The classic table game Roulette is as available online as it is in land-based casinos, although digital Roulette games, run by random number generators, are really a form of slots. A more authentic option is to bet remotely on Roulette played on a real table with a physical wheel: many online casinos now live-stream tables with real croupiers.
Roulette offers a variety of bets, which novices can find confusing. It helps that they are laid out on the betting table, providing you understand what each bet means. Here are the basics:
Always Play European Roulette
All Roulette wheels feature the numbers 1-36, divided into Red and Black. European Roulette wheels then have a Zero, which is green. It’s a wild card that beats both options in even-money bets: Red/Black, Odds/Evens or High/Low. The probability of these bets winning, as a result, is less than 50%; in European Roulette it is 48.6%.
American Roulette wheels, however, also contain a green Double Zero, which reduces the probability on all bets even further. Even-money bets, for instance, drop to a probability of 46.37%. It’s obvious that players have better odds of winning at European Roulette, so all the bets and returns mentioned below are based on European Roulette.
Outside Bets
Unlike horseracing, at the Roulette table “outside bets” are those with the best odds of winning and the lowest returns. They’re so-called merely because they are placed at the outside of the betting table. Outside bets include the three even-money options: Red or Black, Odds or Evens, or High or Low. Low bets win if a number between 1 and 18 wins, and High bets are backing numbers 19 to 36. Online NZ casino sites pay out 1:1 on your stake if they win.
The return is better on the six options making up the rest of the outside bets: the three Columns, and the Dozens covering numbers 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. These pay out 2:1, but the probability of winning drops to 32.4%. Nevertheless, despite the modest returns, outside bets are the easiest for beginners to master, with the lowest risks. You’ll be able to play more successfully for longer, if you stick to outside bets when you’re first learning the game.
Inside Bets
The most famous inside bet is the Straight or Single: putting your chip on a single number. This has only a 2.7% chance of winning, but it has the highest return in the game; 35:1. Place a chip on the line between two numbers, and the bet is a Split. There’s a 5.4% probability that either number will win, and pay at 17:1
A chip covering the cross between four numbers is a Corner, with a probability of 10.8% and a return of 8:1. Or place a chip anywhere along the outermost line of the first column, betting on the three numbers in that row: the Street offers a return of 11:1 at 8.1% probability. A bet on the outermost line, split between two Streets, covers all six numbers: the Six Line bet, with 16.2% probability of a win and a 5:1 return.