Each roulette table moves in
sessions, each session is associated with a spin of the wheel and that spin's
result. When the new session starts you can put your
chips down where you want to bet, and you don't really have to be in a hurry. If you have a player you
likes to put down twenty different bets each time they play, the sessions are
going to move a little slower. Now lets take a look at each of the individual bets you can make. On inside bets, the total of all
of your bets must add up to at least the table minimum. Straight-up bet - this
is the classic roulette bet. Choose any one of the 38 numbers and put your
chips down on that number for the chance to win back at 35 to 1. Fiver number bet - there
is only one five number bet available. There are no winning outside bets for 0 or 00 results. This is different than inside bets,
where the total of all of your inside bets must meet the table minimum. Odd or Even - similar
to the red black bet, this even money bet is based on whether the resulting
number will be odd or even.
Roulette would be a great game were it not for the high
house edge - usually 5.26%, sometimes as low as 2.63%, which is still higher
than blackjack, craps, or baccarat. In most games players can continue
making bets even while the ball is still spinning. When the ball falls into a slot, the dealer will announce the
number and the color, and place a marker on the layout where the winning number
is. Don't reach for your winnings until the dealer
removes the marker, or the dealer will scold you. That's because if you're betting only inside and someone else is
betting only outside, he can give you both the same color chips and there won't
be any confusion. That way, you're not locked in
and you always have the ability to change your mind. When you buy in, tell the dealer what denomination you want. For outside bets, any bet you make has to be the table minimum. Inside bets can
usually be as small a you like, as long as the total of all your inside bets is
the table minimum. Here's a
handy way to remember the payouts when you're betting on a set of numbers: Take
36 divided by the quantity of numbers you're betting on, and subtract 1. All the bets on the layout carry the same house edge, with the exception
of 5-number Line Bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3), which carries a whopping 7.29% edge! There's an old saying,
"The wheel has no memory. Here's another example: Since there are 38 slots on the wheel,
we expect any given number to hit 1 out of 38 spins on average. Now let's say
you've been playing Roulette for a few hours, betting on Red every time, and
you've been keeping track of what numbers have hit. The
chances of #27 coming up on a given spin are the same, whether it just come up
on the last spin or not - 1 in 38. The difference
between the true odds and what they actually pay you is 2/38, or 5.26%. Atlantic City has a special rule which
reduces the house edge to 2.7% on even money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even,
1-18/19-36): If 0 or 00 comes up on on even money bet, you lose only half your
bet.