Betting on Roulette 101 — A Beginners Guide

Roulette is best known for its popularity in casinos, the epitome of a game of chance. But did you know you can get a fully immersive roulette experience from the comfort of your home? Sportingbet provides you with online roulette through a live video feed, giving you the real feel of playing at a casino without leaving your chair. If you’re thinking of giving it a try, make sure you understand the basics before placing your first chip on the virtual table.

The roulette wheel typically has 37 or 38 numbered pockets, depending on whether it's European or American roulette. The numbers are arranged in a specific order, and the wheel is divided into red and black sections. There’s a single 0 in green that is always a lose for all bettors. This tips the odds in the house’s favour.

Unlike card games like poker and blackjack, roulette has a set of custom chips. You’ll usually hand over your cash to the roulette dealer instead of buying your chips from the house as usual. You’ll also cash out at the table when you’re done playing. 

Players use these special chips to place their bets, each with a different colour of chips for each player to avoid confusion and streamline the betting process.

In roulette there are different ways to lay out your bet depending whether you’re betting on a single or series of numbers, or betting on a colour to win.

Inside Bets: These are bets placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers.

• Straight Bet: Betting on a single number with odds of 35.00
• Split Bet: Placing a bet on two adjacent numbers with odds of 17.00
• Street Bet: Betting on a row of three numbers with odds of 11.00
• Corner Bet: Betting on four numbers forming a square with odds of 8.00
• Six-Line Bet: Betting on two adjacent rows (six numbers) with odds of 5.00

Outside Bets: These are bets placed on larger groups of numbers or characteristics of the numbers.

• Red/Black: Betting on the colour of the winning number with odds of 1.00
• Odd/Even: Betting on whether the winning number will be odd or even with odds of 1.00
• High/Low: Betting on whether the winning number will be in the high (19-36) or low (1-18) range with odds of 1.00
• Dozen Bet: Betting on one of three groups of 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) with odds of 2.00
• Column Bet: Betting on a column of 12 numbers with odds of 2.00

After receiving chips, players place their bet on the designated areas of the roulette table corresponding to their chosen numbers or colour. The dealer will announce when no more bets can be placed and then spin the wheel. When the dealer spins the roulette wheel, he’ll spin it one way and throw the ball in the opposite direction. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls into one of the numbered pockets.

The winning number is the one in the pocket where the ball comes to rest. The dealer will announce the winning number and colour and if your bet corresponds, you win the round. The payout varies depending on the difficulty of winning that particular bet. The process of placing bets and spinning the wheel is then repeated.

Understanding the intricacies of the roulette wheel, the significance of betting chips, and the diverse range of bet types adds a layer of strategy to the game that makes it a whole lot of fun.  When you’re ready to give it a spin and play the roulette odds, check out the Sportingbet Live Casino, get playing, and hope that lady luck is on your side!