Roulette is one of the oldest casino games and a staple at online casinos in Ireland. Although many roulette variants exist, the way the game is played is always the same for the most part. If you’re interested in learning how to play roulette at a casino, you’ve come to the right place.
This in-depth roulette: how to play guide will introduce you to all the betting options available in the game, explain the difference between inside and outside bets, and everything else you need to know before playing roulette.
What Is the Objective of Roulette?
The objective of roulette is to predict correctly where the ball will land on the wheel. This can be done by placing one of the many betting options available in the game. For example, you might try to guess the number the ball will land on by placing a bet on it, or you can go for a broader bet and try to predict the colour of the winning number.
The latter gives you more winning opportunities because you cover a large part of the roulette wheel, but the payout will be smaller if you win. If your guess is correct, you’ll win a payout according to the type of wager you placed.
Learn the Basic Rules of Roulette
If you want to learn how to play roulette properly, you’ll first need to know the rules of the game in Ireland. Although roulette is a game of chance, and the outcome of the ball is always random, it’s still necessary to be aware of the rules before you play.
Luckily, the roulette rules are very straightforward. If you place a successful bet, you’ll win the relevant payout according to the game’s paytable. Only one payout can be won per game, even if you’ve placed multiple bets. No payout will be awarded if your bet (or none of them) is correct. These are the essential rules to remember when learning how to play roulette online at Betiton Ireland.
Get to Know the Roulette Table & Wheel Layout
Besides understanding the different roulette bets, it’s also necessary to get to know the two components that make up a roulette game: the roulette wheel and the table layout. In the following sections, we’ll explain how these work in online roulette.
Roulette Table Layout
The roulette table layout in a casino is the green felt table where all the bets are displayed. In online roulette, this is the betting area, usually displayed below or beside the wheel. The roulette table has the same numbers as the wheel displayed in a table.
Next to the numbers, you can see other bets displayed in separate boxes. Virtual roulette chips in online roulette tables are used to place your bets. Chips are placed in the appropriate area, according to the bet you want to place. Ensure you know the correct chip positions for each bet to avoid confusion.
Roulette Wheel Layout
The roulette wheel is a continuously spinning wheel with numbered pockets, coloured red and black, in an alternating pattern. There’s also a green pocket, which is always the zero. Two types of roulette wheels exist: the European and American Roulette wheels.
The European roulette wheel has 37 numbered pockets, ranging from zero to 36. The American variant has an additional green pocket with a double zero, giving it a total of 38 pockets with the same numbers. The extra pocket gives the casino a bigger advantage, which is the reason most players favour the European version if the option is available.
Practice Your Roulette Skills
No particular skills are necessary in a roulette game because the result depends solely on luck. Similarly, although you can use a roulette strategy to play the game, it won’t influence the odds of winning roulette.
Having said that, before you play any roulette online casino game for the first time, it’s advisable to try roulette betting for free. Using a roulette simulator is a great way to familiarise yourself with the roulette rules, try different bets, and practice the right chip placement to place your bets swiftly. A roulette simulator is free software intended for practice, meaning no money is wagered and none can be won.
What Are the Main Types of Free Roulette Games?
This part of our guide to roulette online playing will briefly introduce you to the different roulette variants found at casinos. You can play three main types of free roulette games: American, European, and French roulette.
You can find a brief explanation the main free roulette games below:
- European Roulette β European roulette games are the most common at online casinos in Ireland. These games use a 37-pocket wheel with only one zero. This roulette variant has a low house edge of 2.70%.
- American Roulette – This version of roulette uses the American roulette wheel with two zero pockets. Because of the double zero, the house edge is around 5.26%, favouring the casino even more. The same bets are available in both European and American roulette.
- French Roulette β The French roulette variant uses the European roulette wheel, but the house edge is even lower thanks to some special rules that apply in this game. These are the La Partage and En Prison rules, which can reduce the house edge to around 1.35% when playing even money bets. Besides these special rules, French roulette tables have even more available bet types, usually known as called or announced bets.
Understand the Roulette House Edge
The house edge is the advantage the house or casino has over the player. Every casino game has a house edge, but it’s different for every game. The higher the house edge, the bigger the casino’s advantage.
With this in mind, it’s clear to see that choosing roulette tables with a low house edge will give you better odds. This is why the European and French roulette variants are always preferred over the American version. Even though the difference might seem minor, a higher house edge will negatively impact your odds of winning.
While the house edge influences the odds of hitting a win, it doesn’t affect the payouts for a successful bet. For example, winning a straight-up bet pays 35:1 in all three variants, but the probability of winning this bet is slightly lower in the American version.
Below, you can compare the house edge for European, American, and French roulette tables. We’ve also included an example of the estimated loss over 100 rounds according to the house edge. Please note that in practice, the total loss can be even higher; it doesn’t mean you’ll lose the same amounts when wagering a total of β¬100.
π Variant | π‘ House Edge | βοΈ Expected Loss Over 100 Spins (β¬100 Bankroll) |
European Roulette | 2.70% | β¬2.70 |
American Roulette | 5.26% | β¬5.26 |
French Roulette | 1.35% | β¬1.35 |
What Are the Odds in Roulette?
The odds in roulette are directly related to the house edge described in the previous section. Put simply, the roulette odds indicate the likelihood of winning any particular bet. The odds vary for most bets. For example, the probability of winning a single number bet in European roulette is 1/37, which gives us odds of 2.70% (1Γ·37 x 100 = 2.70%).
On the other hand, the odds of winning a colour bet are much higher because there are 18 pockets the ball can land in for you to win your bet. If we calculate the odds using the same method above, we get odds of 48.64%.
Roulette Payouts
With an understanding of the odds in roulette and how they influence the chances of winning, you can easily calculate your potential winnings. Each bet type is worth a different payout in roulette, and a paytable is always available. This is where you can find a full list of the payout you can win for each bet if it’s successful.
You can easily calculate the exact payout you would win if your bet were successful by multiplying your bet size by the potential payout. For example, a two-number bet pays 17:1, so if your stake is β¬10, you win β¬170. If a bet pays 2:1, you win β¬20 with the same stake.
What Types of Roulette Bets You Can Place?
There are two main categories of online roulette bets: inside bets and outside bets. A third type, known as special or announced bets, may also be available, especially in French roulette games and some European tables. However, these aren’t so common.
Inside Bets in Roulette
Inside bets are the more specific bets in roulette, covering between one and six numbers at most. These bets have a lower chance of winning because they’re very specific but have the largest payouts.
For this reason, inside bets are known as the riskiest bets in roulette because while they offer attractive payouts, they also have poor winning chances. It’s much harder to predict the number the ball will fall on than the colour or number type.
Below is a complete list of inside bets in roulette:
- Straight Up Bet
- Split Bet
- Street Bet
- Corner Bet
- Line Bet
- Five Number Bet (American Roulette)
- Snake Bet
Outside Bets in Roulette
Outside bets are the betting areas on the outer corners of the roulette layout. These are broader bet types that cover groups of numbers at once. These bets cover between 12 and 18 numbers on the wheel, so they have much higher winning odds.
With high winning chances, you can expect the payouts to be much lower. In fact, these bets pay even money or a maximum payout of 2:1.
Here’s a list of roulette outside bets you can try:
- Red or Black
- Odd or Even
- Low or High Numbers
- Dozens Bet
- Columns Bet
Roulette Strategies You Can Try
Many players agree that using a roulette betting strategy is the best way to play roulette. There are multiple roulette strategies you can try when playing this game, but it’s very important to understand that these strategies are best used as bankroll management systems rather than a way to beat roulette.
None of the known roulette strategies have been proven to guarantee regular wins because, ultimately, roulette is a game of luck and this is the most important tip you need to learn.
Progressive betting systems are the most common betting strategies used for roulette. These involve increasing or decreasing your bet size depending on the result of each round. Some strategies state you should double your stake on a win/loss, while others use betting units or a number sequence which can be followed according to the result.
Non-progressive strategies also exist, but they’re less common in roulette. These state you should bet the same amount on every round, regardless of the outcome. Below are some popular rouletting betting strategies you can try:
- Martingale Strategy
- D’Alembert Strategy
- Fibonacci Strategy
- Labouchere Strategy
- Paroli Strategy
Remember that many of the above strategies require a large bankroll to follow consistently, while some are riskier than others. It’s important to understand the rules well before trying a betting system.
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Play Roulette
The house edge in roulette depends on the roulette wheel and variant. European Roulette has a house edge of 2.70%, American Roulette has 5.26%, and French Roulette has 1.35% if the special game rules apply.
An online roulette simulator is designed to help Irish players to learn to play roulette. Free roulette games are the free version of a real money game, but they can also be used for practice. Both are free to use and can’t award real money payouts.
Due to its low house edge, European roulette is usually the most popular type.
The numbers on the wheel are arranged randomly, but in the betting area, they follow a chronological pattern.
Inside bets are the ones on the inner part of the roulette layout and are made on individual numbers. Outside bets are on the outer edge of the betting area and cover a group of numbers according to type, such as colour.
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