Online casinos: A beginner’s guide to betting on Roulette

Online casinos have continued to develop in sophistication, with new games being introduced every other month. However, some of the classics have proven to translate seamlessly to the virtual world of online casinos, and none more so than Roulette. As with most great ideas, the simplicity of the basic game is what makes roulette so attractive in both bricks and mortar and online casinos. We’ve all seen the iconic spinning wheel of the roulette table, and watched the declining spin of the little white ball in films and on television. However, when it comes to actually playing the game and placing a bet, things can start to seem a little more complicated. Here is a beginner’s guide to the different bets it is possible to place on roulette so that you can play with confidence, whether at online casinos or at your local bricks and mortar.
 
 Before we begin, you may not have noticed the difference between American, and British and European roulette tables. British and European tables have 37 slots in which the ball can land, which are the numbers 1 to 36, plus a zero. American roulette tables have two zeros – a single’0’ and double ‘00’. The most important consequence of this difference is that the odds are more attacked against the player in American roulette, since there are no winning bets that can be placed on zero(s) – this possible landing point for the ball is there to give the house an advantage.
 
 The simplest wager is logically called the straight up bet. You place your chips on one or more numbers, and if the ball lands on your number, you receive a return of 35 to 1 on your stake.
 
 A split bet allows you to place a single stake on 2 numbers, provided that they lie next to each other on the table layout. The table layout is the grid representing the different numbers on the wheel, on which the chips are placed. The return if the ball lands on either number is 17 to 1.
 
 If you are new to the game, a bet on red or black is one of the safer betting strategies. The odds are just slightly lower than fifty-fifty, thanks to the zero(s). An even money return means that you’ll double your stake if your bet is correct. You can place the same kind of bet on odd or even numbers.
 
 A low or high bet splits the results between 1 to 18, and 19 to 36. Pick the correct half and you again receive an even money return.
 
 This next option is a personal favourite, and is a bet on which dozen the ball will land on. So the split is of course 1 to 12, 13 to 24, or 25 to 36. The reason that I like this bet is that the return is better than even money, at 2 to 1, and the odds of winning are still quite good, at between around 31 and 32 percent (depending on the number of zeros on the wheel). The 2 to 1 return means that if you bet £10 you will get £30 back, which is your stake times two, plus the stake itself back.