Types of roulette bets

Roulette is an exciting and enjoyable game to play at an online casino, whether you decide to play the electronic version by yourself or a live dealer game with other players. However, since you have to choose from so many different varieties of bets, it can be somewhat tricky, especially if you are playing live.

If you are not familiar with the types of bets available to you, how they work and how to make them, you could slow down the pace of the game, revealing yourself to be a beginner. You might even feel self-conscious.

Therefore, it’s best to have a thorough understanding of the types of bets so you know what you are betting on and why you are betting on it.

It’s also vital to know the odds and the payouts for each type of roulette bet. With that knowledge, you can make informed decisions about the degree of risk you wish to take and will know the amount of money you could win or lose.

This guide will help you understand the types of bets you can make when playing roulette and aid you to develop a betting strategy that’s best for you.

Main betting option types

First, you should keep in mind that there are two different kinds of roulette wheels. The European roulette wheel consists of 37 numbered pockets from 0 to 36, while the American roulette wheel consists of 38 numbered pockets from 0 to 36 plus a 00 pocket. The additional pocket on the American roulette wheel increases the house edge from 2.63% for the European wheel to 5.26%.

Figure 1 shows a typical layout of an American roulette betting table, while Figure 2 shows a typical layout of a European roulette betting table.

There are two main types of betting options in roulette – inside bets and outside bets. In addition, there are bet options associated with the roulette variant known as French roulette. We will discuss French roulette and the additional bets associated with it in more detail below after the discussions about inside bets and outside bets.

Inside bets are those where you place your chips on one or more of the numbers that make up the inside section of the grid in the table layout. When you make an inside bet, you are betting that the ball will stop on the exact combination of numbers and colours.

Outside bets are those bets where you place your chips on the larger areas on the table layout that surround the inner grid of individual numbers. When you make an outside bet, you are betting on groups of pockets, such as whether the ball will stop on an odd or even number or on a black or red number.

Inside roulette bets

The following is a list of inside bets ranked in order of the most to the least payout.

• Straight up bet. This is one of the most straightforward bets in roulette. You are betting on which number the ball will land on at the next spin of the wheel. The payout is 35/1, meaning you will get 35 chips plus your original chip back if you win. The straight-up bet has the highest payout of any roulette bet.
• Split bet. This is a bet on two numbers. You place the bet by placing your chip to straddle the line between the two numbers on which you want to bet. The payout is 17/1.
• Street bet. This is a bet on a row of three numbers, such as 1, 2, 3 or 16, 17, 18. You place the bet by placing your chip on the line between the inside and outside betting areas, with your chip straddling the row’s first number. The payout is 11/1.
• Corner bet. Also known as a quad bet, this is a bet on a square of four adjacent numbers, such as 1, 2, 4, 5 or 16, 17, 19, 20. You place the bet by putting your chip to touch the four corners of the numbers on which you are betting. The payout is 8/1.
• Basket bet. This is a bet on only the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3. The bet is also known as a first-four bet. The payout is 6/1.
• Five-number bet. This is a bet on only the numbers 00, 0, 1, 2, 3. Since the bet includes the number 00, it is only available on games using the American roulette wheel. The payout is 5/1.
• Double street bet. This is a bet on two adjacent rows of three numbers, such as 1 through 6 or 13 through 18. You place your bet by putting your chip on the line between the inside and outside areas while also straddling the line between the two rows. The payout is 5/1.

Outside roulette bets

The following is a list of outside bets ranked in order of the most to the least payout. To place outside bets, you simply place your chip in the appropriately labelled box on the roulette table layout.

• Dozens bet. This is a bet on one of three groups of 12 consecutive numbers. To place your bet, put your chip in the box labelled 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. The payout is 2/1. However, if the ball stops on 0 or 00, you lose.
• Column bet. This is a bet on one of the three columns of 12 numbers that go across the longest side of the roulette table. To place your bet, place your chip in the box at the end of the column. The payout is 2/1.
• High 18 bet. This is a bet on the ball stopping on a pocket numbered 19 through 36. The payout is 1/1.
• Low 18 bet. This is a bet on the ball stopping on a pocket numbered 1 through 18. The payout is 1/1.
• Red or black bet. This is a bet on whether the ball will stop on a red or black number. If you chose correctly, you win the bet. The payout is 1/1.
• Odd or even bet. This is a bet on whether the ball will stop on an odd or even number. If you chose correctly, you win the bet. The payout is 1/1.

French roulette bets

French roulette is a roulette variant played using a European-style roulette wheel. As in European roulette, the wheel consists of 37 numbered pockets from 0 to 36.

As in American and European roulette, you can make the same inside and outside bets described above. In addition, this roulette variant allows you to make some special bets that are not available to you when you play American and European roulette. The bets bring variety and excitement to the play, but they are not very intuitive. 

At land-based casinos, you would announce the bets to the croupier, so these bets are often referred to as call bets. To make it easier to place these bets at online casinos, both the electronic versions and live dealer games of French roulette provide a betting table layout on which players can place their wagers for these unique bets. Figure 3 shows a typical betting table layout for these bets.

This layout is where you will place your bet on the ball stopping in a certain section of the wheel. There are three bets of this type.

• Voisins du zero. This phrase translates to “neighbours of zero” and covers all the seventeen numbers between (and including) 22 and 25 on the wheel. You’ll have to bet a total of nine chips on a combination of splits, trios and corners on these numbers. You will get a payout of at least 2/1 on any winning bet.
• Le tiers du cylindre. This phrase translates to “thirds of the wheel” and represents the numbers on the wheel that are on the opposite side of zero. This bet is often referred to as “tiers.” The bet covers the twelve numbers between (and including) 27 and 33. This bet costs six chips, as you’ll have to make six split bets to cover those numbers. You will get a payout of at least 3/1 on any winning bet.
• Orphelins. This word translates to “orphans: and represents the eight numbers not covered by the previous two bets. This bet covers eight numbers and will cost five chips, as you will have to cover four splits and a single additional chip on the number 1 slot. You will get a payout of at least 2/1 on any winning bet.

Rules specific to French roulette

You may find either of the following rules in play in both electronic and live dealer games of French roulette.

• En prison. This rule takes effect when the ball lands in the zero pocket and you’ve placed a wager on an even-money bet, such as odd/even or red/black. Under this rule, your bet will stay on the table for the next spin. If the ball lands in the appropriate slot, your wager will be returned.
• La partage. Similar to the en prison rule, this rule also applies when the ball lands in the zero pocket when you’ve made an even-money bet. In this case, you’ll receive half of your stake back if the ball lands in a winning pocket on the next spin.

Betting strategies

Over the years, roulette betting systems and strategies have been developed to attract players by promising that they would be wildly successful if only they incorporated those systems inter their gameplay. While such an approach might work in games that are highly strategic, such as poker, it’s unlikely that someone can develop a magic formula that will guarantee that you will win more than 90% of the time when you play roulette, so you should be very sceptical if someone promises you guaranteed winnings if you use their system. Roulette is the quintessential game of chance, and the results of each spin of the wheel are truly random. Although there are some things you can do to make more reasoned betting decisions, you will always be disappointed if you spend your time looking for a method that will deliver guaranteed wins.

If you make inside bets, you can increase your chances of winning by making straddle bets, although that type of bet certainly won’t be a guarantee of winning. Straddle bets, such as quad bets, are bets you make by placing your wager to cross multiple lines on the betting table. The least risky bets are outside bets. You’re much more likely to experience more frequent wins that way.

In roulette, if the same number hits two or more times within a short period of time, people tend to refer to that number as a “hot number.” Some very popular strategies in roulette are based on the premise of identifying “hot numbers” during gameplay and then using those numbers to develop a strategy of betting on certain numbers or combinations of numbers going forward to increase their chances of winning. However, you need to be very wary of using those types of strategies, as those “hot numbers” could prove to be illusory.

You now have the information you require to decide which types of bets you prefer. If you enjoy taking more risk to have the potential for high rewards, then inside bets may be best for you. If you are a person who prefers to enjoy more frequent, smaller wins, then low-risk, low reward outside bets may be preferable. If you like to bet on complex number combinations, French roulette may be the way to go. 

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