You must bet the table minimum on each spin (or noth-ing at all). If the table minimum is $5 and the chip minimums are $1 each, then each outside bet that you place must equal $5. The outside bets include the even-money wagers and the 2-to-l wagers found on the outside of the layout. Any bets on an individual number (placed on the inside of the layout) are referred to as inside bets. These only need to total up to the table minimum. So, for our $5 table, you could place one $1 chip on the 1-A line, one on the number 5 straight up, one on the 16-19 split, one on the 10-street and one chip on the 17-21 corner to fulfill the minimum requirement for inside betting. At the same time if you wish to wager on red and the second dozens, for instance, you will have to put down a complete and separate $5 bet on each one. Any additional outside bets will have to be $5 each.

Once the ball settles into one of the numbered pockets, the dealer will mark the winning number. All losing bets are immediately removed from the layout. Winning bets are paid according to the proper odds offered by the casino. Before leaving the table, you must color-up your wheel chips at that table (where you received them). Stack them neatly into piles of 5, 10 or 20 chips each and announce to the dealer, “Color coming in.” Push your stacks carefully over to the dealer. He will recount your chips, check their value, and pay you in regular casino chips.

If the table is not busy, or you only wish to place a few quick bets, then use the regular casino chips. Most dealers won’t mind if nobody else is using them. Just check with the dealer first. Also, if you confine your betting to the outside bets, then the regular house chips are fine. Unlike the inside bets, keep your bet separate from anyone else’s. Stack your bet with the larger denominations on the bottom and the smallest denomination on top. Organizing your wager in this way will make it easier for the dealer to make quicker and more accurate payoffs. Whether seated or standing at the table, conduct yourself with proper comportment. Sure, it’s fine to enjoy yourself, but blowing smoke into people’s faces, bumping or shoving the other patrons or using crude language is obnoxious, though sadly all too common behavior. A little respect for your fellow players will go a long way toward having a more pleasurable experience.

In North America, the roulette games use special chips called wheel chips. These chips will have a unique letter or design on them designating which table they belong to. They cannot be used anywhere else in the casino, only at the table from which they were issued. The wheel chips come in six or seven different color groups of 300 chips each. Each seated player will usually have his own color to bet with, eliminating any confusion on the layout.

After the dealer has paid off all the winning bets from the previous spin, place your buy-in (cash or casino checks) out on the layout and ask if there is a color available. You can-not hand the money to the dealer; place it down on the table. If the dealer does not see your buy-in right away, be patient; he may be busy. But do keep an eye on it until he is ready to convert it. He will count out your money or chips on the table in front of him. After getting a final check from the supervisor, he will push your colored wheel chips over to you.

You can buy in for any amount that you wish, as long as it is equal to or greater than the minimum bet allowed on that table (check the placard located near the wheel itself). The wheel chips are organized into stacks of 20. If the chip minimum for that table is 25 cents (downtown Vegas) and you give the dealer a $5 bill, he will assume that you want (20) 25-cent chips to play with. If, instead, you want (10) 50-cent chips or (5) $1 chips, you will have to inform him of your preference. There is a shelf on the back rim of the roulette wheel where one of each colored chip can be placed. The deal-er will place a special marker button, or lammer on your color to signify what it is worth. You can make your wheel chips worth the minimum, usually 25 cents, 50 cents or $1, $5, $25 each or up to $100 each in certain casinos, depending upon the amount of your buy-in. If you wish to play with chips worth more than $100 in value, talk to one of the bosses in the pit to see if they can accommodate you. No other person can use your chips to bet with, not even your own spouse, who may be standing right behind you.

Chips are cleared and moved by hand in North American casinos instead of by rake. You will notice that win-ning wagers are paid by cutting the chips. Dealers will bring their entire hand over a stack of chips and use the index finger to cut and separate chips into smaller stacks. Outside bets are simply paid off in like stacks. The dealer doesn’t actually count the chips. He will pay you in two same-height stacks for 2-to-l wagers or one equal stack for even-money bets. Winning bets are paid in Europe by running out the chips. Because the French-style chips are beveled on-edge and more awkward to handle, the winning bet is spread out left to right in front of the dealer and counted out precisely. This of course, accounts for much of the extra time taken.

After the dealer has paid off all the winning bets, he will remove the marker, or dolly from the winning number and place it near the wheel. This is your signal to begin betting. Players are given time to decide where they want to put their chips on the layout. After most bets appear to be placed, the dealer will commence spinning the ball. In North America, the dealer will typically spin the wheel head counterclockwise (CCW) and snap the ball in the clockwise (CW) direction. In Europe, the croupier will alternate directions on subsequent spins. The ball is always spun in the opposite direction that the wheel is spun.

In Europe, you’ll usually find two betting layouts with one single-zero wheel in between. The spinner, or croupier operates the wheel. Two dealers on either side watch the betting layout and assist with placing bets. In Europe, dealers often place about 80 percent of the wagers. Aside from the extra dealers, there is usually an inspector or boss who presides over the game. Interestingly, the Inspector must have the ability to recall all of the bets that were placed and whom they belong to, for the previous two spins! This is done to help alleviate confusion. One wheel can accommodate 12 to 16 seated players.

In North America, one wheel per betting layout is cus-tomary. The wheel is positioned at the far end beyond the top of the betting layout. Most times one dealer is stationed behind the wheel and controls the entire game. A floating supervisor or boss will monitor two tables at a time. These games will accommodate five or six seated patrons, but sometimes a second row of players will stand behind them. I’ve seen 10 to 12 patrons squeezing in to play at one table. In North America, the dealers assist with placing only about 20 percent of the wagers. Usually a second dealer will help to sort out chips when the action gets hot.

If you wish to sit and relax, find an open seat. If you have the option, select a seat that fits your needs. For example if you are a wheel watcher, you’ll probably appreciate sitting right next to the wheel. I call this first base. From this position you can easily see the wheel and cover the top and middle of the betting layout. The next position, I call center field, is the best seat for reaching the entire betting baize. With great access to the layout and good visibility of the wheel, this is probably my favorite seat. The third position (last seat on the straightaway) is second base. This seat offers the worst view of the wheel. You will need assistance from the dealer if you wish to place wagers at the top of the layout. Just around the corner are two seats that directly face the wheel. Keeping with our baseball analogy, these would be shortstop and third base. Reaching for anything beyond the third dozens would require quite a stretch, but they are usually afforded a good view of the action. Sometimes a sixth chair is positioned around the corner from third base (same side of the table as the dealer). This player can access most of the layout and has a great view of the wheel as well.
The European tables may have one or two additional seats on the same side of the table that the dealer occupies. Another option, which I usually accept, is to stand. I like to watch the wheel from behind the seated first base player. After the seated players have placed most of their bets, and the dealer has commenced spinning the ball, I reach over between first and center and place my bets. Usually a quick “excuse me please” is all that is required for them to give you some room.

The game can be an elegant, leisurely break from the rest of the casino. With a sense of civility and decorum, where else can the common folk and the aristocracy both share the plush surroundings of a relaxed and quiet atmosphere? Roulette is often characterized as a serious, but unhurried game, graced by Kings and Queens. With plenty of time between spins, you’ll have ample opportunity to play your systems. You can calculate your next series of wagers or socialize with neighbors. Relax and enjoy the company of that attractive blond on your right or that shapely brunette on your left who needs assistance reaching the layout. Of course, not wanting to appear sexist in any way, how about rubbing elbows with that dashing young Duke, or some friendly con-versation with that handsome, witty Texan?

You can make an event out of playing roulette. Because of its slower, more relaxed pace, you can stop and enjoy the company at hand. Indeed, the game is faster here in the States, but you can still stop to chat with your neighbors if you’re feeling social. In North America, only a small percentage of gamblers consider roulette to be their favorite game, but it can provide a welcome diversion for players who want to relax before getting back to the more fast-paced casino games such as craps and blackjack.

Remuneration

Naturally, the biggest reason that many people play roulette is to make money! Whether playing systems or hunches, everyone seems to have an opinion on the proper method of play. If we thought that we had no chance of win-ning, we simply would not play. Most patrons will play if they feel they have some chance to beat the game, even if it’s a win based on pure luck - as it is when you employ most betting schemes at roulette.

But is it possible to beat this game over the long term? Is it possible to get the edge at roulette? I believe it is … if (and that’s a big IF) you have the proper strategy and the dedication to know how to employ it. While mathematical systems alone will fail in the long run, the right predictive methods can and have beaten the game. In later sections of this site we’ll discuss such topics as dealer’s signature, biased-wheel play and visual tracking, to name a few. These are the kinds of techniques that dedicated players can employ to get the edge because they predict where the ball is going to land, albeit these predictions are probabilistic and not perfect.

There are accounts of ancient Romans tipping their chariots on their sides and spinning one of the wheels for games of amusement. The word roulette is French, meaning “little wheel.” Several early versions of roulette appeared in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is believed that the noted French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the mechanism in 1657 while experimenting with perpetual motion devices. It is thought that he named his device roulette, however he did not envision its use for gambling. Pascal, incidentally, pioneered the mathematical field of probability.

The Gaming Acts of 1739 and 1740 banned roly-poly, as well as many other games of chance in England. An innova-tive Beau Nash, the Master of Ceremonies at Bath, England, evaded these laws by introducing EO, or even-odd, but that too was outlawed in 1745. During the next 50 years, the game evolved into the one we recognize today.

The modern wheels appeared in Paris casinos around 1796. They contained all of the familiar elements that survive today, the alternating red and black colors, the layout of num-bered pockets 1 through 36, the 0 and the 00. About the only difference being that the single zero was red in color (although the casino barred any red bets from winning if 0 appeared) and the double zero was black (again barring black bets). To alleviate the confusion, the color green was eventually assigned to the zeros.

This version of roulette found its way over to the U.S. by way of Europeans in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Some proprietors, not content with a big 5.26 percent edge, experi-mented with wheels containing 31 pockets. These wheels were numbered 1 through 28, with a 0, 00 and an Eagle pocket. These greedy proprietors paid out only 26 to 1 for a single number win (30 to 1 is the fair pay out). This translates into a whooping 12.9 percent house edge! People soon stopped playing these wheels in favor of the original double-zero wheels.

Meanwhile back on the continent, two innovative brothers from France went in the opposite direction. Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the first single-zero roulette wheel in 1842. They left France, where gambling was illegal, and set up a house in Homburg, Bavaria (now Germany). The new single-zero wheel, with a 2.7 percent edge instead of the double zero’s 5.26 percent edge, was an instant hit. It decimated the competition. When gambling was outlawed in Germany, Louis Blanc (who survived his brother) accepted an invitation from the Prince of Monaco, Charles III, for whom Monte Carlo was named. For a cost of two million francs, he was allowed to establish and operate the magnificent casino that still sets all the standards in Europe.

Although both the double- and single-zero wheels originated in France, the double zero became known as the American wheel, because it survived in the States. The popu-larity of the single-zero wheel had supplanted the double-zero wheel in Europe and consequently was dubbed the French wheel. In Europe, the option of en prison was offered, further lowering the house edge on even money wagers down to 1.35 percent! No wonder the game accounts for over 50 percent of revenues in European casinos as compared to about 5 percent in U.S. casinos. Casinos in Atlantic City offer a version of en prison called surrender for even-money bets on their double-zero wheels. This effectively reduces the casino’s edge from 5.26 percent to 2.63 percent for those bets.

Roulette did enjoy popularity stateside around the turn of the century until World War II. As Americans learned to lose less at craps and subsequently became interested in the notion that blackjack was beatable, roulette declined in popularity. Roulette is the oldest casino game still in existence. I believe that with the emergence of more single-zero wheels in the United States and a well-informed gambling public, the game may enjoy a resurgence in popularity.