layout table the full range of numbers is divided into sets of twelve called “dozens”. The player can lay their bet in one of the three “outside” boxes indicating which dozen they desire “1st”, “2nd”, or “3rd”. For this bet a single number in that collection must appear. This means a player with a 1st dozen bet of five dollars who has a Roulette of nine would win the two to one payout or ten dollars.
Column bets. The layout table also divides the panel of numbers that appear on the wheel into columns. A player lays their wager at the bottom of the column of their choice, and should any of the numbers in their column be the Roulette they receive a two to one payout.

Inside bets have higher payouts because they are not as easily won, and have a lesser probability of occurring with frequency. They generally mean wagers that are placed directly within, or inside, the panel of numbers that matches those on the Roulette wheel.

Inside bets include:

Straight up bets. This is a single number bet. The player simply places their chip on the appropriate square. The payout for a Roulette is thirty five to one, so a single winner is going to keep their initial wager and receive a multiple of thirty five times the amount.
Split bets. Wagers on two numbers, where the chip is placed on the line between two numbers on the panel. The payout for either number of a split being the Roulette is a seventeen to one award.
Street bets. Three number bets are called “street” bets and are made when the player lays their chip along the line that separates outside bets from inside bets, and along the end of the “street” they have selected. These will be sequential numbers such as one, two and three. The payout is eleven to one on a street Roulette.
Corner bets. Wagers on four adjoining numbers. The player lays their chip on the intersection of the horizontal and vertical line between four numbers. The payout if any of the four is Roulette is eight to one. So a wager of five dollars wins the player a forty dollar award.
Line bets. Also known as Double Street bets, these are made by a player laying their chip on the line between two streets. These are six number wagers and pay a five to one award.
High/low bets. These wagers involve a player laying chips in the “Low” or “High” boxes to indicate a wager on the low numbers of one through eighteen, or a high wager on nineteen through thirty six. The payout is a one to one, or even pay should a Roulette yield the correct number. American Roulette tables do not use the “high” or “low” designation, instead using “1-18” and “19-36” on the printed layout table.