Learn How to Play European Roulette
Roulette, which means “little wheel” in French, is a fun and exciting game loved by many casino players. The main objective of the game is to meticulously predict which pocket the ball will fall on when the wheel stops spinning. Because of its easy rules and thrilling gameplay, roulette has become very popular in land-based and online casinos.
The catch is, it has already had many variations, including the most-widely played ones which are American roulette and European roulette. If you know the difference between these two, you may prefer the latter because of its lower house edge – in time for you to read through this article explaining European roulette gameplay.
1| Parts of the Game
Before knowing how betting is done in European roulette, know first the parts that make up the game. The following will make you better understand how different the game is from its American counterpart and how easy the gameplay is:
Roulette Wheel and Ball
Unlike in American roulette, the wheel in European roulette contains 37 numbered pockets. You will find numbers 1 to 36 in alternating colors of red and black and a 0 marked in green. The wheel is where the croupier places a ball which will determine which pocket is going to give payouts.
Betting Table
The betting table in European roulette contains the options you can bet on. It is composed of two sections. One is the Inside Bets which covers individual numbers, adjacent numbers, and other small groups of numbers. The other one is the Outside Bets section which includes larger groups of numbers such as all even and all odd, among others. It is important to remember that every option within those two sections provides you with a different chance of winning.
Simply put, the roulette wheel is where the results are determined. The betting table, on the other hand, is where wagers are placed.
2| How the Game Works
Your objective when you play European roulette is quite simple — make a wager on where you think the ball will land after the croupier spins the wheel. To bet, place your chips on the bet of your choice within the betting table. You can make multiple bets in a single spin. When all your wagers are in place, you can now click the Spin button so that the croupier can spin the wheel and drop the ball.
When the wheel stops spinning, the bets that cover the number on which the ball landed on win. The game goes on in the same manner until you decide to abandon the gaming session.
3| Bet Options
When it comes to bet options, there is a wide variety that you can make. The bets are classified into two: inside bets and outside bets — derived from their positions on the betting table. The inside bets are straight-up, split, street, corner, and line bets. Meanwhile, the outside bets are column, dozen, color, odd/even, and low/high bets.
Take note, though, that these choices can be wagered on simultaneously per spin. But to have a better chance of winning, you should know the bets and their corresponding payouts and house edges.
4| Payout and House Edge
If you like to play it safe, you should consider placing outside bets as these options give you much better odds of winning. While inside bets take on high house edge, outside bets grant you 48.65% chance of winning with a 1-to-1 payout. If you win, you are paid back your original wager times two.
However, if you want to challenge yourself, placing your bets on the inside portion of the table gives you better payouts. Do note that inside bets provide lower odds of winning than outside bets. But, by making a straight-up bet, for example, you can get the biggest payout of 35 to 1. Unfortunately, the chances of the ball falling on the specific number you wagered on stands at 2.70%. But do not worry as placing a line bet gives you a 16.22% chance of winning and a payout of 5 to 1.
5| En Prison
One of European roulette’s unique features is en prison or in prison. In the event that the ball lands on the green pocket, you have a choice to either get back 50% of the wager you placed on a non-0 option or let your wager stand in prison. If you choose the latter, instead of losing the money, the wager is carried over to the next round.
For example, you place a bet of 10 coins on black and the ball lands on the 0 pocket, the bet will remain active until the next round. And if in the next round the ball lands on a black, you will get the 10 coins back.
Now that you know the mechanics of European roulette, you can start playing it with confidence. To discover more helpful guides and tricks, visit HappiStar Tips — your go-to online learning hub for casino games.