Roullete, or roulette, is a casino game in which players bet on which number or grouping of numbers the ball will land in. The dealer spins a wheel and throws a small ball into a numbered compartment on the spinning wheel, and the player wins if their bet is correct. The simplest way to win is by placing an inside bet, as these are the easiest to get right and have the lowest house edge.
There are a number of bet types in Roulette, and each type has its own odds and payouts. It is important to understand how each bet works before laying your chips down, and you should always play within your budget and comfort zone. Avoid grandiose or complicated strategies, and remember that roulette is a game of chance – so don’t let your emotions get the best of you!
A Detailed Look at the Wheel
The Roulette wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. Around the rim are metal separators, known as frets or canoes, and in between these are thirty-six compartments (called pockets by roulette croupiers). Each of the pockets is painted alternately red and black and numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. On European-style wheels, a 37th compartment, which is green and carries the sign 0 or 00, is also included.
One of the most interesting things about roulette is that there are a number of symmetries in the layout and wheel, and these can help you make some pretty accurate predictions. The first of these symmetries is that the high red numbers and low black numbers are on opposite sides of the zero, and this means that the number you bet on must fall in either of those two groups to make an even money bet, which pays 1:1.
The second symmetry in the wheel is that the numbers on the left side of the layout are higher than those on the right, and this means that the number you bet will have to land in one of the first 12 numbers on the right-hand side of the layout (the first dozen) or one of the last twelve numbers on the left-hand side (the second dozen). Again, if it lands in either of these groups, you will win an even money bet, which pays 2:1.