Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the world. It is a simple game where you place bets on a wheel. A croupier spins the wheel and drops a ball into it, the aim is to predict which pocket the ball will land on after it has been spun.
The wheel has 37 pockets (known as canoes) divided into a pattern of divisions numbered from 1 to 36. The wheel is made of a solid wooden disk with metal partitions around it and a spindle that revolves smoothly in an almost frictionless way.
When the croupier spins the wheel, she or he drops a small ball into it and it bounces off the ball before landing in one of the 37 pockets. The number of the pocket where the ball lands determines your winning bet.
There are many different types of roulette bets. The most common are those that cover a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, and whether the numbers are high (19-36) or low (1-18).
Inside Bets
In roulette, there are many different “inside” bets you can make. These are bets that involve selecting the number of the pocket where the ball will land or a range of pockets based on their position.
Outside Bets
There are also some special “outside” bets. These bets are made on a group of four or six numbers, for example, and pay out 8-1 if all the four or six numbers win.
Announced Bets
There is a special betting combination called the announced bets which are usually featured in French Roulette but can also be found in online European variants. They are a great way to place some extra bets and increase your chances of winning, though they do have a higher house edge than other roulette bets.
The rules for these bets are fairly straightforward, but you need to know them well before you start playing. They are important to learn because they give you more chances of winning and reduce your losses if you lose.
A few of the most common announced bets include ‘5 and the neighbours’ which covers five numbers on one side of the table and two neighbouring numbers on the other. ‘Nearest the Pin’ is another popular announced bet that covers six numbers, for a total of eight.
These bets are made by placing chips on the point shared by a set of four or six numbers on the board, for example, or by placing chips on the intersection between two lines of three numbers along the sides of the board. These bets are not as popular as the inside and outside bets, but they are fun to play and can increase your chances of winning.
Split Bets
One of the most unique bets in roulette is a split bet on the two zeros, which is only available on American tables and pays 6 to 1. This bet has no specific name but is an interesting option for players who like to place a big wager with low odds of winning.