The Basics of Roulette
Roulette is the casino game where a small ball is spun around a wheel, and players make bets on which number or grouping of numbers it will land in when it comes to rest. Whether you’re betting on red or black, odd or even, high or low, roulette is a fun and fast-paced game that has long been popular in casinos and gambling dens.
The game’s simple enough for newbies to play, yet has plenty of options that will keep veteran gamblers entertained for hours. In fact, almost every casino that has table games will have a version of roulette, and it’s a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
To begin, players place their bets on the table, which is divided into sections corresponding to different parts of the revolving roulette wheel. A croupier then spins the roulette wheel, and a small ball is dropped into one of the compartments where it will come to rest. If the player’s bet is correct, they win.
A standard roulette wheel consists of a convex wooden disk slightly larger than a basketball. Around its rim are thirty-six metal compartments, painted alternately in red and black (or in the case of an American roulette wheel, two green ones), numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. In addition, there are two red and two black zeros. Despite the appearance of randomness, there are actually a few interesting symmetries on the roulette wheel: for example, all the low red and black numbers are on one side of the wheel while the high ones are on the other.
Once the croupier has spun the wheel, the players can no longer add any more chips to their bets. The croupier then announces, “No more bets,” and the player will watch as the ball spins around the wheel until it lands in a pocket that marks a specific number. Then, if your bet is correct, you’ll receive your payout. Before leaving the table, however, you must exchange your color chips for a value bet. If you don’t, your bets will be collected by the dealer, and they won’t be returned until you return to the table. The simplest way to do this is by handing the money over to the dealer and asking for your ‘color’.