Roulette Outside Bets
Placing an outside bet is definitely the best option if you’re a beginner as the probability of winning is much higher on them than on any other bets. They cover large sections of the wheel and pay at lower odds, so they’re a great place to start if you want to gain some hands-on experience. These bets include:
Red / Black
This is one of the most popular roulette bets where you bet on either red or black. It is an even money, or close to even money bet if the house’s zero or double zero is included in the game.
A bet on all the red numbers on the roulette layout is made by placing your chips well within the red coloured area, ensuring that your chips do not touch the dividing line.
Likewise, a bet on all the black numbers is made by putting your chips on the black section in the same way.
Even / Odd
Adjacent to the coloured betting areas, you’ll see ones for wagering on the even and odd numbers – another even money bet.
To bet on all even numbers, place your chips in the area marked even as described above.
While a bet on all the odd numbers of roulette is made by putting your chips on the odd area as shown.
Low / High
A bet that is placed on either the high (1-18 ) or low eighteen numbers (19-36) of the table. This too is considered an almost even bet as the zero is not included in the low set of numbers such that the house retains its edge.
So, if you’ve got a good feeling about the lower numbers of the roulette wheel, place your chips neatly within the parameter marked 1-18.
Alternatively, if you believe a high number is due, your chips should sit within the borders of the 19-36section.
Dozen
Above the areas of the aforementioned bets, you’ll see the table split into three parts to cover the three dozen you can choose to bet on —- 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. A dozen bet is, therefore, one that predicts that the ball will land on any one of the numbers in the chosen dozen. Note that the allocated dozens are the only ones you’re able to bet on.
Place your chips in the area marked 1st 12 to bet on the first dozen.
Similarly, place your chips on the 2nd 12 section to bet on the second dozen.
Column
The numbers on the layout of both European and American roulette tables are split into three columns as follows:
1st column: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34
2nd column: 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35
3rd column: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
A column bet is, therefore, placed on one of these groups and covers ⅓ of the wheel. This type of bet is attractive to beginners of the game due to the high possibility of landing a number from any of the three categories on both the European and American wheel.
Placing your chips in any one of the betting sections marked as 2 to 1 means that you’ve got a good hunch about any of the numbers that appear within that respective column.
Roulette Inside Bets
Once you feel comfortable with outside betting, you can move onto inside bets. These include any wager placed on the numbered, inside portion of the roulette layout. They cover either individual numbers or small groups of numbers and pay at relatively high odds. These bets include:
Straight-up
Contrary to the outside bets you’ve seen so far, a straight roulette bet is a wager on a single outcome, rather than various outcomes. Due to this, it is the least likely to win but benefits from the highest or best roulette odds in terms of payout.
This type of bet is placed by putting your chips in the centre of the numbered box you’d like to wager on. Ensure that the chip doesn’t touch any of the areas dividing lines as your bet may be misinterpreted.
Street
A street bet is one that is placed on three numbers that appear in a row across the layout such as 4-5-6 or 31-32-33. If the ball lands on one of those three in the chosen row, you’ll receive the bet’s respective payout.
As this bet type covers three numbers, chips must be placed on the line to the right of the three your instinct is telling you to go for.
Corner
A corner bet is one made on any four adjacent numbers – for example, 13, 14, 16 and 17 – such that if one of those numbers hit, you’ll receive the associated payout.
A valid corner bet is made by placing your chips on the point of intersection between the four numbers you’d like to bet on.
Six Line
This type of combination bet (also called a Double Street) covers six of the available roulette numbers, that is, two adjacent rows of three numbers each, and pay if any one of those numbers hits.
To make this bet, place your chips on the edge of the numbered layout, on the common line between the first and the second three numbers.
Basket
A basket bet (referred to as a first four bet in European roulette and a first five bet in American roulette) is placed on either the first four or first five numbers on the grid, that is, the 0, 1, 2 and 3, or 00, 0, 1, 2 and 3. It pays if the ball lands on any of those numbers.
The former is placed by putting your chips on the corner of either 0 and 1 or 0 and 3 while the latter is made by clicking the shared corner between 0, 00 and 2.
Special Bets
Due to their precise placement, these more complex special roulette bets are referred to as call bets in land-based casinos and the croupier is often responsible for chip placement. The technology behind online casinos allows you to place these bets in a single action, which actually simplifies much of the process.
Saying that it’s still important that you can understand them if you’re to start placing chips on them. These bets include Voisins du Zero, Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins à Cheval and Jeu Zero in French roulette. You’ll find a more detailed explanation on these, and other types of roulette bets on the Roulette Variants page.
