Roulette Bets
Much of the interest in Roulette derives from the the number of different bets that can be made and ⚾️ their associated odds. The basic bets are the same for all forms of modern Roulette. Below are a list of ⚾️ all the available bets categorised by the bet's associated odds (both the English and French terms are listed):
Red / Rouge: ⚾️ a red number
Black / Noir: a black number
Even / Pair: an even number
Odd / Impair: an odd number
Low bet / ⚾️ Manque: numbers 1 - 18 (Manque is French for "failed" and is used because the ball has failed to pass ⚾️ 18)
High bet / Passe: numbers 19 - 36 (Passe is so named because it has "passed" the centrepoint)
First dozen / ⚾️ Premiere douzaine: numbers 1 - 12 (On the French-style mat, the square marked 12P)
Middle dozen / Moyenne douzaine: numbers 13 ⚾️ - 24 (On the French-style mat, the square marked 12M)
Last dozen / Dernier douzaine: numbers 25 - 36 (On the ⚾️ French-style mat, the square marked 12D)
Column bet / Colonne: a column of 12 numbers (The special square at the end ⚾️ of one of the three columns of twelve numbers)
5 to 1 - Line bet / Sixain: 6 numbers (Place the ⚾️ stake on the intersection of the edge of two rows of three numbers to bet on those 2 rows)
8 to ⚾️ 1 - Corner bet / Carre: 4 numbers (Place the stake at the intersection of a square of four numbers)
11 ⚾️ to 1 - Street bet / Carre simple or Transversale: a row of 3 numbers (Half way over the line ⚾️ forming the end of the row of three numbers to be bet upon)
17 to 1: Split bet / En Chaval: ⚾️ a pair of numbers (Place the stake across the line dividing the two numbers to be bet upon
35 to 1: ⚾️ Straight up / En plein: a single number (Place the stake in the box showing the number concerned. It is ⚾️ allowable to bet on zero)
The bets on six numbers or less are termed "Inside bets". The bets on 12 numbers ⚾️ or more are called "Outside bets".
European Roulette Rules
Assuming that the possible bets are all understood, Roulette is essentially a trivially ⚾️ simple game to play. For each turn, once all bets have been placed using coloured chips to distinguish each player, ⚾️ the croupier halts betting, spins the wheel, and rolls the ball in the opposite direction. When the ball comes to ⚾️ a halt in one of the slots, the croupier announces the result, collects all losing bets and pays out the ⚾️ winner's profits. There are additional optional rules that some casinos and houses play. Both the La Partage and the En ⚾️ Prison roulette rules effectively halve the casino edge on even-money bets. If playing at home, decide at the start which, ⚾️ if any of the following rules you would like to play.
'En Prison' Rule
This is a roulette rule that can be ⚾️ applied to even-money bets only. When a zero turns up, the player has two options:
Reclaim half the bet and lose ⚾️ the other half.
Leave the bet (en prison = in prison) for the next spin of the roulette wheel for an ⚾️ all or nothing gamble. If the subsequent spin is again zero, or does not match the imprisoned bet, then the ⚾️ whole bet is lost. Otherwise, if the subsequent spin's outcome matches the bet, the player's money is returned.
'La Partage' Rule
The ⚾️ la partage roulette rule is similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player has no option ⚾️ when a zero turns up and simply loses half the bet.
Maximum and Minimum stakes
Casinos will normally post a maximum and ⚾️ a minimum stake for a roulette table and this is sometimes done for recreational play, too. Typically, for each spin ⚾️ of the wheel, if a player the total amount of a player's inside bets must exceed the minimum stake. The ⚾️ listed maximum stake usually shows only the maximum allowed for a single number "straight up" bet. The maximum stakes for ⚾️ other types of bet increases proportionately e.g. The maximum bet allowed for a pair of numbers is double the maximum ⚾️ straight-up bet, the maximum allowed for a corner bet is 4 times the straight up maximum and so on. So ⚾️ that really the limitation is on the amount that the casino can lose!
North American Roulette Rules
In North America and the ⚾️ Caribbean, roulette wheels have a double zero, and all bets (except a direct bet on the selected zero) are lost ⚾️ when either zero turns up. The result is significantly poorer odds for the punter and an increase in the Casino's ⚾️ cut. This is probably why in this region, Roulette is less popular than it is in other parts of the ⚾️ world. The rules are the same as for European Roulette above except that the double zero works in the same ⚾️ way as a single zero result. Some American casinos do allow an additional bet called a "basket bet" which is ⚾️ staked by placing chips in the same way as for a line bet on the outside of the the dividing ⚾️ line between the zero row and the row featuring 1, 2 and 3. This bet normally pays out 6 to ⚾️ 1 which gives it odds worse than any other roulette bet.
The old original Roulette Game
In the original French roulette, the ⚾️ numbers 1 - 36, had the zero and the "double zero". The zero was coloured red and also counted as ⚾️ "Pair" and "Manque"; the double zero was black and also counted as "Impair" and "Passe". If the ball fell into ⚾️ one of the two zero divisions, all lost stakes are taken by the bank but if the bet was matched ⚾️ by virtue of being Pair, Impair, Rouge, Noir, Passe or Manque, instead of being won, the stake was imprisoned until ⚾️ the next spin of the wheel. On that subsequent turn, the stake was either lost or if the ball matched ⚾️ the bet again, the stake was merely returned to the gambler without any profit.
