A bet, in the context of a casino, refers to the amount of money you wager on a game of chance. When you play games such as slot machines, blackjack, or roulette, you place a bet before the game begins.
The amount of the bet generally determines the potential winnings in case of success. Some games allow players to place bets of varying values, while others have fixed amounts.
There is almost always a minimum and maximum allowed bet amount.
Inside bets in roulette
In roulette, inside bets are located in the central area of the roulette layout. These bets are placed on individual numbers or on specific combinations of numbers. Here are the different types of bets you may encounter:
Straight up: Place a chip on a single number (from 0 to 36 in European roulette). This is the riskiest bet as it offers the lowest probability of winning.
Split: A split bet consists of placing a single chip on the line separating two adjacent numbers on the layout.
Street: A chip is placed on the outer line of a row of numbers (for example, between the 1 (or the 4, the 7, the 10, etc.) and the dozens area), thus covering the 3 numbers in that row.
Corner: To cover 4 numbers forming a square, place a chip at the intersection of the four concerned squares, where their vertical and horizontal lines cross.
Five-number bet: This bet on 5 numbers is exclusive to American roulette. By placing a chip at the intersection of the boxes for 0, 00, and the first dozen (or 1-2-3), you cover the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
Six-line bet: With this bet, you can cover a block of 6 consecutive numbers, for example from 1 to 6 or from 4 to 9, by placing a chip at the end of the group, at the place where the dozens are indicated, between two street bet lines.
Outside bets in roulette
As you can imagine, if inside bets occupy the central area of the layout, outside bets correspond to wagers placed in the peripheral zones of the gaming table. They generally offer higher winning probabilities than inside bets. In return, potential winnings are usually lower. Here are the outside bets:
Column: Bets on the columns are found at the bottom of each row of numbers and cover 12 numbers, being the entirety of one of the three vertical columns on the layout. For example, a bet on the right column includes the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36.
Dozen: To place a bet on a dozen, locate the 3 areas usually labeled “1st 12” (P12), “2nd 12” (M12), and “3rd 12” (D12). This allows you to bet on a set of 12 numbers without them necessarily being aligned in the same column.
Low-High: By placing a bet on “Low”, you bet that the ball will stop on a number between 1 and 18. A bet on “High” means you are betting on a number between 19 and 36.
Even-Odd: A bet on “Even” means you are betting on an even number, while a bet on “Odd” means you are betting on an odd number.
Red-Black: By placing a bet on “Red”, you bet that the ball will stop on a red number. With a bet on “Black”, you bet on a black number.
Announced bets in roulette
When you become more familiar with the main bet types, you might want to experiment with more atypical wagers. Here is a brief list of some:
Tiers of the Wheel: This bet covers approximately one-third of the wheel, including the numbers located between 27 and 33 (generally 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33).
Neighbors of Zero: This is a bet on the numbers surrounding zero on the roulette wheel. This includes zero itself as well as the numbers adjacent to its left and right on the wheel (generally 0, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 35).
Orphans: This is a bet on the numbers not included in the two previous categories, covering the remaining numbers on the wheel (generally 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31, 34, sometimes divided into Full Orphans and Split Orphans).
Neighbor bet: This consists of betting on a specific number as well as the two numbers adjacent to it on each side of the wheel.
As you can see, roulette offers a multitude of bet types. Some are more complex to grasp than others. Nevertheless, this demonstrates that this game is accessible to all players. Try and do not be intimidated, as you now have a small practical guide to consult.
