Types of Roulette Bets
Go to any casino and the chances that the loudest table with the people having the most fun will have a spinning wheel, several dealers, and mountains of chips spread out across the table. Part of the reason for the excitement that comes with roulette is that it is a simple game to play. There are no cards to keep track of or arcane payouts for arcane bets. You simply place your bets, watch the wheel spin, and hopefully collect your winnings if your bets come in.
Through this series of articles, I will explain how roulette is played, the types of bets you can make, the true house edge behind the game, as well as optimal strategies you should consider utilizing if you are a serious gambler.
Unlike many other casino games, the variety of bets in roulette make it a flexible game that caters to whatever your gambling personality may be. The brave, who believe in the mantra of “no risk, no reward,” can place inside bets that have a 37-1 chance of coming in. On the other hand, gamblers who prefer playing it safe by playing for a lower risk bet that returns a lower payout can make outside bets with odds that range 2-1 to nearly even money.
Inside bets are to be the most exciting — and nervewracking – bets you can make in roulette. These are also the types of bets most people think of when roulette is mentioned. When you place an inside bet, you are attempting to predict which of the 38 possible numbers (including 0 and 00 — more on this later) will come up when the wheel stops spinning. When placing an inside bet, you can bet on either the exact or a range of adjacent numbers that the ball will land on.
The simplest of these bets is called a straight-up bet. Placing a straight-up bet requires you to place your chip in the middle of a number square on the roulette table. This chip is now in play for that specific number only. With 38 potential numbers for the ball to land on, the chances of being able to predict the correct number on the next spin aren’t very high. This is why straight-up bets offer the highest payout on a roulette table.
If you’d like to mitigate your risk while still playing on the inside, you can split your bet between multiple numbers within close proximity. The most common of these bets is called a split bet which is exactly what it sounds like — you are splitting a bet between two numbers. For example, placing a chip between the numbers 7 and 8 will allow you to have both numbers in play on the next spin. While this doubles your chances of winning your inside bet, it also halves the payout when either of your numbers come in. Split bets can be placed between horizontal numbers (e.g., 28 and 29) as well as vertical numbers (e.g., 28 and 31).
There are also more exotic bets that allow you to split a single bet between anywhere from 3 to 6 numbers. To cover 3 numbers with a single bet, you can make a street bet or a trio bet. A street bet, placed on the outside edge of a horizontal row, covers you for three horizontal numbers (e.g, placing a chip on the left edge of the 1 square will give you action on 1, 2 and 3). A trio bet is similar in principle — by making the bet on the intersecting point of the triangle that forms either 0, 1, and 2 or 0, 2, and 3, you will be covered for those three numbers with a single bet.
Corner bets allow you to split a bet between 4 numbers in a square layout. For example, placing a chip on the intersecting point of 1, 2, 4, and 5 (which, visually, forms a square) gives you action on those 4 numbers. Placing a 5 number bet is more restrictive since the actual bet itself is limited to the physical layout of the table. By putting a chip on the left edge of 0 and 1, you will be taking action on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. Note that these numbers are the only numbers you can place a 5 number bet on.
Finally, the six line bet enables you to split a single bet between 6 numbers. You do this by placing a chip on the intersecting point on the outside edge of a horizontal row. Much like the 3 number street bet I mentioned earlier, placing a chip on the point on the left edge of 1 and 4 splits your bet between all the numbers in those two rows — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Unfortunately, even with 6 numbers working for you, the chances of one of your numbers coming in are over 5-1. Correspondingly, the payout for a win is exactly 5-1 — not a bad payoff if you happen to get lucky. Those who are willing to trade higher payouts for lower risk can place outside bets. The simplest outside bets are the even money propositions. These consist of betting on red or black, even or odd, or the high-low bet (betting on which range of numbers — low (1-18) or high (19 to 36) the winning number will fall into).
Two other bets — the dozen bet and the column bet –round out the types of outside bets you can make. Dozen bets allow you to bet on which group of 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36) the winning number will fall into while column bets, placed on the very end of a vertical column, give you the opportunity to bet on which column the winning number falls into.