The game of Roulette is one of the most iconic casino games. With its origins in 17th-century France, the Roulette wheel is a fixture of many casinos, both land-based and online.
The core gameplay of Roulette is quite simple, with the croupier spinning a ball around the edge of the wheel and players waiting to see which of the coloured pockets it will ultimately fall into. But the various types of bets available on a Roulette table are a little more complicated to get to grips with.
So, to help players better understand the game of Roulette, we’re here to offer a comprehensive guide to the types of bets that appear on a casino table.
A brief Roulette primer
Before we get into the details of the various Roulette bets, it’s important to briefly go over the basic structure of the overall game. A standard Roulette wheel features 36 numbered slots around its edge which alternate between red and black in colour.
The exact layout of the numbers varies between the major types of Roulette, as well the number of zeros on the wheel. In European or French Roulette there’s only a single green zero in play, but if it’s a game of American Roulette then there will be an extra double zero slot on the wheel.
Some rules and bets are only available in the French format, so it’s essential to check which type of Roulette is being played before starting a game.
Inside bets
Looking at the layout of a Roulette table, inside bets are the ones that sit in the centre. These are bets that are placed on specific numbers or set combinations of numbers.
An inside bet generally has lower odds of paying out, but that also means that these usually carry the highest payouts to balance out those smaller odds.
The main types of inside bet are:
- The straight bet – placed on a single number
- The split bet – placed on two adjacent numbers
- The street bet – placed on three numbers in a horizontal line, which are always consecutive
- The corner or square bet – placed on four numbers which meet on the layout
- The six-line bet – placed on six numbers, which are on two adjoining rows
Outside bets
On the table layout, these bets sit on the perimeter around the central column, each clearly labelled. They’re essentially the opposite of inside bets, with lower payouts to match the higher relative odds of landing.
Outside bets offer a wider coverage of the table, covering categories rather than individual numbers and generally falling into either/or groups.
The main types of outside bet are:
- Red or black – placed on which of the two colours a player wagers the ball will land on
- Odd or even – placed on whether the ball will stop on a number that’s either odd or even
- High or low – placed on whether the ball will land on a number in the lower (1-18) or higher (19-36) half
- Dozens – placed on which of the three dozens the ball might land (1-12, 13-24, 25-36)
- Columns – the numbers on the table are divided into three columns, each of which can be wagered on
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Whether a player chooses to go with an inside or outside bet depends on their personal playstyle and approach to the game. Still, it’s good to understand what options are available at the Roulette table before playing.
