Roulette’s origins date back to the mid-17th century when a French mathematician, physicist and inventor, Blaise Pascal, created the famous roulette wheel. Roulette was accidentally created by Pascal in his pursuit to build a perpetual motion machine. Although his efforts in making this machine were futile, those efforts gave rise to the table game we all know and love. The layout of this table game was highly influenced by other popular gambling games, including ‘Roly Poly’ and ‘Even-Odd’, whose features shine through in roulette.
Roulette’s origins date back to the mid-17th century when a French mathematician, physicist and inventor, Blaise Pascal, created the famous roulette wheel. Roulette was accidentally created by Pascal in his pursuit to build a perpetual motion machine. Although his efforts in making this machine were futile, those efforts gave rise to the table game we all know and love. The layout of this table game was highly influenced by other popular gambling games, including ‘Roly Poly’ and ‘Even-Odd’, whose features shine through in roulette. Whether the birth of roulette was accidental or not, it took the world by storm as its popularity quickly spread amongst all of Europe and even made its way to American shores. Having been such a huge success, more variations of roulette quickly emerged. Today, we can see three prominent roulette wheels featured in casinos everywhere, including French Roulette, European Roulette and American Roulette.
With this article you will learn everything there is to know about roulette, such as the roulette table layout, the rules and the numbers on a roulette wheel, as well as many other features you may come across.
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel features several red numbers and several black ones. The numbers on a roulette wheel vary slightly depending on which roulette variant you play. European Roulette, also known as single-zero roulette, features 37 numbered pockets. This includes all numbers ranging from one to 36 as well as a single zero numbered pocket. European Roulette also has a house edge of 2.70%.
Contrasting European Roulette is American Roulette which features 38 numbered pockets with numbers ranging from one to 36, a zero and a double zero numbered pocket. The house advantage increases to 5.26%, due to the double zero creating more possible outcomes.
Note that both the single zero pocket and the double zero pockets are both green.
The Table Layout
There are a couple of things to take note of when examining the table layout of roulette. Inside the betting area, one will see all the individual numbers featured in the wheel. Keep in mind that this differs slightly depending on which type of roulette you play. You will find columns for the Odd/Even and Red/Black bets outside the betting area, along with any other groups of numbers included in the Inside, Outside and Neighbour bets.
The numbers inside the betting area are arranged in twelve rows and three columns. When playing at a Live Casino, players are presented with a horizontal table layout where the Inside and Outside bets would be in the centre, and the Neighbour bets would be on the right.
An Overview Of Roulette Numbers
EUROPEAN ROULETTE
As mentioned previously, the European Roulette wheel numbers include the numbers that range between zero and 36, arranged in the following order: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3 and 26.
AMERICAN ROULETTE
The American roulette wheel also features numbered pockets ranging from zero to 36. This roulette wheel though, also features a double zero that increases the house edge. These are arranged as follows: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14 and 2.
What Is The Difference Between European, French And American Roulette Wheels?
The French wheel was the very first roulette wheel that was invented. European Roulette and American Roulette followed shortly after. Although there may be some differences between them, the overall gameplay remains the same. Roulette players must predict which numbered pocket the ball will land on and place their bets on that number. The dealer will then spin the roulette wheel, throw the ball and determine the winner depending on where the ball lands.
There are several different types of roulette bets that can be placed either on one number or a range of numbers, either by column, row, colour, odd/even and more.
Let’s delve a little deeper into the different types of roulette wheels and some key differences between them.
- EUROPEAN ROULETTE – European tables feature 37 roulette wheel numbers consisting of 18 red pockets, 18 black pockets and one green pocket for the ‘0’. The numbers on the roulette wheel are laid out in an alternate pattern. This classic game is soaked in history as it offers fast-paced gameplay and action-packed entertainment. Take this online roulette game for a spin at LV BET if you think you could take the heat.
- FRENCH ROULETTE – French roulette closely resembles its European counterpart, except this game includes two additional rules known as la partage and en prison.
LA PARTAGE — This rule comes into effect when the ball lands in the ‘0’ slot. The dealer must divide all even money bets in half; half for the house and half for the player. This rule significantly reduces the house edge from 2.70% to 1.35%, which implies that the player’s odds are more favourable when placing Outside bets.
EN PRISON — The en prison rule is a similar variation of the la partage rule, only covering even money bets. This rule comes into play when the ‘0’ arises as the winning number. The player may decide to either win half their wager as in the la partage rule or lock their wager for the next spin. This wager would then be ‘imprisoned’, hence where en prison gets its name. If the player wins the next round, they will receive their original wager back in its entirety, if not, the wager will be lost. For example, if a player places a €100 wager on Even and the ball lands on the ‘0’ slot, the player may either take half their wager back or lock it for the next round. In the latter case, if the outcome on the next spin is an even number, then the player would win €100 back.
- AMERICAN ROULETTE – American and European roulette are relatively similar, but the American version of roulette does include some differences. The American roulette wheel features 38 pockets on the wheel. This consists of all 36 numbers including the ‘0’ and the ‘00’. Although these roulette tables share some resemblance, the ‘00’ pocket alters the layout and increases the house edge. Other than that, the American and European versions of roulette are the same. Spin the wheel at LV BET to experience these enjoyable roulette games for yourself.
Basic Roulette Terminology
Croupier — A Croupier, or dealer, is the person appointed to operate the gambling table. When playing this casino game at Live Casinos, the Croupier is generally referred to as the live dealer.
Inside Bet — This is a wager made inside the betting area on a single number or a range of numbers. These wagers offer great payouts, but the probability of winning is small.
Outside Bet — This is a wager made outside the betting area on a larger group of numbers. These wagers can be made on odd or even numbers, red or black numbers and so on. While stakes such as these do offer larger possibilities of winning, they also offer lower payouts.
Pockets — The slots featured on the wheel each with their specific number and colour. The ball must land on one of these slots to determine the winner.
Ball Track — The area of the wheel where the ball travels when launched.
The Bets
As mentioned previously, Inside bets are all those located inside the betting area either on the numbers or on the lines in between them. The following is a full list of wagers that are considered to be inside bets:
- Straight Up — Betting on a single number including the ‘0’. This may include the zero and double zero on American wheels.
- Split Bet — Betting on two adjacent numbers, either vertically or horizontally.
- Street Bet — Placing a bet on three consecutive numbers, horizontally.
- Corner Bet — Wagering on the corner of the intersection of four numbers where all four numbers are covered.
- Line Bet — A wager on six consecutive numbers that form two adjacent lines.
The following is a list of all wagers residing outside the betting area, referred to as Outside Bets:
- Column Bet — This bet covers a sequence of 12 numbers in the column of the player’s choice. This bet does not cover the ‘0’.
- Dozen Bet — Covers a sequence of 12 numbers when betting on either the first, second or third set dozen numbers. Players may place a wager on one of the boxes marked ‘1st 12’, ‘2nd 12’ or ‘3rd 12’.
- Red/Black — Placing a wager on either all of the red numbers or all black ones. The ‘0’ is not included in this bet.
- Even/Odd – Placing a wager on either all the odd numbers or the even ones. The ‘0’ is not covered in this bet.
- 1-18/19-36 — Wagering on numbers ranging from one to 18, or 19 to 36. The ‘0’ is not covered.
If players choose to play roulette at a Live Casino, they may decide to place Neighbour, Special, Complete and Favourite wagers.
Wagering With Chips
When players enter a Live Casino, they will face six coloured chips on the user interface, each holding their own value. These chips can be used to place wagers in every round. There are several Live Casino games available – stick around to find out more.
Roulette Playing Tips And Rules
Live Casinos host many different roulette variants that all come with their own unique features and gameplay to offer a truly awe-inspiring gaming experience. This added benefit of creativity comes with playing games online. Don’t worry about still being new to the scene as you can always check out the game rules at any time.
- Take a look at the game rules first before placing any chips, especially if you’re still starting out. Some roulette variants come with additional rules that you may not have come across before, so consulting the rules is always a good start.
- If you’re having trouble setting a budget, take advantage of any Responsible Gambling tools you may have to set gambling limits and prevent yourself from overspending.
- Wagers can only be placed during an allotted time-frame until the live dealer announces ‘no more bets’.
- There may be variants of roulette that offer a ‘double your wager’ feature. Be wary of misclicking!
- If you’re still trying to find your gaming footing, it is advisable to avoid the ‘basket bet’ which places a wager on specific numbers with one chip, covering the ‘0’, ‘00’, one, two and three. This wager has a house edge of 7.89%!
- Remember that no matter what game you play, the house will always have the advantage.
FAQ
Where Can I Play Roulette?
If you would like to give this game a go, you will find plenty of roulette variations at LV BET Online Casino. You could also take a crack at the demo version of RNG roulette that would allow you to play for free. We highly recommend beginners to give this demo a spin as with this free-play version you can get used to all the mechanics and functions roulette has to offer. When you feel ready, you can then play for real money. With a Live Casino partner like Evolution, we’re able to offer you an awesome gaming experience.
What To Look For In Casinos With Online Roulette
- Keep an eye out for any Welcome Bonuses or promotional offers that would help you take your gaming to the next level. You might even find Cashback rewards that help boost your gameplay even further.
- Make sure to look out for a reputable licence before signing up to any online casino. Safe and secure gaming should be of top priority – having a licence ensures this. Casinos holding a licence granted by a reputable regulatory body ensure that they are held to the highest standards of the iGaming industry to provide a reliable and trustworthy gaming environment.
- Try out some mobile roulette gaming for the best mobile roulette experience.