Among all the variations of roulette in both land-based and online casinos, European roulette is the preference of the majority of players. The reason for its huge popularity is that it provides a player with a greater chance to earn, as the house advantage here is merely 2.63%.
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As we already noted, the European roulette wheel has 37 divisions, where numbers from 1 to 36 and 0 can be found. Numbers from 1 to 36 are alternately colored red and black, while the single zero is marked in green.
The main objective, which any player pursues, is to predict, which numbered pocket the roulette ball is going to settle into. In order to do that, all players make bets on a particular number, after which the dealer turns the roulette wheel in one direction and spins the roulette ball in the opposite. Once the ball finds its way into the pocket with that particular number, the respective player(s) get paid.
Basic rules of the game
When playing European roulette online one will find out the betting process is relatively easy. The player has to place his or her chips on the desired bet and press the ”Spin” button. Once the betting round is over, he or she needs to choose either to place another bet (”Rebet” button) or to abandon the game (”Clear Bets” button).
At land-based casinos, the betting process is as follows.
Four members of the casino personnel usually attend the roulette table. Two of them are known as croupiers and their main function is to handle the bets and spin the ball into the roulette wheel. The other two casino employees are known as ”table-end” (”bout de table”) and ”game supervisor” (”chef de partie”), who must make sure the game runs smoothly.
The number of participants around the roulette table usually ranges between 1 and 8. The game of roulette is initiated, once the croupier calls out ”Place your bets” (or ”Faites vos jeux”). Players are now allowed to make the type of bets we are about to mention later in the article. Next, the croupier places the ball for a spin onto the roulette wheel. As soon as the ball has about two more revolutions to go, the croupier calls out ”No more bets” (or ”Rien ne va plus”).
From this point on, if any bets are placed, they will usually be disregarded. Once the ball drops into one of the 37 numbered pockets, the croupier identifies and announces the winning number. Bets that lost are surrendered to the house, while all winning bets are paid out.
Types of bets that are to be made
The betting layout of the roulette table is comprised of two sections, bets on individual numbers and group bets.
In European roulette players are able to take advantage of two main categories of bets, inside and outside bets. Inside bets are made on a single number, adjacent numbers, or small groups of numbers, while outside bets encompass larger groups of numbers.
The majority of bets offer different odds of winning and, respectively, different payouts from each other. These payouts and odds of winning are usually not listed on the board, with the exception of the column bet’s payout. Therefore, prior to entering the game, players should become aware of the payouts and odds regarding each bet.
Let us go through inside and outside bets in European roulette.
Inside bets
1. Straight-Up Bet: It is placed on any single number, including “0“, and directly on the number. Its payout is 35 to 1.
2. Split Bet: It features two adjacent numbers and is placed on the line between these numbers. The bet may also include 0 and 1, 0 and 2, 0, and 3. Its payout is 17 to 1.
3. Street Bet: It features all three numbers in a row and is placed on the line at the end of the row. There are other options for its placement as well – it can include 0, 1, 2; 0, 2, 3. Its payout is 11 to 1.
4. Corner Bet: It features a group of four numbers and is placed at the corner where these four numbers touch. The bet can also be placed on the corner of 0, 1, 2, and 3. Its payout is 8 to 1.
5. Line Bet: It features six numbers (or two rows of three numbers) and is placed at the end of two rows, on the border between them. Its payout is 5 to 1.
Outside bets
1. Column Bet: It features an entire column and is placed on the ”2-1” box at the end of a column. Its payout is 2 to 1.
2. Dozen Bet: It features a group of 12 numbers and can be placed on the ”1st 12” box (1 to 12), the ”2nd 12” box (13 to 24), or the ”3rd 12” box (25 to 36). Its payout is 2 to 1.
3. Bet on Color: It features all of the red numbers or all of the black numbers on the layout and is placed on the ”Red” box (all red numbers) or the ”Black” box (all black numbers). Its payout is 1 to 1.
4. Bet on Odd/Even: It features all even numbers or all odd numbers on the layout and is placed on the ”Even” box (all even numbers) or the ”Odd” box (all odd numbers). Its payout is 1 to 1.
5. Bet on Low/High: It features all low numbers or all high numbers and is placed on the ”Low” box (numbers 1 to 18) or the ”High” box (numbers 19 to 36). Its payout is 1 to 1.
In case a player places an even-money outside bet (Red/Black, Even/Odd, Low/High) and the winning number is 0, he or she is able to take advantage of the ”en prison” rule. As we explained earlier, now the player will either receive 50% of his or her bet, or the entire bet will be imprisoned. If the imprisoned bet turns out to be a winner on the next wheel spin, it will be released and the player will recover it without any earnings.
In case the ball lands on zero on the next wheel spin, it now becomes a matter of debate and depends on the location where the game of roulette is played. There are four variations of the ”en prison” rule, depending on location.
Classic Roulette Bets
French Roulette
Double Ball Roulette
Double Action Roulette
Probability and Odds in Roulette
If the game is played in Hamburg, 50% of the even-money outside bets will be recovered to the player, when the ball drops into the 0 pocket.
In Berlin, there is a slightly different scenario. If the ball drops into the 0 pocket, even-money outside bets will be imprisoned. An imprisoned bet will be recovered to the player if he or she emerges as a winner on the next wheel spin. In case, however, 0 wins on the next spin, the bet will be surrendered to the house. In Berlin, players are allowed to request the removal of the imprisoned bet from one even-money bet to another.
In France, at a number of casinos, the bet is placed on an “even chances line.”
In case the player makes a bet on color (say, black), but the winning number is 0, the bet will be placed on the line below the black diamond. In case the ball drops into a black-colored pocket, the bet will be released (freed). If the ball lands into a red-colored pocket, the bet will be surrendered to the house. If the following spin/spins is/are on 0, the bet will remain on the line, until a red or a black number is spun. Instead of imprisonment, the player is also allowed to choose to surrender 50% of the bet.
In the Netherlands, if 0 is spun for two consecutive times, the bet will be ”double imprisoned”.
In such a case the player will need to make two consecutive winning bets in order to release the original bet. If a third 0, or anything else is spun, the bet will be surrendered to the house. Just like in other parts of Europe, the player may also choose to have 50% of the original bet recovered to him or her.
