American Roulette

American Roulette is a casino game that involves a rotating wheel, as well as a small ball that lands on various sections of the wheel. The croupier (the casino employee who runs the roulette table) spins the wheel in one direction, and the ball in another direction around a groove in the outside of the wheel. As the ball slows, it eventually comes in contact with the wheel, and bounces around until settling on one of 38 sections on the roulette wheel.

Each section has a number on it, and the sections are colored red, black, and green. Colored sections alternate between red and black, and there are also two green sections numbered 0 and 00. The red and black sections contain a number between 1 and 36. Whatever section the ball lands on determines what number is the winner. After the ball settles, the croupier places a glass column onto the winning number on the table, and then pays out all winning bets.

American Roulette Betting

There are a large amount of bets that can be made in the game of American Roulette. The first, and simplest bets are the inside bets. These bets are wagers placed directly on specific numbers on the wheel. So, for example, an inside bet would be placing a $5 chip on the number 7. If the ball lands on 7, you’ll be paid out 35:1, but the odds of winning with that bet are 37:1, so you are, of course, losing money in the long run.

There are also other variations of inside bets. Instead of just placing your wager directly on one number, you can place it split between multiple numbers. So, if you placed your same $5 chip between the 7 square and the 8 square, you’d win if the ball fell on either the 7 or 8 section of the wheel. However, when you split your bet like that, you’ll be paid less when you win. In the example above, you’ll only be paid out 17:1 on a winning bet, so your odds on split bets are actually worse then your odds on a normal inside bet.

Besides inside bets, you can also make broader bets that have a much higher likelihood of paying out. These are called outside bets, and generally cover a larger portion of the wheel, but pay out less when you hit.

A common form of an outside bet is the group bet, where you place chips on a row of numbers. This will cover slightly less than 1/3 of the wheel, so you’ll be able to hit a lot more often. However, when you hit, you are only paid 2:1, and the odds of hitting are 2.167:1, so again this is a losing proposition in the long run.

Anther outside bet is a Row bet, where you place your wager on a row of three numbers. This bet pays out 11:1, and the odds of winning are 11.667:1, so this bet is still a loser in the long run, but it is not as bad as some of the other bets.

As you’ve probably realized, the American Roulette game is one that gives the House a significant advantage, but is also a game where winning bets can pay out very, very big.

Ready to Play?

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