Roulette is a casino game where players bet on which number the ball will land on when the dealer spins the wheel. Players can place bets on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. In addition, some bets offer even money payouts if the winning number falls in one of the 0 or 00 compartments on the wheel. To win at roulette, it is essential to understand the rules and play within your bankroll.
A roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with a rim around which are metal compartments (called frets by the croupiers) numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36, plus two green compartments on European wheels and an additional compartment on American wheels labelled 0 and 00. A small, white ceramic ball is thrown onto the wheel while it’s spinning. It bounces all over the track and settles in a pocket that marks a specific number. If you’ve placed a bet on that number, you win.
Each player plays with a set of colored chips that represent different values. Unlike normal casino chips, these cannot be used away from the table and are given to each player at the start of the round. This prevents cheating and other advantages between players.
Once the bets are placed, the croupier spins the wheel and throws the ball. The dealers then clear off the losing bets and pay out winners. At this point, it’s a good idea to try and finish placing bets before the croupier announces, “No more bets!” This helps avoid being distracted when betting is closed.
The simplest wager is the straight bet, known as passe or manque in French. This wager places a chip(s) on the layout to straddle either the first 18 or last 18 numbers of the wheel and pays out if any of them win. There are also a couple of interesting symmetries in the distribution of the numbers. For instance, low red and high black numbers alternate with each other while the odds are 2-1 for both bets.