Many, many people find themselves drawn to casinos. They are attracted to the idea that they could hit a big payday and walk out with a small fortune. In actuality this rarely happens, as one might guess from the grandeur of most casinos. Often, people lose because of bad luck. But they also loose sometimes because they play games with which they really are not familiar. They do not have a sense for all the nuances of the game or its odds. Here we will take a quick look at roulette and some of the wagering options.

Roulette means “little wheel” in French. And the game is, in fact, played with a spinning wheel. The wheel is divided into pockets numbered 1-36. A ball is spun around the periphery of the wheel and ultimately falls into one of the pockets. Numbers are either red or black. The numbers in the 1-10 range as well as the 20-27 range have the following code: odd numbers are red; even numbers are black. For the other numbers, the reverse red/black scheme is true. American roulette features two additional pockets: 0 and 00 which are both green.

Folks have multiple ways to wager. The most straight-forward is the straight bet. With this type if bet, they simply put their money on one number, or on several numbers and hope that one of those numbers comes in. One thing to remember is that the house pays 35:1 even though the odds of hitting any number are 37:1. This provides a slight advantage to the house.

In addition to the straight bet, there are other wagering options. For instance, bettors may opt to just bet on whether the number will be black or red. Even money is paid to winners of this type of bet. Yet with the extra green slots, the odds are actually 1.11 to 1.

Other betting opportunities include betting on low vs. High and even vs. Odd. The odd/even is self explanatory. The low/high divides the numbers in half. People can bet on low half (1-18) or high half (19-36.) Again, payout is even money and the odds are a little greater than 1:1.

For payouts in between the 35:1 or the even money, there are other betting options. Betting on 0/00 pays 17:1 and covers either of the two pockets. Odds of one of these green spaces are 19:1. Players might also choose to bet “top row” which includes 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. This pays out $6 per dollar wagered.

Many have systems have come out over the years claiming to give an edge to the player. Unfortunately, most of these rely on the notion that a certain number is “due” to come in eventually. This is actually not true. Each spin of the ball brings with it the same odds: thirty-seven to one for any given number, regardless of when that given number last came up.

In the end luck will dictate your success or failure. However it does not mean you cannot have a ball playing roulette. It is an exciting and social game that just might net you a few extra dollars in your pocket.

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