How To Play Roulette

Playing Roulette

Something amazing has happened in the world of gambling in recent years: The game of roulette has enjoyed a tremendous explosion of popular interest. There can be no doubt that, both in brick-and-mortar casinos as well as online gaming rooms, learning how to play roulette has become bigger than ever.

There is a funny little fact that is at least partially responsible for this trend. The casinos probably don't want you to know about it, but here goes: not too long ago, some genius got the idea of putting electronic tally boards above the roulette wheels in a number of casinos. These boards kept track of what number and color the ball landed on during previous spins. People walking by, with no prior intention of playing roulette, would look up and say: "Wow! The ball hit red twelve times in a row. It's GOT to change this time, so I'm gonna lay down some cash on black!"

Smart, eh? Especially considering the scientific fact that the roulette wheel has no memory whatsoever. In other words, the last spin (or the last 1,000 spins for that matter) has zero impact upon the next spin. And yet, after those tally boards went up, casinos started making a whole lot more money from roulette. Now you can't go into any gambling house without seeing them.

Anyway, if you haven't gotten around to playing roulette for yourself, it might be helpful to review the basics of the game. The wheel contains a number of special series bets. These series are placed by betting a set amount per series, or multiples of that amount. They are based on the way in which certain numbers lie next to each other on the roulette wheel:

Voisins or "Neighbors" are numbers which lie between 22 and 25 on the wheel, including 22 and 25: 22,18,29,7,28,12,35,3,26,0,32,15,19,4,21,2,25.

Tiers or "The Third" are numbers on the opposite side of the wheel between 27 and 33, including 27 and 33: 27,13,26,11,30,8,23,20,5,24,16,33.

Orphelins or "Orphans" are numbers made up of two segments on the wheel outside the Tiers and Voisins. They contain a total of eight numbers. Five chips or multiples thereof are bet. A straight up on number 1 and splits on 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 and 31/34.

Now it would be a good idea to examine some of the bets available to you during the course of play:

Straight is a single number bet. The chip is placed entirely on this square and no other.

Split is a bet on two adjoining numbers, on the vertical or horizontal (e.g. 14-17 or 8-9). The chip is put on the edge between these numbers.

Street is a wager on three numbers on a single horizontal line. The chip is put on the edge of the number at either the left or the right, depending on the layout.

Corner, or Square is a bet on four numbers in a square layout (e.g. 19-20-22-23). The chip is put at the horizontal and vertical intersection of these numbers.

Six-line is a bet on two adjoining streets, with the chip put at the corresponding intersection (e.g. in 25-30.)

There you have it, the basics of roulette all laid out for you. Now it's time to give that wheel a spin.