Roulette has been around for a long time, dating back to the 17th century. While it has been played for generations the game is more popular than ever and just about anyone can learn how to play. You don’t need to be a card playing genius to play; in fact you just need to have a bit of luck and some basic knowledge about the game to have a good time with it!

Roulette Basics

The game of roulette is usually played with up to eight players at the table at one time. The game is played against the dealer, which is often known as the croupier. It is the job of the dealer to spin the roulette wheel and it is also this same person that will handle all of your bets as well as any payouts at the table. One of the first things you should know is that a roulette wheel can look a bit different depending on where you are playing. In the European and French versions of the wheel it will have 37 slots, slots which represent the numbers zero through 36. In the American roulette wheel there are 38 slots with there being a zero, a double zero, and the numbers one through 36 represented.

To get the game started each of the players buys in with different colored chips, this is to keep the bets straight. If you win with roulette the colored chips are then traded out for cash chips which you can take to another game or you can cash them out!

After you buy in you will place your bets on any numbers either in the table layout or on the outside edge of the table. When all of the players have had a chance to place their bets the dealer will start the spin and will launch the ball. When the ball is just about to drop over into the slots the dealer will let everyone at the table know that the time for placing or changing bets has come to an end, and no more bets can be placed. Winners in roulette are those that placed bets on the number in which the ball lands. Once the dealer has begun to payout bets you are able to start placing bets for the next spin.

The House Advantage in live roulette:

When you are playing on a European or French roulette wheel the rouse advantage is about 2.7% while when you play with an American wheel it is 5.26%. The house advantage is earned when the house pays the winners a chip or two, or a percentage less, than it would have paid if there was no advantage. This is how a casino manages to make money even when people are winning! Despite the house advantage, roulette continues to be a great past time for people of all ages from all regions of the world.